SpeakEasy Stage to Honor Former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino at April 14 Spring Gala

SpeakEasy Stage Company will posthumously honor former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino for his sustained and generous support of the arts at its 2015 Spring Gala, to be held Tuesday, April 14 from 6-9 PM at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, One Avenue De Lafayette, in Boston.

Mrs. Angela Menino, the mayor's widow, will attend and accept on her late husband's behalf.

"SpeakEasy Stage is proud to honor Mayor Thomas Menino, the city's longest-serving mayor, as a true friend of the arts and Boston artists," said SpeakEasy Stage Company Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault in announcing the award.

"Mayor Menino was dedicated to revitalizing Boston's neighborhoods, and showed his dedication to this goal by creating and revitalizing arts institutions in these areas. With a limited budget for Arts and Culture, he used his resources to push forward a grand agenda, which resulted in a number of Boston theatres, including the Paramount, the Modern, and the Strand, being refurbished and re-opened for business."

"In addition, SpeakEasy's own home, the Calderwood Pavilion, would not have been possible without Mayor Menino's commitment and leadership," Daigneault noted. "By marshaling the project through the complex development process - from property clearing, to permitting, to arranging short-term financing - the Mayor gave Boston its first new theaters in over 70 years - and SpeakEasy a fantastic new home. Thus, we are indebted to Mayor Menino and excited to honor him with this award, which going forward will be known as The Mayor Thomas M. Menino Memorial Award for Inspired Support of the Arts in Boston."

Tickets to SpeakEasy's 2015 Spring Gala, which includes the award ceremony are now on sale. VIP Tickets are $300 and include admission to the event, a VIP champagne reception, three-course dinner, and entertainment from a selection of Boston's finest theatre artists.

Single tickets are just $200 and include admission, dinner, and entertainment.

To purchase tickets or for more information, the public can call SpeakEasy Stage Development Associate Rebecca Miller at 617-482-3279 or visit gala.SpeakEasyStage.com.

About The Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston

Elected five times as Mayor of Boston and five times as a City Councilor, Thomas M. Menino spent a lifetime building a better city for residents and businesses. Mayor Menino was known as a mayor of the people and has been widely recognized for meeting more than half of Boston's residents. This people-focused approach defined his tenure, and it produced remarkable results for New England's largest city. He helped to transform the Boston Public Schools from a district that parents and even prospective teachers avoided to one that enjoys incredible popularity among teachers and parents alike. He made Boston's neighborhoods and local Main Streets districts stronger, with millions of dollars of investments. His focus on public health and environmental sustainability initiatives made Boston a healthier and more livable city. The Mayor's drive for technological innovation positioned Boston at the forefront of collaborative government and the collaboration economy. Mayor Menino, as co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, led a national effort for common sense gun reforms and spearheaded a drastic reduction of crime in Boston. The Mayor made the diversity of Boston a true strength and was proud to lead a minority-majority city. He welcomed immigrants with open arms, creating the Office of New Bostonians to ease the transition to a new home and oversaw the creation of schools and programs to help newcomers of all ages. Mayor Menino left Boston a more open and welcoming city. Under his leadership, Boston was the first city in the country to legalize gay marriage, a defining moment in a career spent making Boston a beacon of equality.

Following his final term, which drew to a close in January of 2014, Mayor Menino joined Boston University where he served as co-director for the newly founded Initiative on Cities (IoC). At the IoC, Mayor Menino led an effort to investigate the dynamic nature of our world's cities and bridge the gap between academic research on urban affairs and practical implementation. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a degree in community planning.

Mayor Menino's greatest love was for his family. Throughout his time as Mayor he was supported by his wife Angela, his children Susan and Thomas, and his six grandchildren, Giulia, Samantha, Olivia, William, Taylor and Thomas.

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