Theatre Bay Area to Honor Carey Perloff and Tony Taccone at BOLD. BRAVE. BRIGHT. Benefit 6/19

Theatre Bay Area today announced American Conservatory Theater Artistic Director Carey Perloff and Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Tony Taccone will be honored at the Bold. Brave. Bright. Benefit to be held at 6:30 pm on Monday, June 19 at Z Space in San Francisco. The two will be in conversation on stage together for the first time.

On June 19, some 200 Bay Area theatre artists, community leaders, and patrons will gather at San Francisco's unique Z Space to celebrate and raise vital funds to support the BOLD work of the region's theatre community, the BRAVE efforts to advance social justice through the medium, and the BRIGHT beacon of creativity and inclusivity of the region's theatremakers.

The evening's festivities will include a vibrant VIP reception, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres, as well as both a live and silent auction, followed by two select performances previewing theatre productions coming to stages this summer. Theatre Bay Area Executive Director Brad Erickson and Managing Director Rachel Fink will offer welcome remarks leading to the highlight of the evening: a conversation between leaders of three of the region's most prominent theatres.

"We are thrilled to honor our great Bay Area theatre leaders Carey Perloff and Tony Taccone at this event and to bring them together on stage for the first time ever to discuss with Eric Ting the vital role theatre plays at this critical moment in our national life," said Brad Erickson in a statement.

Following the conversation, a fund-a-need paddle raise and a lively dessert reception will close the evening.

The highlight of the evening will feature special guests Carey Perloff and Tony Taccone in an intimate-and rare-on-stage conversation about the Bay Area theatre landscape lead by Eric Ting, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater.

"Carey and I have spoken for decades about speaking together in public," said Tony Taccone in a statement. "It took TBA and Eric Ting to make it happen. I look forward to digging into our shared history as long-standing members of the Bay Area theatre circus (sorry, community)."

The trio will discuss the role of the arts in a new political landscape and the unique position of Bay Area theatre in building community and championing social change.

"I'm thrilled to join two of my favorite colleagues to celebrate TBA's amazing work on behalf of all of us who make theater or love theater in the Bay Area," remarked Carey Perloff. "The moment for collective action is now!"

The evening's proceeds will support Theatre Bay Area's programs to strengthen and advance the theatre community of the region. Theatre Bay Area's services are aimed at both individual artists and theatre companies alike with a comprehensive array of programs including advocacy work at the local, state, and federal levels, career building for theatremakers, organizational development, theatre journalism, grants for artists and small companies, and the renowned TBA Awards program. Theatre Bay Area's members include some 2,000 individual artists and 300 theatre and dance companies throughout the region.

Benefit tickets are now available for purchase online at http://www.theatrebayarea.org/bold in the following categories:

Advocates (Premium Ticket) - $130

Includes the Advocates premium reception with champagne and passed hors d'oeuvres, plus premium seating and early access to the silent auction.

Supporters (General Ticket) - $80

Includes the Supporters general reception with wine and appetizers, plus general seating for the evening program.

Special thanks to Honorary Benefit Committee members: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader; Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown; City of San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim; Congresswoman Barbara Lee; San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo; Congresswoman Jackie Speier; Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater; and actors Bill Irwin and Rita Moreno. Additional thanks to Benefit Committee members Gina Baleria, Committee Chair Pat Harden, SC Moatti, Alan Olejniczak, and Brian Protheroe.

Theatre Bay Area is one of the largest and most respected regional performing arts service organizations in the nation. Its membership is drawn from 11 Bay Area counties and includes 300 theatre companies and some 2,000 individual artists. The Bay Area is home to one of the most dynamic theatre communities in the country; the region boasts more theatre companies per capita than any other metropolitan area in the United States, houses the third largest community of Actors' Equity actors, and premieres some 200 new plays each year.

Theatre Bay Area's mission is to unite, strengthen, promote and advance the theatre community in the San Francisco Bay Area, working on behalf of our conviction that the performing arts are an essential public good, critical to a healthy and truly democratic society, and invaluable as a source of personal enrichment and growth.

Standout programs include:

· $1.7M in funding, awarded to 660 artists and small organizations over the past 18 years, through the CA$H (Creative Assistance for the Small company and Hungry artist) grant program.

· Opportunities each year for nearly 500+ actors to audition for 100 theatre companies through TBA's General and Regional Auditions.

· An Annual Conference held each spring attracting 400 theatre artists and leaders all across the region for a day of learning and information-sharing with renowned speakers and thought leaders from around the nation.

· Career development assistance for over 370 actors, directors, playwrights through the ATLAS (Advanced Training Leading Artists to Success) program.

· The TBA Awards honoring artistic achievement of artists hailing from 90+ professionally-oriented theatres all around the Bay Area.

Visit www.theatrebayarea.org for more information.

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