Laura Osnes, Brian d'Arcy James, Zosia Mamet & More Set for Atlantic Theater Company's Annual Gala, 2/24

Atlantic Theater Company will present their annual Gala on Monday, February 24, 2014 at The Pierre (2 East 61st Street). Directed by Neil Pepe with musical direction by Matt Gallagher, Writers' Choice will salute Atlantic's iconic playwrights with an evening of unexpected songs.

For this year's Gala, Atlantic asked alumni playwrights to choose a favorite song and a favorite musician to perform it. Writers' Choice will feature special tributes to Annie Baker, Martha Clarke, Stephen Adly Guirgis, David Mamet, Conor McPherson, and Doug Wright from presenters and performers Jonathan Cake, Bridget Everett, John Gallagher Jr., Rick Holmes, Brian D'Arcy James, Gary Jules, John Kelly, Zosia Mamet, Julianne Nicholson, Laura Osnes, Michael Park, Mary Beth Peil and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. among others.

The Gala will begin at 6:30pm at The Pierre with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a three-course dinner at 7:30pm, a live auction, and star-studded musical entertainment. Auction services will be provided by Nicholas D. Lowry, President of Swann Auction Galleries (www.swanngalleries.com). Among the packages available for bidding are:

· A 10-day retreat to Thailand at two of the most renowned and exclusive resorts in the world

· A luxurious stay in Paris at the Four Seasons George V, complete with dining from Alain Ducasse

· A trip to Los Angeles including accommodations at the Beverly Hills Hotel and dinner with Atlantic celebrity friends

Gala ticket prices begin at $1,000 and may be purchased by contacting Madeline Cook at 646-216-1086 or gala@atlantictheater.org.

The annual Gala is Atlantic's most important fundraising event of the year. Gala contributions make up more than 25% of the total donations to Atlantic in an entire season and will benefit Atlantic's productions, new play development initiatives, and arts education programs for more than 3,000 public school students across New York City. These programs give children from underserved backgrounds the increasingly rare opportunity to express themselves creatively and promote in-school engagement.

Past Atlantic Galas have saluted Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning actress and Ensemble member Felicity Huffman, Atlantic co-founders William H. Macy and David Mamet, and Academy Award winning Atlantic Ensemble member Mary Steenburgen and husband Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Ted Danson. Recent Galas have included performances from Michael Cerveris, Brian D'Arcy James, Jan Maxwell, Mary Beth Peil, Tonya Pinkins, David Pittu, and Joan Osborne.

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY is the award winning Off-Broadway theater that produces great plays simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of a play and the intent of its playwright are at the core of the creative process. The plays in the Atlantic repertory, from both new and established playwrights, are boldly interpreted by today's finest theater artists and resonate with contemporary audiences.

Since its inception over 28 years ago, Atlantic has produced more than 150 plays including Tony Award-winning productions of Spring Awakening and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Martin McDonagh); world premieres of Women or Nothing, Almost an Evening, Offices and Happy Hour (Ethan Coen); The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Martin McDonagh); Body Awareness (Annie Baker); Romance (David Mamet); Through a Glass Darkly (Bergman, adapted by Jenny Worton); Farragut North (Beau Willimon); Dreams of Flying Dreams of Falling (Adam Rapp); Bluebird and Harper Regan (Simon Stephens); What Rhymes With America (Melissa James Gibson); The Lying Lesson (Craig Lucas); 3 Kinds of Exile (John Guare); Storefront Church (John Patrick Shanley); Blue/Orange (Joe Penhall); Port Authority and Dublin Carol (Conor McPherson); Writer's Block (Woody Allen); American Buffalo and Edmond (David Mamet); The Cider House Rules(adapted by Peter Parnell); Good Television (Rod McLachlan); Celebration & The Room, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska and The Hothouse (Harold Pinter); Gabriel (Moira Buffini); Oohrah! (Bekah Brunstetter); Mojo, Parlour Song (Jez Butterworth); Boys' Life and The Lights (Howard Korder); Distant Fires (Kevin Heelan); Missing Persons (Craig Lucas).

Atlantic has garnered 12 Tony Awards, 12 Lucille Lortel Awards, 15 Obie Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Drama League Awards. Atlantic also operates The Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which has an undergraduate program in conjunction with NYU, as well as a two-year professional acting program and a six-week intensive workshop every summer. Atlantic for Kids and the Educational Outreach Program partners with schools and teachers throughout the greater metropolitan area coordinating in-school visits of teaching artists and post-theater talkbacks.