The Orchard Project to Honor Savion Glover, Kristin Caskey, and More at 2020 Gala

The Orchard Project has announced its 2020 Gala, A TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW, occurring Monday, March 9, 2020 at the Prince George Ballroom and honoring the work of TONY-Award winning producers Kristin Caskey and Amanda Dubois, OBIE winning writer Kyle Jarrow, and TONY-winning tap legend Savion Glover.

A TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW serves as the primary fundraiser for the Orchard Project and raises the crucial funds necessary to continue its support of the future of American theater. The 2020 gala will feature a tasting menu of fifteen one-of-a-kind dishes from celebrity chefs and restaurants inspired by many of the best new plays and musicals of the 2019-20 season. The event will also include bespoke cocktails and an open bar courtesy of William Grant & Sons, performances from Orchard Project alumni and friends, and a live auction.

At the event, the Orchard Project will honor Kristin Caskey and Amanda Dubois with its Visionary Award, highlighting a commitment to producing bold and inventive new work and for service to the field. The organization will also present Savion Glover and Kyle Jarrow with its Inspiration Award for creating a diverse body of new work between various media.

The Gala Honorary Committee for TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW includes Alan Cumming, Amir Arison, Bebe Neuwirth, Daphne Rubin Vega, Dave Malloy, David Cale, David Mandel, David Yazbek, Esperanza Spalding, Grace McLean, Hunter Bell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, John Glover, Kelli O'Hara, Mo Rocca, Kyle Jarrow, Lea DeLaria, Mike Bartlett, Nathan Tysen, Richard Kind, and Tonya Pinkins.

The benefit begins at 6:00 PM with cocktails and appetizers, with a tasting menu dinner to begin at 7:00 PM and a program to follow. Tickets and program ads can be purchased at orchardproject.com/gala.

Kyle Jarrow is an award-winning writer and musician who makes work for stage, film and TV. He wrote the book for Broadway's SpongeBob Musical, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. Other plays include A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant (Obie Award), The Wildness (Lortel Award nomination, developed at Orchard Project), Noir, Hostage Song and Gorilla Man. His musical Whisper House, a collaboration with Duncan Sheik, will arrive in New York in Spring 2020 with a production by acclaimed theater company The Civilians.

Kyle created and executive-produced the television series Valor, which premiered on The CW network and is now available to stream on Netflix. He also created the streaming series Lost Generation. In the world of features, Kyle penned the indies Armless (an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival) and Saint Janet (starring Kelly Bishop, available for streaming on Amazon Prime). He's developed movies for Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, MTV Films and others.

In addition to his work as a writer, Kyle leads the rock band Sky-Pony--a collaboration with wife Lauren Worsham. Their debut LP Beautiful Monster is available from Knitting Factory Records. Kyle was also a member of the now-retired band The Fabulous Entourage, which appeared in the Whitney Biennial and opened for such groups as Hot Chip and We Are Scientists. Back before that, he was one of the founders of the TankNYC theater space. Oh, and he's also a member of the associate board of the New York Civil Liberties Union. For more info on Kyle, check out www.kylejarrow.com

Famous tap dancer, choreographer, and actor Savion Glover is the epitome of a living legend. Born in 1973, the tapping marvel has graced the stage since childhood. He set a record as the youngest person ever to receive a scholarship in the Newark Community School of the Arts. Before he was a teenager, Savion made his mark starring in the leading role in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid.

Savion Glover developed his own dancing style he dubbed "free style hard core." The Tony Award winning dancer eventually worked with dancing greats Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. Among his credits are starring roles in major motion pictures like Jelly's Last Jam, a role for which he made history as the youngest ever recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. As a choreographer, Glover's work has helped maintain tap dancing as an art form in the modern dance world. His starring role in the musical Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, which he also choreographed, debuted on Broadway in 1996. The musical chronicles events in African-American history and brought Savion a Tony for Best Choreographer.

Glover was made known to the younger generation with recurring appearances on Sesame Street. He also holds the credit as the live captured dancing motion behind Mumble the penguin in the film Happy Feet. Savion also served as co-choreographer for the film. Glover's quick steps and amazing rhythms continue to influence the lives of young people. His production company tours schools across the country, spreading enthusiasm for tap dancing and cementing his place in history.

Kristin Caskey is Executive Vice President of Content and Creative for Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) North America, where she oversees the producing department and programming of ATG's North American venues. Together with producing partner Mike Isaacson, Kristin has produced a number of award-winning Broadway shows including this season's David Byrne's American Utopia and Neil Simon's Plaza Suite; Fun Home (Tony Award); The Humans (Tony Award); Bring it On; Red (Tony Award); Legally
Blonde (Olivier Award); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award); One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Tony Award); 'night, Mother; and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Prior to joining ATG, Kristin was President of Fox Theatricals, where she produced with producing partner Mike Isaacson and programmed the US Bank Broadway Series at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Kristin is also a long- time member of the Independent Presenters Network, and she has served on the Executive Committee and Board of Governors for the Broadway League as well as serving on the Governance and Tony Management Committees.

Amanda Dubois had been an independent commercial producer since 2004, a full member of the Broadway League since 2005 and serves on the Advisory Council of the American Theater Wing. Broadway: Lehman Trilogy, Grace, Spring Awakening (Tony Award Best Musical, Drama Desk Award), 'night, Mother. Off-Broadway: Small Mouth Sounds, Shotspeare, Traces. National Tour: Small Mouth Sounds, Shotspeare, Traces, Spring Awakening. She has several shows in various stages of development including: Dust & Shadow, a Sherlock Holmes/Jack the Ripper Musical which was at the Orchard Project in Summer of 2019 and is partnering with Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson and Robert Israel on Mad Hot Ballroom, directed by Jerry Mitchell with Book and Lyrics by Rick Elice.

For more information, visit www.orchardproject.com

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