30 ROCK's Jane Krakowski Hosts Alliance Theatre's 'Tony Evening' Tonight

Atlanta's nationally acclaimed ALLIANCE THEATRE will host its 5th annual A Tony Evening at the Woodruff Arts Center tonight, May 18, 2013. The event benefits the ALLIANCE THEATRE's educational programming for youth and families.

The 2013 A Tony Evening will honor Paul Bowers, President and CEO of Georgia Power, and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street, for their continued support of arts in early childhood education. Aside from his work as President and CEO of Georgia Power, Paul Bowers is an Atlanta civil servant, serving our community as chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and Vice chair of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Through Sesame Street and other initiatives, Sesame Workshop reaches children in over 150 countries with critical lessons in literacy & numeracy, emotional wellbeing, health & wellness and respect and understanding for others.

Film, Television and Stage actor Jane Krakowski is the scheduled entertainer for the event. Krakowski is perhaps best known for her role as Jenna Maroney on NBC's hit comedy 30 Rock, for which she has earned three Emmy nominations. She was awarded the 2003 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Carla in the Broadway revival of the hit musical, Nine, for which she also won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critic's Award.

Chairing this year's event is Stephanie Blank. Blank is the founding chair of the governing board of GEEARS, the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. GEEARS helps businesses, government leaders, providers and parents maximize the economic return on the state's investments in early care and learning. Blank served as chair of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation Board of Trustees until 2010, and is now a member of the CHOA System Board. She serves as the mentor leader for the Emerging Leaders for Children's Healthcare and is also a member of the Quality Committee. She also serves on First Lady Deal's Children's Cabinet and is on the national board for Jumpstart, an early education program. Blank's goal for A Tony Evening is to provide donors and Atlanta's corporate community a deeper understanding of what the ALLIANCE THEATRE provides to the community, and how arts in education at Early Stages of childhood lead to higher achievement and a lifetime of support and love of the arts.

"The arts - dancing, singing, acting - allow even the youngest children to express themselves and their emotions in ways that sometimes words just can't," said Blank.

Each year, the ALLIANCE THEATRE Acting Program and Education Department reaches close to 50,000 students through performances, acting classes, drama camps, and in-school initiatives. The Alliance creates and produces plays for young audiences at every age level: from the Collision Project, where high school artists create and perform new work based on a classic text, to the ground breaking Theatre for the Very Young, creating interactive shows for infants and toddlers. An active participant in Georgia classrooms, the Alliance has developed programs using theatrical techniques to aid in student learning through storytelling and problem solving. The ALLIANCE THEATRE Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists equips teachers with theatrical techniques that link directly to school curriculum, align with the Georgia Performance Standards, and increase student learning.

Patron Sponsorships for A Tony Evening start at $1,500 and include tickets to the event and the Patron Party. For more information, contact Lindsey Hardegree by email at lindsey.hardegree@woodruffcenter.org or by telephone at 404.733.4612. Learn more about the event and the sponsorship levels at www.alliancetheatre.org/atonyevening.

Founded in 1968, the ALLIANCE THEATRE has become the lead producing theatre in the Southeast, creating the powerful experience of shared theatre for diverse people on two stages. The Alliance values excellence, pursued with integrity and creativity, and achieved through collaboration. Under the leadership of Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, the Alliance received the Regional Theatre Tony Award in recognition of sustained excellence in programming, education and community engagement. Reaching more than 200,000 patrons annually, the Alliance delivers powerful programming that challenges adult and youth audiences to think critically and care deeply. Each year, the ALLIANCE THEATRE Acting Program and Education Department reaches 50,000 students through performances, acting classes, drama camps, and in-school initiatives with programs like the Collision Project for teens and the Theatre for the Very Young for audiences 18 months - 5 years old. The Alliance also nurtures the careers of playwrights through the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, producing a premiere for the competition winner as part of the regular season with national networking opportunities for four finalists.

The ALLIANCE THEATRE is a division of The Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which also houses the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art and Young Audiences. Call 404.733.4650 or visit www.alliancetheatre.org for more information.

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