National Corporate Theatre Fund (NCTF) held its Annual Chairman's Awards Gala and benefit last night (Monday, May 2) at the St. Regis New York hotel, raising more than $320,000 for new American theatre. This year, NCTF Chairman James S Turley, Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young, honored Oscar and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey (on Broadway this season in Anything Goes and director of Broadway's The Normal Heart), recipient of the Theater Artist Award, presented to Mr. Grey by Anything Goes director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall; Charles Dillingham (Managing Director, Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles), recipient of the Theater Professional Award, presented by Benjamin Moore (Managing Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre) and Richard Thomas (Race on Broadway and The Public's Timon of Athens); and BNY Mellon, recipient of the Corporate Leadership Award, presented by Tony Award-winning stage and film actress Anika Noni Rose. All net proceeds of the event will be distributed as the NCTF/BNY MELLON FUND FOR NEW AMERICAN THEATRE.
The night, hosted by the appropriately inappropriate and brilliant Lewis Black (hilariously pitching a play of his own to the leagues of theater heavy-weights from across the country), included extraordinary performances by Ben Vereen, singing a unique and mesmerizing interpretation of "Defying Gravity" from the Broadway smash Wicked; Stephanie J. Block belted out the roof-raising "Get out and Stay Out" from 9 to 5 The Musical; and three of the dazzling sailors from the Tony-nominated revival of Anything Goes (Anthony Wayne, Adam Perry and Ward Billeisen) opened the evening with a number that included several Broadway standards, under the direction of Denis Jones. Anikia Noni Rose, who presented BNY Mellon/Gerald Hassell with his NCTF award, shook-up the Broadway community this morning when she announced (with Matthew Broderick) this year's Tony nominations, which included her NCTF friends such as Joel Grey (direction of a play - The Normal Heart), guest Andrew Rannells (Best Actor in a Musical - The Book of Mormon) and presenter Kathleen Marshall (Direction of a Musical and Choreography - Anything Goes).Photo Credit: Lyn Hughes
Ward Billeisen, James Turley, Anthony Wayne, Adam Perry and Phil Reno
Ward Billeisen, Anthony Wayne and Adam Perry
Richard Thomas, Joel Grey, Anika N Rose, Collin Donnell and Andrew Rannells
Richard Thomas, Charles Dillingham, Stephanie J. Block and Michael Ritchie
Charles Dillingham, Joel Grey and Gerald Hassell BNY Mellon
Carey Perloff, Lewis Black and Anika Noni Rose
Joel Gray and Ben Vereen
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