Raul Esparza and Patrick Page Join DGF's 'GREAT WRITERS' Gala; Jonathan Tolins Will Host

Dramatists Guild Fund President Andrew Lippa and Executive Director Rachel Routh announce additional performers of the nonprofit's Benefit Gala Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars: The Presidential Edition on November 7th at Gotham Hall in New York. Raúl Esparza will debut "The Flag Song" from ASSASSINS which was cut before performances began, and Patrick Page will perform from Robert Schenkkan's ALL THE WAY.

Jonathan Tolins, best known as the author of Buyer & Cellar, for which he won a Lucille Lortel Award, and recently represented on Broadway by additional material written with his husband, Robert Cary, for the revival of On the Town.

Also announced today, $100 performance-only tickets are now on sale through TodayTix: www.todaytix.com/nyc/2927-great-writers-thank-their-lucky-stars.

The annual Benefit Gala is the most critical fundraising event of the year for the Dramatists Guild Fund, the charitable arm of the Dramatists Guild of America. The evening pays tribute to legendary writers and recognizes their significant contributions to American theater.

The event features legendary playwrights, lyricists and composers introducing the stars who brought their work to life on stage, including Nell Benjamin, Mindi Dickstein, Carol Hall, Tom Kitt, Nan Knighton, Robert Schenkkan, Stephen Schwartz, and Stephen Sondheim.

As previously announced, the evening's lineup will be Hannah Elless performing "Astonishing" from LITTLE WOMEN, Mandy Gonzalez performing "Satisfied" from HAMILTON, Douglas Sills performing "Into the Fire" from THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, Kate Baldwin performing "Hard Candy Christmas" from THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, and Aaron Tveit performing "Morning Glow" from PIPPIN. Nell Benjamin and Tom Kitt will debut a song from their new musical DAVE, performed by Christopher Sieber.

In addition, DGF will honor patrons of the arts and philanthropists, John Breglio - Producer, Author, Lawyer; Georgina Chapman & Keren Craig - Marchesa Co-Founders and Designers; and Linda G. Levy - Patron of the Arts.

Annette Jolles will direct the gala in New York City at Gotham Hall (1356 Broadway) with a script by Jonathan Tolins and Music Direction by Charlie Rosen. Casting by Tara Rubin Casting.

For tickets and more information on DGF's Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars: The Presidential Edition, visit www.dgfund.org/gala.

Jonathan Tolins is best known as the author of Buyer & Cellar, for which he won a Lucille Lortel Award, and which was named "Best Unique Theatrical Experience" by the Off-Broadway Alliance when it premiered at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater before moving on to a long, successful run at the Barrow Street Theatre, a national tour, and a London engagement at the Menier Chocolate Factory. It was recently filmed for the WNET series, Theater Close-Up. Other plays include The Twilight of the Golds (Broadway, Booth Theatre), If Memory Serves (Promenade), The Last Sunday in June (Rattlestick, Century Center), Secrets of the Trade (Primary Stages) and The Forgotten Woman (Bay Street Theater). A collection of his plays has been published by Grove/Atlantic. He was most recently represented on Broadway by additional material written with his husband, Robert Cary, for the revival of On the Town. His film work includes The Twilight of the Golds starring Brendan Fraser and Faye Dunaway, and Martian Child starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet, both co-written with Seth E. Bass.

For television, he was a writer for Queer as Folk (Showtime, first season, co- producer), the 2000 and 2002 Academy Awards, the 2003 Tony Awards, Partners (CBS, consulting producer), and this summer's BrainDead (CBS, consulting producer). In addition, he and Robert Cary wrote the script for Grease Live!, the hugely successful live broadcast based on the classic musical on Fox TV. Jon was the author of Pushkin 200: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, acted as script consultant on Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular, and co-wrote The Divine Millennium Tour and The Showgirl Must Go On for Bette Midler. He has written articles for Opera News, Opera Monthly, TheaterWeek, Time Magazine, and The Huffington Post, and is a regular panelist on the Metropolitan Opera Radio Quiz. He lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his husband and their children, Selina and Henry. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America.

The Dramatists Guild Fund is the public charity arm of the Dramatists Guild of America. Its mission is to aid and nurture writers for the theater; to fund nonprofit theaters producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theater across the country. Each year, DGF awards grants to nonprofit theatrical organizations across the country that produce works by American writers, provides emergency aid to writers facing illness or other unforeseen circumstances, and supports numerous educational programs and writing development opportunities for dramatists. For more information, visit www.dgfund.org.