Peter Sarsgaard, Marin Ireland, George C. Wolfe and More to Appear at Soho Rep.'s Spring 2017 Gala

Hosted by actress Gloria Reuben and actor, director and writer Tim Blake Nelson, Soho Rep.'s Spring 2017 Gala will honor director Leah C. Gardiner (generations, born bad), playwright Melissa James Gibson ([sic], House of Cards) and scenic designer Louisa Thomspon, (Washeteria, Blasted), who have each been at the heart of some of the most memorable productions in the company's 42-year history and whose pioneering work for Soho Rep. has brought critical acclaim, both to the theater and to their own work.

The event will feature appearances by Tony Award nominee Marin Ireland (Sneaky Pete), actor Seth Gilliam (The Walking Dead), actress Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire), Tony award-winning director George C. Wolfe, and actor Peter Sarsgaard (Jackie); along with performances by three-time Grammy award winner Steve Earle, Alaina Ferris, Amber Gray (Great Comet), Tenzin Gund-Morrow, and The Lisps.

The event will take place on Monday, April 24, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers (Pier 61, 23rd Street and the West Side Highway) in Manhattan and will begin at 6:00pm with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Dinner, performances and live auction will begin at 7:00pm with dessert and honoree presentation. Tickets, starting at $750, and tables, starting at $5,000, can be purchased via Meredith Suttles at Soho Rep. at 212.941.8632 x203 and gala@sohorep.org

ABOUT THE HONOREES:

Leah C Gardiner is being honored for her critically acclaimed directorial work at Soho Rep., including generations (Best Theater of 2014, The New York Times), and born bad (U.S. premiere, Soho Rep, Obie Award). Additional directing credits include The Ruins of Civilization (Manhattan Theater Club), The Black Friend (The Public Theater), Pitbulls (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Bulrusher (World Premiere and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Urban Stages), Blue Door (World Premiere and Pulitzer Prize finalist, South Coast Repertory). Film directing includes By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (by Lynn Nottage, 2013).

Melissa James Gibson is also being honored for her longstanding dedication to Soho Rep. The critically acclaimed [sic] and Suitcase were both staged at Soho Rep., [sic] winning her an OBIE and Whiting Award in 2001. A popular and critical hit, [sic] was also the first show produced by Soho Rep. after 9/11. Additional theater credits include Placebo, What Rhymes with America, Brooklyn Bridge (with a song by Barbara Brousal)and Current Nobody. Film and TV credits include All Is Bright (2013 Tribeca Film Festival premiere), seasons 1 and 2 of The Americans; currently, co-showrunner, House of Cards.

Known for her hyper-realistic and fantastical designs, Louisa Thompson's portfolio of sets ranges from the wondrous and the absurd to the more site-specific, and her involvement with the Soho Rep.'s critically acclaimed [sic] and Suitcase won her the prestigious Henry Hewes and OBIE design awards. Overall, Louisa had designed sets for 9 of the company's most memorable productions over the past 17 years including Blasted and Washeteria. Thompson has spearheaded multiple sets for acclaimed productions, and continues to work with Soho Rep., including on their current production, Samara. Thompson is also currently in the LabWorks residency at The New Victory Theater creating a new work for fall 2017. In addition to the 14 years she has taught at Hunter College, she has designed for a variety of theatres: Elevator Repair Service; The Public Theater; The Play Company; Target Margin Theater; Clubbed Thumb; Rattlestick Playwrights Theater; Theatreworks USA; Playwrights Horizons; The Foundry Theatre.

Soho Rep. is a leading hub for innovative contemporary theater in New York City. We are dedicated to artistic excellence by supporting distinctive, diverse, and pioneering theater. We empower artists to make their boldest work and invite audiences to share in that intimate and transformative live experience. Soho Rep. creates a dynamic context for both artists and audiences that promotes and sustains conversation in the field and the cultural fabric of the city.

Soho Rep. is a very big, small theater. We have five full-time staff members, and our annual budget is $1.6M. At the same time, our outstanding reputation and recent accomplishments far exceed the size of our company.

Soho Rep. was honored with a 2014 Drama Desk Award for Sustained Achievement citing "nearly four decades of artistic distinction, innovative production, and provocative play selection," and we were named The Village Voice's 2015 Best Off Broadway Theater. Our productions have been recognized with 18 OBIE Awards; the 2016 Lucile Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical for César Alvarez and The Lisps' FUTURITY; nine Drama Desk nominations; two Kesselring Awards; and The New York Times Outstanding Playwriting Award for Dan LeFranc's Sixty Miles to Silverlake. In 2016, Artistic Director Sarah Benson was also named one of three recipients of the prestigious Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Theatre.

Many of our most acclaimed productions have been Soho Rep. commissions, were generated in the Writer/Director Lab, and/or developed in weeklong Studio workshops. They include: Annie Baker's Uncle Vanya, David Adjmi's Marie Antoinette, Anne Washburn's 10 out of 12, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' An Octoroon, which transferred to Theatre for A New Audience's 299-seat space in 2015.

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