Amas Musical Theatre Will Honor Sheryl Lee Ralph At 54th Annual Gala Benefit Concert Next Month

Amas Musical Theatre has announced a starry line-up of talent that will be on hand to celebrate the company's 54th Anniversary at its annual Gala Benefit Concert on Monday, May 15, 2023 at Theatre 555 (555 West 42nd Street - NYC) with a post-concert reception at Penthouse 45 (432 West 45th Street). For more information, please visit www.amasmusical.org.

The gala evening will begin at 6:00pm with a champagne toast. At 7:00pm the show begins with introductions and a concert performance of Oh! Henry! The Music of Henry Krieger, directed by Bill Russell (Side Show, Lucky Duck). Performing songs from such shows as The Tap Dance Kid, Lucky Duck, Kept, Side Show, Up in the Air and Dreamgirls will be a cast of Broadway luminaries including: Erin Davie (Grey Gardens, Diana The Musical), Bobby Daye (Mouin Rouge, After Midnight), Alexander Bello (Tap Dance Kid, Encores), Dewitt Fleming, Jr. (Tap Dance Kid, Encores), Robert Joy (Girl From the North Country, Side Show), Kelvin Moon Loh (Beetlejuice, SpongeBob Musical), Marcy Harriell (In the Heights, Rent), Javier Ignacio (Company, Side Show), Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown, Side Show), Christianne Noll (Jekyll & Hyde, Ragtime), Emily Padgett (Side Show, Rock of Ages), Neptune (Hamilton, Motown The Musical), David St. Louis (Side Show, Rent), Lillias White (Hadestown, The Life) and  Sally Wilfert (Assasins, King David). Students of The Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy will take part in the performance.

The evening will culminate with the presentation of the 2023 "Rosie" Award to Honoree Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (Dreamgirls, "Abbott Elementary").

"The Rosie Award is given every year to outstanding individuals who are leaders in their fields. Our Honorees exemplify the spirit of Rosetta LeNoire, not only because of their extraordinary accomplishments and dedication in bringing our world more closely together, but because they help show the way to others who would follow. We are very proud to be honoring Sheryl Lee Ralph" says Donna Trinkoff, Amas Artistic Producer. Past recipients of the "Rosie" Award include Maurice Hines, Phylicia Rashad, Dionne Warwick, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Priscilla Lopez, Lillias White, Norm Lewis, Hinton Battle, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and Leslie Uggams.

The evening will benefit Amas Musical Theatre's education programs.

Tickets are $500 and $250 plus a limited number of show-only $175 seats are available and can be purchased online at www.amasmusical.org, or by calling (212) 563-2565. More information is at www.amasmusical.org.

Since 1968, Amas has been a force in New York City, developing and producing new American musicals, a pioneer in non-traditional casting and multiculturalism, and a forerunner of theatre arts education for underserved young people.

Amas Musical Theatre was the inspiration of a pioneering figure in the American theatre, Rosetta LeNoire (1911-2002), an African-American actress who began her career as a child performer "planted" in audiences by her godfather, the legendary Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Rosetta founded Amas (Latin for "you love"), a non-profit performing arts organization, to combat racism, proclaiming "We are all flowers in God's glorious bouquet, every one of us, every color!"

From the beginning, Amas has sought to bring together people of all backgrounds, colors, and ethnic origin through musical theatre, and education programs have always been integral to the mission. Amas became one of the first voices of non-traditional casting in theatre, and America's founding exponent of diversity, long before the term became a corporate mantra. Rosetta insisted on multi-ethnic casting in every show she produced and, in a few seasons, Amas emerged as an influential new force in the theatre, especially after she conceived the groundbreaking Bubbling Brown Sugar in 1973, which became a Broadway and touring sensation.

In 1999, President Clinton awarded the National Medal of Arts to Rosetta as "an individual deserving of special recognition by reason of her outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States." Actors' Equity Association acknowledges Rosetta and Amas' contribution to the American theatre by annually bestowing the Rosetta LeNoire Award ("The Rosie Award") on producers and theatre companies who exemplify her commitment to multicultural production and casting. Following in Rosie's footsteps, for the past 25 years, artistic producer Donna Trinkoff has continued to engrave the unique Amas trademark with musical theatre works that embrace different cultural perspectives while reaching out to underserved audiences.

Countless dramatists, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers and actors have graced Amas stages over the past 54 years, including Maya Angelou, Micki Grant, Galt McDermott, Sheldon Epps, John Rando, Tom O'Horgan, Ossie Davis, Billie Allen, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Andre deShields, Leslie Uggams, Phylicia Rashad, Brad Oscar and Christopher Jackson. The contributions of these alumni, as well as the dedication of the talented roster of early career artists, speaks to the unique and important work of Amas - a laboratory for artists who share its vision of cultural equity and tell timeless stories that resonate deeply.

"We are enormously proud of our rich legacy over the past fifty plus years" says Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer. "We will continue to honor Rosie's vision as we look to the next 50 years."

 

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