The Joyce Theater Honors George Stevens Jr. At Annual Spring Gala At ESPACE 4/27

The Joyce Theater Foundation will honor award-winning writer, director, producer and founder of the American Film Institute, George Stevens Jr. at its annual Spring Gala on Monday, April 27 at ESPACE (635 West 42nd Street).

Coordinated by Joyce Theater board member and Tony Award-wining choreographer Rob Ashford (Cry Baby, Thoroughly Modern Millie) along with Event Committee members, this black-tie event will begin with cocktails at 6:30 PM followed by dinner, dancing and presentations at 7:30 PM. The evening will feature dance performances by Gallim Dance and Keigwin + Company along with cabaret performances by the extraordinary duo of John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey. Playwright John Guare (House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation) and Michael Kaiser (President of the John F. Kennedy Center) will serve as co-chairs.

Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater, remarks, "We are thrilled to honor George Stevens for his continued support of and enthusiasm for dance, along with the gracious participation and assistance of our co-chairs John Guare & Michael Kaiser. The evening promises to be a memorable event with two young, exciting dance companies performing, and a special musical treat by the brilliant cabaret couple John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey, who are hot off the heels of a recent critically acclaimed engagement at Birdland."

Proceeds from the Spring Gala will support The Joyce's education program as well as dance companies that will perform at The Joyce Theater and Joyce SoHo.

George Stevens Jr. is an award-winning writer, director, and producer and he is also the co-founder and director of the Kennedy Center Honors. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Kennedy Center Honors recognizes individuals for their lifetime contributions through the performing arts to America culture. Stevens has co-written and produced each year's show since its founding in 1978. He was also the founder of the American Film Institute, which he directed from 1967 to 1979. Stevens has received eleven Emmys, two Peabody Awards and eight Writers Guild of America Awards for his television productions, including the annual Kennedy Center Honors, Separate But Equal and The Murder of Mary Phagan. His production of The Thin Red Line was nominated for seven Academy Awards including best picture. Alfred A. Knopf published his recent book, Conversations with the Great Moviemakers of Hollywood's Golden Age at The American Film Institute.

Stevens has been involved in the entertainment industry for nearly his entire life. The son of famed film director George Stevens, after graduating from Occidental College, Stevens assisted his father on the production of films such as Giant and The Diary of Anne Frank.

Stevens was appointed head of the United States Information Agency's motion picture division in 1962. In 1964, while at the agency he supervised the documentary film, John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning -- Day of Drums.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce's Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.

The Joyce Theater Foundation Spring Gala, honoring George Stevens Jr., will take place Monday, April 27 at ESPACE (635 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues). For reservations, please call Maureen Cavanaugh, Development Officer for Individual Giving and Events for The Joyce Theater, at (646) 467 8556 or email mcavanaugh@joyce.org. Individual tickets are $500 - $1,250 and reserved tables are $5,000 - $25,000. For more information, please visit www.joyce.org.