Andrew Lippa, Ray Rothrock & More to be Honored at TheatreWorks Gala, 6/21

Theatre and technology worlds will come together when TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, once again stages its annual TheatreWorks Honors gala June 21, this year paying tribute to Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family, Big Fish) and Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus of pioneering venture capital firm Venrock, both of whom have dedicated their lives to bringing forth vision, innovation, and creativity to arts and business communities in Silicon Valley and around the nation. Master of Ceremonies Tim Molak, Headmaster of Woodside Priory, will preside over the evening while guests enjoy cocktails, an exquisite dinner with wine pairings, live and silent auctions, and a one-night-only musical presentation created expressly for the honorees. TheatreWorks Honors will be held at 6:00pm on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. A limited number of tables at levels $7,500 and above, and individual tickets at $1,000, are available. For more information, the public may call (650) 463-7135, email Jodye Friedman at jfriedman@theatreworks.org, or visit www.theatreworks.org.

Partner Emeritus of Venrock Ray Rothrock will be honored for his unwavering commitment to shaping Silicon Valley's unique culture of innovation. Mr. Rothrock began his career as a nuclear engineer and joined the pioneering venture capital firm Venrock in 1988. In addition to his venture activities, he is a benefactor of the performing arts, and is active in his community and industry. Mr. Rothrock was Chair of the National Venture Capital Association from 2012-2013. In 2010 he testified to the President's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. Before any music degrees were available at Texas A&M, Mr. Rothrock endowed a chair for music that led to the creation of degree programs in performing arts at that university. He also has served on the Board of Trustees of the Texas A&M Foundation, and has served on various visiting committees of MIT, including the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department as well as the committee for Music and Theater Arts. In addition to being a trustee of TheatreWorks, Mr. Rothrock has also been a trustee of Woodside Priory School since 1999, where, as chairman of the Board of Directors, he led the campaign for the building of the school's Performing Arts Center that opened in 2007. He and his son have a rock band, "Up and to the Right," that performs regularly around the Bay Area.

Broadway composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa will be honored for his groundbreaking works that have delighted audiences in the Bay Area, on Broadway, and around the world. He is a long-time friend of TheatreWorks, having developed and premiered musicals on the company's stage, including the world premiere of A Little Princess and workshop productions of Jerry Christmas and Asphalt Beach. Mr. Lippa most recently wrote the music and lyrics for Big Fish, which opened on Broadway in the fall of 2013. His oratorio, I Am Harvey Milk, was premiered by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and the recording, released in October of 2013, reached number two on the iTunes Classical Chart. In addition to writing the Tony-nominated music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Addams Family, which opened in April of 2010 and starred Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, Mr. Lippa also wrote the music for the Broadway production of Aaron Sorkin's play The Farnsworth Invention. He also wrote new songs and arrangements for the Broadway revival of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown; and was composer and co-author of john & jen (with Tom Greenwald). His outstanding work has been recognized with a Grammy Nomination, Drama Desk Award, ASCAP/Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, and the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Foundation Award. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, AFM, and Actors Equity.

Funds raised at the event will support TheatreWorks' outstanding performances and innovative education, community, and new works programs. Organizing the event are Honorary Chairs John Thompson, Chairman of the Board at Microsoft, and Greg Becker, President of Silicon Valley Bank. Event Co-Chairs are Bill Coughran, Partner at Sequoia Capital; Ciro Giammona, President of Harrell Remodeling; Mike Kwatinetz General Parnter at Azure Capital; and Holly Ward, TheatreWorks Board Trustee.

With some 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. A home for artists developing new works, it was at TheatreWorks that Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical that played on Broadway for three years before embarking on its current national tour, was first workshopped and received its world premiere.

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