Princess Grace Foundation-USA Hosts Princess Grace Awards Gala, 10/21

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA will host the Princess Grace Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City and present Awards to emerging artists in theater, dance, and film, as well as two Princess Grace Statue Awards to Brian Kulick and Gillian Murphy, artists who have previously won Awards and have shown achievement and growth in their respective fields. Every year, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) proudly awards these grants at its annual Awards Gala to support its mission of providing crucial support to emerging artists in America.

Tony and Emmy Award nominated actress Martha Plimpton will present the Theater Awards. Entertainment for the evening will include a performance of diverse dance styles by past Princess Grace Award winners created especially for the Gala and dancing after dinner to DJ Clockwork. Chairs for the Gala are Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Hilfiger. The Awards Gala Presenting Sponsor is Hermès and the Crown Sponsors are American Airlines, Mrs. Lily Safra and Noelle and Dick Wolf. The Gala will take place in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is a not-for-profit, publicly-supported foundation headquartered in New York City founded more than 25 years ago by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in honor of his wife, Princess Grace [Kelly]. The Foundation's mission, that mirrors Princess Grace's in Her lifetime, is to support emerging artists in theater, dance and film through the awarding of scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships. Since its inception, the Foundation has bestowed more 650 awards totaling more than $7 million in grants.

"This year it seems, more than ever before, we all must strive to ensure that the arts do not become another casualty of the economic crisis," says the Hon. John F. Lehman, Chairman of the Board, Princess Grace Foundation-USA. "I am happy to report that thanks to our loyal supporters, The Princess Grace Foundation-USA continues its commitment to engaging and helping artists at the start of their careers, and beyond. I am proud to announce that we will bestow 22 Princess Grace Awards, 10 Honoraria, seven Special Project Grants, two Works in Progress Residencies at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and two Statue Awards. To me, these numbers mean everything -- they represent the good work of the Foundation to which we've all pledged our support."

Chairing the Gala are Tommy and Dee Hilfiger. In 2007, Mr. Hilfiger celebrated Grace Kelly's life in a book called "Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures" (Pavilion Books, 2007). It was released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Princess Grace's death and featured a series of 200 never-before-seen public and private images of the princess.

"We are very excited to Chair the Gala this year," said Tommy and Dee Hilfiger. "It's an honor to celebrate the Princess Grace Foundation and Prince Albert's dedication to emerging artists."

Guests will also have the opportunity to support the Foundation by bidding on an extensive collection of silent auction lots, including travel packages, jewelry, and accessories. All auction proceeds will benefit Princess Grace Awards to advance its mission of providing crucial support to emerging artists in America. Additionally, at the Gala, Montblanc will showcase a limited edition, 14-karat gold, diamond and ruby encrusted writing instrument called the "Montblanc Prince Rainier III Limited Edition 81." Montblanc has committed 50% of the proceeds from U.S. of this pen (valued at $290,000) to benefit the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.

The Gala will begin with cocktails, followed by an opening act featuring Camille A. Brown, Joseph Wiggan and Christopher Vo - all past Princess Grace Award winners in Dance or Choreography - who will perform a myriad of diverse dance styles, specially created for the 2009 Gala, then a 3-course dinner catered by Cipriani 42nd Street, remarks by HSH Prince Albert II, followed by the Awards presentations and finally dancing to DJ Clockwork in the Chapel Room.

Scott Mauro of Scott Mauro Entertainment, Inc. will produce the Awards Gala for the fifth consecutive year. Tickets for the Gala start at $1,000 for Patron tickets, $1,750 for Sponsor tickets and $2,500 for Benefactor tickets. Tables may be purchased for $15,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000.  Those interested in tickets may contact Tamara Leuchtenburg at Event Associates at 212-245-6570 or tamaral@eventassociatesinc.com. Additional ticket information and a list of 2009 award winners can be found at www.pgfusa.org.

Notable Princess Grace Award recipients of the past include: Anna D. Shapiro, winner of 2008 Tony® Award for Director of current Broadway hit August: Osage County; Stephen Hillenburg, creator of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants; Tony Kushner, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; Ethan Stiefel, principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre; Eric Darnell, director of Madagascar 1 & 2; Greg Mottola, director of Adventureland and Superbad and Eric Simonson, Academy Award winning filmmaker.