Goodspeed Gala to Honor William Ivey Long May 2, 2009

Goodspeed Musicals will proudly honor five time Tony Award-winner, Broadway legend William Ivey Long at a Gala evening on Saturday, May 2, 2009 when he will receive The Goodspeed Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre in recognition of his extraordinary career. Previous award recipients include Julie Andrews, Ira Gershwin, Jerry Herman, Stephen Schwartz, Tommy Tune, Susan Stroman and Gerald Schoenfeld. Proceeds from the Gala will support Goodspeed Musicals' Education Programs.

The Co-Chairs for this Gala event are longtime supporters Kiki and Ted Kennedy, Jr. of Branford. Conn.. The evening's festivities, to be held at the elegant Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station in Haddam, Conn., will include a cocktail hour and an exquisite dinner followed by a live auction and entertainment by some of Broadway's finest performers. Guests will delight in this wonderful celebration, highlighted by an eclectic display of Mr. Long's most famous designs.

Individual tickets start at $500, while tables of ten can be purchased for $5,000 and up. For Gala ticket information, please telephone Sue Cipriani at 860.873.8664, extension 365.

A revered designer, William Ivey Long has fifty-eight Broadway credits as well as many touring and international productions that have played and are playing in various cities around the world. His designs for theatre, opera, dance, television, movies, concerts and special events have garnered numerous awards from across the nation.

Mr. Long's outstanding and inspired designs have earned him five Tony Awards. He received this American Theatre Wing top honor for his designs for Grey Gardens, Hairspray, The Producers, Crazy for You, and Nine. Mr. Long's considerable list of Broadway credits include The Boy From Oz, Sweet Charity; A Streetcar Named Desire, La Cage aux Folles, Contact, Little Shop Of Horrors, The Music Man, Steel Pier, 1776, Smokey Joe's Café, Guys and Dolls, Madison Square Garden's annual A Christmas Carol, and designs for Vienna State Opera, LaScala, Houston Grand Opera, and the Kennedy Center. He currently has two shows running on Broadway: Pal Joey and Chicago.

Mr. Long became a member of the Goodspeed Musicals family in 1984 when it produced Broadway Baby at The Norma Terris Theatre and his association with Goodspeed continued in 2000 when he created the costumes for Princesses.

William Ivey Long is a North Carolina native who holds a BA from The College of William and Mary, studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Mr. Long has twelve Tony Award nominations for his work. In January 2006, he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre, Goodspeed Musicals produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn., and additional productions at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn., which was opened in 1984 for the development of new musicals. The only regional theatre to receive two Tony Awards (for outstanding achievement), Goodspeed also maintains The Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and The Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater. Goodspeed gratefully acknowledges the support of American Airlines, official airline of Goodspeed Musicals.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski