Steve Martin, Lili Taylor, John Hodgman, and More Will Appear at Elevator Repair Service's 2019 Spring Gala

Lecy Goranson will host a star-studded gala, celebrating this year's achievements of the Obie-Award winning theater ensemble, Elevator Repair Service. Under the direction of founding Artistic Director John Collins, ERS has been making original theater for 27 years. They have achieved national and international recognition with their extensive body of work, in particular the award-winning Gatz, a verbatim staging of The Great Gatsby, which enjoyed four engagements this season, from Abu Dhabi to Perth to New York City. The New York Times called Gatz The most remarkable achievement in theater not only of this year but also of this decade (which, gee, means this century too). For more information visit elevator.org.

The gala begins with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the roof overlooking the Hudson River at sunset to the sounds of live jazz. Dinner is served while guests enjoy the evening's program, emceed by Lecy Goranson (Roseanne, The Conners) and featuring a special performance by Elevator Repair Service. A live auction is followed by a presentation honoring Steve Bodow. The night will close with dancing to the eclectic stylings of DJ Djuna Jake Barnes and Telepizza Watkins, the DJ alter egos of longtime company members Kate Scelsa and Mike Iveson.

We will be honoring ERS Board of Director member Steve Bodow, who recently stepped down as Executive Producer and former Head Writer for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart, where he earned a combined 14 Emmys and two Peabody awards. The program includes a tribute to Steve Bodow featuring Jon Stewart with John Hodgman, Jordan Klepper, Hasan Minhaj, John Oliver, Kristen Schaal, Roy Wood Jr., and Stephen Colbert.

Gala guests will include actor, musician and writer Steve Martin, comedian John Hodgman, actors Lili Taylor (Marvin's Room on Broadway, Six Feet Under ), Jennifer Lim (recently in the Roundabout production Usual Girls) authors Nick Flynn (Another Bullshit Night in Suck City) and David Gilbert (& Sons), and Mindy Goldberg (founder of Epoch Films), as well as ERS ensemble members including Scott Shepherd (Bridge of Spies, X-Men: The Dark Phoenix), Gary Wilmes (fresh from Broadway in True West), and April Matthis (star of the upcoming Roundabout's Toni Stone).

Biographies

Elevator Repair Service is a New York City-based ensemble that has been making original theater since 1991, under the direction of Artistic Director John Collins. The company has achieved national and international recognition with its extensive body of work and has influenced a generation of theater-makers. The company's works have been presented in Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, and across the United States. The company has been recognized with many awards, including an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant, and a Lucille Lortel Award and an Elliot Norton Award for Gatz. For more information visit elevator.org.

Event Host

Lecy Goranson was born in Evanston, Illinois. In 1988 at the age of 13, she went on her second audition in Chicago and landed the role of Becky Conner on ABC's Roseanne. She has appeared off-Broadway in theaters such as The Public, New York Theater Workshop, The Vineyard, The New Group, The Atlantic, Soho Rep and Ensemble Studio Theater (where she is a member), among others. Goranson's movie appearances include Boys Don't Cry, How to Make an American Quilt, Love, Ludlow, The Extra Man, Weightless and Buck Run. Her television guest appearances include The Conners, Inside Amy Schumer, Sex and the City, Law and Order: SVU, Fringe and Damages.

Honoree

Steve Bodow is an Elevator Repair Service co-founder who, along with John Collins, was Artistic Director of the Company from 1996 2004. He also performed in many of the Company's earlier pieces. He has been on the ERS Board of Directors continuously since its formation in 1994. This spring, he will be stepping down from a nearly 17-year run at "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, where he was a writer, then Head Writer, then Executive Producer. Since joining TDS in 2002, Steve has earned a combined 14 Emmys and two Peabody awards.

DJ

Kate Scelsa and Mike Iveson are longtime ERS company members, who between the two of them have appeared in the original companies of ten ERS shows. Kate is the widely celebrated author of Fans of the Impossible Life, as well as of ERS's most recent new play, Everyone's Fine with Virginia Woolf. This season finds Mike on Broadway in What the Constitution Means to Me. As their DJ alter egos, DJ Djuna Jake Barnes and Telepizza Watkins, they will bring mayhem and mischief to the dance floor.

Jazz Duo

Saxophonist/composer and band leader Sedric Shukroon is one of New York's hidden treasures, a soulful man who speaks through his horn with gentle authority, according to All About Jazz. He hails from Paris, France, where he built a career as a Big Band leader and performer of gypsy jazz, chamber music and salsa. His album In the Parlor was hailed as special by Cadence Magazine. sedric.net/sedric-shukroon

Jazz guitarist Ron Jackson has performed, recorded and taught music in over 30 countries. He has been featured as a leader in jazz festivals world-wide, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival and Winter Jazzfest, NYC. Ron has appeared on over 40 albums by illustrious artists and as a leader on many of his own, including the recent Jazz Standards and Other Songs. ronjacksonmusicllc.com

Auctioneer

CK Swett joins ERS for a third consecutive gala where he has proven to be an invaluable addition to our team. He began his career in the auction world in 2006, and has worked at Christie's, Phillips, and Heritage during the intervening nine years. His fundraising efforts since 2010 have yielded more than $50 million across nearly 400 auctions that support everything from school children in Malawi and veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to public schools in Manhattan and the American Cancer Society.

 

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