John Douglas Thompson to be Honored at Theatre for a New Audience's Spring Gala

Acclaimed classical actor John Douglas Thompson will receive the Samuel H. Scripps Award for Extraordinary Commitment to Promoting the Power of Language In Classical and Contemporary Theatre at Theatre for a New Audience's Spring Gala Celebrating Shakespeare's Birthday. The celebration, Monday, May 11, is at Capitale, 130 Bowery on the Lower East Side.

Law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP will receive the Theatre's Life in Art Award, which honors an individual, foundation, or corporation for their impact on the arts as a philanthropic leader.

The evening's Master of Ceremonies, Kristine Nielsen, is an Obie Award-winning actor, most recently seen at Theatre for a New Audience in Ionesco's The Killer, directed by Darko Tresnjak and starring Michael Shannon. Broadway credits include You Can't Take It With You, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Tony Nomination, Outer Critic Circle Award, Drama League Nomination), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Spring Awakening, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Green Bird, Jackie, and The Iceman Cometh.

The Samuel H. Scripps Award will be presented by Theatre for a New Audience's Associate Artistic Director Arin Arbus and leading Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro to John Douglas Thompson. Thompson is a recipient of the Obie, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Callaway, Outer Critics Circle and Robert Brustein awards. He has played the title roles in Othello, Macbeth and, most recently, Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great for Theatre for a New Audience. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called him "one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation." Thompson most recently appeared in The Goodman Theatre's production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, with Brian Dennehy and Nathan Lane at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Prior to Tamburlaine the Great, he received accolades for his one man show, Satchmo at the Waldorf.

The Life in Art Award will be presented to Steven Horowitz of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP by Jonathan Rose, President and Jonathan Rose Companies LLC, a multi-disciplinary real estate development, planning, and investment firm.

Established in 2005, the Samuel H. Scripps Award is a sculpture of Shakespeare designed by world-renowned artist and graphic designer Milton Glaser. Prior recipients include F. Murray Abraham, John Turturro, Julie Taymor and Elliot Goldenthal, Mark Rylance, Cicely Berry, C.B.E., Michael Boyd, Tony Kushner, Wallace Shawn, Robert Woodruff, and Robert Neff Williams.

Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director of Theatre for a New Audience, explained, "Samuel H. Scripps, a member of our Board, enabled this Theatre to bring Shakespeare to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. We're honored to present this award to John Douglas Thompson, one of the finest actors I've ever known."

Theatre for a New Audience's Life in Art Award honors an individual, company or foundation whose support for theatre has set the standard for leadership and generosity, and whose example has inspired others to ensure that theatre remains a vibrant part of our cultural life. The award, a signed giclée print by Milton Glaser, is named after the autobiography of the great theatre artist, Constantin Stanislavski.

Jeffrey Horowitz remarked, "We are thrilled to be honoring Cleary Gottlieb, which has donated two million dollars of pro bono legal services and thousands of hours to the Theatre over the last 20 years, and was instrumental in the successful completion of our new home, Polonsky Shakespeare Center."

The Gala Chairs for the evening are Theatre for a New Audience Board Members Larry M. Loeb and Janet Olshansky. The Gala corporate Lead Sponsor is Deloitte LLP. The Hearst Corporation, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, and Bank of America are Co-Sponsors.

Samuel H. Scripps (1927-2007) was a visionary philanthropist who played a pivotal role in supporting theatre and dance. He made a leadership gift and named Theatre for a New Audience's Mainstage in its new home. Samuel Scripps also championed Shakespeare's Globe in London and provided leadership support to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, the American Dance Festival, and the American Society for Eastern Arts.

Thompson is a recipient of the Obie, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Callaway, Outer Critics Circle, and Robert Brustein awards, and was recently nominated for a Distinguished Performance Award by the Drama League. He has performed on Broadway opposite Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar, in Cyrano de Bergerac with Kevin Kline and as Carl Lee Haley in A Time to Kill. Other notable stage roles include Brutus Jones in The Emperor Jones and Hotspur in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Henry IV, Parts I and II, which was performed at Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the RSC's Complete Works Festival. John recently played Louis Armstrong in Satchmo at the Waldorf, which played in New York and will have its Los Angeles debut this summer at the Wallis Annenberg Center. In February, he reprised the role of Joe Mott in The Goodman Theatre's production of The Iceman Cometh, which had its New York premiere at BAM.

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