Hanks, Wilson, Bening, Short, Silverstone, Hamm & More Appear in Dec. 2 UCLA's 'You Can't Take It With You'

The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) announces the debut of its annual benefit gala: ONE NIGHT ONLY...With a Little Help From Our Friends, hosted by Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, scheduled to take place at UCLA's prestigious performing arts theater, Royce Hall, on December 2nd at 7:30 pm. This inaugural event will feature a one-time presentation of the Pulitzer-prize-winning Broadway comedy You Can't Take It With You, by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and will be directed by Nora Ephron and featuring Wilson and Hanks along with a dozen talented actor friends.

This unique evening of entertainment and laughter will mark a reunion for Wilson, Hanks and Ephron, who previously worked together on the Oscar®-nominated romantic comedy, Sleepless in Seattle in 1993.

Wilson and Hanks have earned a reputation for organizing benefit readings that showcase a diverse range of acting and musical talent not often brought together on stage. Wilson and Hanks have collaborated on past fundraising events with friends and colleagues such as Annette Bening, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Christina Applegate, William Shatner, Martin Short, Natalie Cole, Goldie Hawn, Zach Braff, Fred Willard, Lyle Lovett, Warren Beatty and Matt Damon. These gifted artists present evenings filled with high energy, spontaneity and camaraderie - they're clearly having a good time, enjoying each others presence and the audience is brought along for the ride.

While the full cast and musical performers for You Can't Take It With You will be finalized in the days leading up to the event, performers confirmed to date include: Maria Bamford, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Alicia Silverstone and Holland Taylor.

"It will be a truly unique experience to see Tom and Rita and some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry join together to have a good time and put on a show," states Robert Rosen, Dean of the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television where he oversees programs that include the Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media, the Department of Theater, the Film & Television Archive, the Billy Wilder Theater, and the School's relationship with the Geffen Playhouse.

As a founding member of the TFT Executive Board, it has been Rita Wilson's long-term goal to host such a gala event to benefit the School and its students. Her husband, Tom Hanks, recently agreed to partner with her in this project which promises to be an experience unlike any other since the School's inception in 1989.

Consistently ranked among the leading institutions in the nation, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television offers its students a unique blend of scholarship and practical training, bringing together the highest levels of professionalism with the social mission of a public university. Its landmark integration of theater, film, television and digital media and its outstanding faculty and facilities nurture creative innovation, personal vision and social responsibility.

Alumni include such notables as Jack Black, Carol Burnett, Charles Burnett, Francis Ford Coppola, Susan Egan, Moctesuma Esparza, Mariska Hargitay, Catherine Hardwicke, Todd Holland, Judy Kaye, Gregory Nava, Alexander Payne, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Eric Roth, Tom Schumacher, Paul Schrader, Brad Silberling, Gore Verbinski and Audrey Wells.

About You Can't Take it With You:

The original production of You Can't Take It With You opened on Broadway at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936 and played for 837 performances. The play was also the basis for the 1938 Academy Award®-winning film directed by Frank Capra that starred James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, EdWard Arnold, Spring Byington, Ann Miller, Dub Taylor, Charles Lane, Mischa Auer, Eddie ‘Rochester' Anderson and Arthur Murray who was not credited.

Event Details:

December 2, 2008 - 7:30 p.m. - UCLA's Royce Hall

Ticket Purchase Details:

Individual tickets are $300 (tax deductible) for both the performance and post-performance champagne reception. For additional information and tickets please call Levy, Pazanti & Associates at 310-201-5033 or http://www.tft.ucla.edu/

 

 

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