Jay Armstrong Johnson, Jen Cody & More to Perform at Primary Stages 40th Anniversary Gala

PRIMARY STAGES' 40th Anniversary Gala will honor Primary Stages Board President Marla Persky with the 2024 Einhorn Mentorship Award. The evening will also honor The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation with the Andrew Leynse Commitment to New Plays Award. The event will take place on Monday October 7, 2024, at 6pm at Sony Hall.

The Einhorn Mentorship Award is awarded each year to someone in the Primary Stages community who has been a true mentor and inspiration to those who work with them. Past recipients include Kate Hamill, Carl Andress, Charles Busch, Jeanine Tesori, Kimberly Senior, Judy Gold, Adam Gwon, and Sharon Washington. As Board President, Marla Persky has led Primary Stages through pandemic recovery, mentored senior staff with deep care and commitment, and built a career of empowering women in the legal field. Primary Stages is thrilled to be honoring her with the 2024 Einhorn Mentorship Award.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Marla Persky as the President of our Board of Directors,” said Shane D. Hudson, Primary Stages Executive Director. “Her leadership, unwavering dedication, and long-standing friendship with Primary Stages inspire us daily, and her collaborative spirit continues to elevate our mission and vision. Marla's mentorship of the staff at Primary Stages and throughout her professional life has been invaluable, fostering growth and empowerment at every level. During the pandemic, she served selflessly, guiding the organization through unprecedented challenges and strengthening it in ways that have made Primary Stages more influential than ever before.”

Created in memory of Primary Stages' late Artistic Director Andrew Leynse, the Andrew Leynse Commitment to New Plays Award is given each year to a member of the Primary Stages community who has been a dedicated champion of new plays and new playwrights. Last year, the inaugural award was given to theater agent Beth Blickers. Primary Stages is honored to present this award to The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation. Created in honor of Tony Award-winning playwright Arthur Laurents (Gypsy, West Side Story) and his partner, Tom Hatcher, The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation awards $150,000 each year to an unproduced full-length play by an early-career playwright and $1.5 million in grants supporting new work at theaters across the country.

“The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation has long been a steadfast champion of early-career playwrights and the theaters that nurture them,” said Erin Daley, Primary Stages Artistic Director. “Through their annual award, they have provided vital support to over 20 playwrights and their world-premiere productions, fostering a generation of new voices in theater. Beyond elevating some of our favorite playwrights, the Foundation provided life-saving support to theaters during the challenges of COVID, allowing countless companies to continue their work both during and after the pandemic. For their dedicated service and unwavering commitment to our artists, we are deeply proud to recognize the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation for their extraordinary contributions to the theater world.”

The Primary Stages 40th Anniversary Gala is directed by Michelle Bossy (The Oxy Complex), with music direction by Will Van Dyke (The Heart of Rock and Roll). The evening will include cocktails, dinner, musical performances, and a comedy set with Judy Gold (Yes, I Can Say That!).

Performers will include Jay Armstrong Johnson (Parade, On the Town), Jen Cody (Ibsen's Ghost, Shrek the Musical), Judy Gold (Yes, I Can Say That!; The Judy Show! My Life as a Sitcom), Ellen Harvey (Little Women, Present Laughter), Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party), Jonathan Raviv (On That Day in Amsterdam, The Band's Visit), Ryan Vasquez (The Notebook, Hamilton), Joy Woods (The Notebook, Six), and more to be announced. Program is subject to change.

The Gala Benefit Committee includes Sue Breger, Jamie deRoy, Eleanor Holtzman, Carol Roaman, and Mary Susnjara.

The Gala is Primary Stages largest annual fundraiser, and its income provides critical support for the company's free educational programs benefiting over 1,000 New York City public school students and teachers annually. Single tickets are $1,000, and tables start at $3,000. For more information, please call 212.840.9705 x214 or visit primarystages.org/gala.

As the Resident Off-Broadway Theater Company at 59E59 Theaters, this November Primary Stages in association with Chautauqua Theater Company will present The Light and the Dark (the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi), a new play written by Kate Hamill (Pride and Prejudice & Little Women at Primary Stages) and directed by Jade King Carroll (New Golden Age at Primary Stages) at 59E59's Theater A (59 E 59th Street). Purchase tickets at 59e59.org/shows/show-detail/the-light-and-the-dark-the-life-and-times-of-artemisia-gentileschi.

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