Haas, Faber, McElroy Added To Spring Gala Benefit 4/27 At Gustavino's

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced additional performers for its annual Spring Gala Benefit "I can see so far..." on Monday evening, April 27th at Guastavino's (409 East 59th Street).

Joining the previously-announced participants Tony Award winner LaChanze (The Color Purple, at PH in Once on This Island, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin and the recent Inked Baby), Tony Award winner BD Wong (M. Butterfly, "Law & Order: SVU") and Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, Hair, at PH in A PRAYER FOR MY Enemy) will be Darius de Haas (The Bubbly Black Girl... at PH, on Broadway in Rent), Dashiell Eaves (James Joyce's The Dead and People Be Heard at PH, Becky Shaw), Mary Faber (Saved and Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky at PH, Avenue Q), Eamon Foley (the current Everyday Rapture at Second Stage, 13 on Broadway), Tony Award nominee Michael McElroy (Big River, at PH in Violet), Janet Metz (at PH in Falsettoland), Cass Morgan (Violet and Floyd Collins at PH, Mary Poppins), Julia Murney (Wicked, at PH in Saved) and Chip Zien (Into the Woods, at PH in the Falsettos Trilogy, Isn't It Romantic and An Imaginary Life).

Nine of the eleven performers are artistic alumni of the theater company. Those joining the extended Playwrights Horizons family are Mr. Wong, who recently starred in the McCarter Theater production of Herringbone, a musical that premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 1982, and the 14 year-old Mr. Foley.

"I can see so far..." is the final, haunting lyric from the musical Floyd Collins by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau. It also captures the essence of the theater company's institutional mission of discovering, developing and producing the new work of American playwrights and musical theater composers. Ever forward-thinking, Playwrights Horizons produced its first musical In Trousers by then-newcomer William Finn in 1979, beginning a three decade-long love affair with the American musical. Since then, the company's artistic output has been prolific in scope and far-sighted in its ambition. They've worked with hundreds of musical theater artists and developed dozens of unique and ground-breaking new musicals including Grey Gardens, James Joyce's The Dead, Assassins and Sunday in the Park with George. They also established one of the country's first Musical Theater development programs.

Mr. Finn, whose illustrious musical theater career was launched on the stages of Playwrights Horizons, and James Lapine, the celebrated writer, director and long-time Playwrights Horizons collaborator will be Honorary Artistic Co-Chairs of the evening.

The entertainment portion of "I can see so far..." will feature performances from the Playwrights Horizons musicals Grey Gardens, Falsettoland, Once on This Island, Violet, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, Herringbone and a sneak peak at next season's The Burnt Part Boys.

Trustees Lawrence B. Buttenwieser and Rachel Wilder will serve as Gala Benefit Board Co-Chairs. Carole Schwartz, David Skovron and Dr. Jeff Rubin will be Gala Benefit Patron Co-Chairs. Playwrights Horizons' Director of Musical Theater, Kent Nicholson, will direct the entertainment portion of the evening.
Cocktails and a Silent Auction will begin at 6:00 PM, followed by dinner at 7:45 PM and the evening's entertainment.

Ticket prices for the Gala Benefit start at $800 and can be reserved by calling Alyssa Biber at 212-564-1235 extension 3146.

www.playwrightshorizons.org

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