H. Gwen Marcus Succeeds Earl D. Weiner as TDF's Chair of the Board of Trustees

TDF, the not-for-profit organization for the performing arts formerly known as Theatre Development Fund, has welcomed a new Chair of the Board of Trustees: H. Gwen Marcus. The announcement was made by TDF's current Chair, Earl D. Weiner, who has held the position since November 2008.

H. Gwen Marcus joined TDF's Board in 2007 and has served as Vice Chair; Chair of the Committee of Trustees; a member of the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee; and served on the ad hoc Task Force during the pandemic. In announcing Ms. Marcus' election, Mr. Weiner stated: "We are fortunate that Gwen Marcus is taking over the reins as TDF Board Chair. Her long service on the TDF Board, her successful career as a lawyer in the entertainment field, her passion for theatre, her communications skills and her sense of humor make her the ideal choice. She has been a key leader of the Board for many years and will bring great energy, enthusiasm and skill to her new role. I look forward to continuing to serve on the TDF Board under her leadership and to working with the visionary Victoria Bailey and the extraordinary and dedicated staff of TDF."

"I'm honored to be named TDF Board Chair and am proud to lead one of the most respected performing arts service organizations in the country, which makes live theatre, dance and music accessible to millions of people each year," said Ms. Marcus. "I have loved TDF for decades, starting in high school when I'd take the train from Long Island and go straight to the TKTS Booth in Times Square. TDF has come a long way since then, and under Earl's leadership we've grown in every area-from the introduction of a new TKTS Booth in Lincoln Center, to the expansion of our existing Education and Accessibility programs, including the acclaimed Wendy Wasserstein Project for NYC public school students, to our launch of new initiatives offering life-changing performances to veterans, seniors and families with members on the autism spectrum. As the beneficiaries of Earl's wise counsel throughout the pandemic that brought live theatre to a standstill, we successfully made it to the other side. We are indebted to Earl for his many contributions, and I look forward to building on that legacy."

"It has been wonderful to work with Gwen since she joined TDF's Board 15 years ago. She has been an active and engaged member and has shown consistent leadership, whether as part of a committee or at the full Board table," said Victoria Bailey, TDF's Executive Director. "During her tenure, she has developed a clear understanding of and commitment to TDF's mission to make the power of the performing arts accessible to everyone. Gwen knows the many communities we serve and the performing arts ecosystem here in New York City and beyond. And, of course, Gwen is a passionate theatre lover. She is a thoughtful and engaging collaborator and I look forward to continuing to work with her as Board Chair as TDF emerges from the challenges posed by the pandemic. Happily, for all of us at TDF, Earl will continue to serve on our Board, where his wealth of knowledge and experience continue to be priceless as we move forward."

H. Gwen Marcus bio

H. Gwen Marcus has enjoyed a four-decade career in entertainment law, and currently serves as the Distinguished Practitioner & Advisor to the Entertainment Track of the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law LLM program at the University of Miami School of Law. For the bulk of her career, Ms. Marcus served as Showtime Networks Inc.'s Executive Vice President & General Counsel, having joined the company in 1984 as Assistant Counsel. As Showtime's chief legal officer, Ms. Marcus had overall responsibility for the company's legal affairs, including its programming and distribution transactions, and intellectual property, compliance, litigation and other law-related matters. Prior to Showtime, Ms. Marcus was an associate in the entertainment department of the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where she represented clients in the theatre, film, television and publishing industries.

In addition to serving on TDF's Board, Ms. Marcus is also on the Advisory Board of WILEF (Women in Law Empowerment Forum). She previously served on the Board of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and as Co-Chair of the LGBT Community Center of New York. She is a frequent speaker on diversity and management issues and has delivered keynotes before the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), and the University of Miami School of Law Global Entertainment & Sports Law + Industry Conference.

Ms. Marcus graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University (B.A, 1978), with a Phi Beta Kappa key. A cum laude graduate of New York University School of Law (J.D., 1981), she was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an Articles Editor of the New York University Law Review.

Selected Honors and Awards Include:

• The Hollywood Reporter (Women in Entertainment Power 100 list and Power Lawyers Raising the Bar Award)
• Variety (Power of Women Impact Report, Legal Impact Report and Inclusion Impact Report)
• Multichannel News (Wonder Woman Award)
• CableFax (Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Cable and Top Lawyers list)
• New York County Lawyers Assn. (Outstanding Women in the Legal Profession)
• The National Law Journal (America's 50 Outstanding General Counsel)
• Chambers (Most Influential GCs in the USA Legal Rankings list)
• Inside Counsel (Transformative Leadership Sharing the Power Award for advancing the economic empowerment of women in the law)
• Minority Corporate Counsel Assn. (Paula L. Ettelbrick Award for advancing LGBTQ attorneys)
• LGBT Community Center of New York (Corporate Leader Award)
• POWER UP (Ten Most Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz)
• NOW-NYC (Women of Power & Influence Award)

ABOUT TDF

Founded in 1968, TDF (formerly known as Theatre Development Fund) is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone. TDF's mission is to sustain live theatre and dance by engaging a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance. We fulfill our mission with a variety of programs that expand access, cultivate communities and support the makers of the performing arts.

We are known for our theatregoing programs, including the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths and TDF Membership program; Accessibility programs (including open captioning, audio description, Autism Friendly Performances and Veterans Theatregoing Program), Education & Community Engagement programs (serving more than 12,000 New York City students annually and thousands of underserved individuals), as well as the TDF Costume Collection Rental and Research Programs. During the COVID-19 theatre shutdown, we continued to serve our constituents by creating virtual adaptations of our programs via Zoom and other streaming platforms. TDF envisions a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible and inspirational. To learn more about TDF, go to tdf.org. Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @tdfnyc.

TDF's Board Chairs since TDF's founding:

August Heckscher (1967)

John E. Booth (1967-70)

George Backer (1970-73)

Stephen Benedict (1973-75; 1987-90)

Anna E. Crouse (1975-77; 1981-84)

Lloyd Richards (1977-81)

Edwin Wilson (1984-87)

David D. Holbrook (1990-97; 2005-08)

John F. Breglio (1997-2005)

Earl D. Weiner (2008-22)

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