SpeakEasy Stage to Honor Seth Rudetsky at Annual Gala

SpeakEasy Stage Company Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault announced today that the company will honor Broadway actor, comedian and radio host Seth Rudetsky at their annual benefit gala set for Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Boston.

Boston actress Kerry A. Dowling will also be honored at the event, being billed as "BRAVA! An Evening Honoring Seth Rudetsky and Kerry A. Dowling."

Seth Rudetsky is an actor, singer, pianist, author, comedian, columnist, vocal coach and radio personality living in New York City. Currently Mr. Rudetsky serves as the afternoon Broadway host on Sirius/XM radio, and as the host of "Seth's Broadway Chatterbox" for the website BroadwayWorld.com. He also writes a weekly column for Playbill.com.

As a musician, he has played piano for more than a dozen Broadway shows including Ragtime, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera and was the vocal coach for MTV's "Legally Blonde" reality TV show. Mr. Rudetsky was also the Artistic Producer/Music Director for the first five annual Actors Fund Fall Concerts including Dreamgirls with Audra MacDonald and Hair with Jennifer Hudson, the latter for which he received a Grammy Nomination.

As a comic, he won the title "Funniest Gay Male in NY" at Stand-Up NY, had a long-running show at Caroline's Comedy Club, and spent two years as a comedy writer on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" for which he earned three Emmy Nominations.

As an actor, Mr. Rudetsky has appeared on "All My Children" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." In 2007, he made his Broadway acting debut in The Ritz at The Roundabout. Recently, Mr. Rudetsky was in London and Liverpool filming a British TV show, and he has been performing his new show Seth's Broadway 101 to sold-out audiences in New York.

He's written the books The Q Guide to Broadway and Broadway Nights, both in their fourth printing.

"For a long time now, Seth Rudetsky has been a huge champion of musical theatre, particularly those smaller, innovative works that struggle to find an audience," Daigneault said. "We are pleased to honor Seth both for his own talents as a performer as well as for his support of the type of musical theatre that we like to produce here at SpeakEasy."

Mr. Rudetsky will be in Boston on March 23 to accept his award and will also perform at the event. For more information on this talented artist, visit his website www.SethRudetsky.com.

"It is impossible to quantify the many contributions of Kerry A. Dowling to SpeakEasy Stage," said Daigneault of the company's 2010 Founder's Award recipient.

As an actress, Ms. Dowling has appeared in more SpeakEasy shows than any other performer, having held lead or featured roles in such titles as Reckless; Jerry Springer - the Opera; The New Century; The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Parade; The Women; Bat Boy; and Company, the last for which she was named Best Supporting Actress in a Musical by the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE).

She has been on the Board of Directors for SpeakEasy since the company's inception and currently serves as Vice-Chairperson, having previously served as Treasurer.

In addition to her SpeakEasy commitments, Ms. Dowling has appeared on many other local stages, including the Lyric Stage (Follies); New Repertory Theatre (Into the Woods); Súgán Theatre (A Man of No Importance, a co-production with SpeakEasy); Stoneham Theatre (Pal Joey, IRNE Nomination); and Fiddlehead Theatre (Gypsy, Anything Goes, and She Loves Me).

She has also appeared as a guest artist with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus three times and is featured on their recordings Oz and Beyond and Razzle Dazzle.
Ms. Dowling will receive the company's 2010 Founder's Award, in recognition of her many great performances as well as her support of the mission and values of SpeakEasy Stage Company.

Ms. Dowling is also scheduled to perform as part of the evening's festivities.
Tickets to "BRAVA! An Evening Honoring Seth Rudetsky and Kerry A. Dowling" are $150 and may be purchased online at www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

In addition to performances from both honorees, the evening will include dinner, silent and live auctions, and additional performances from a roster of favorite local performers.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.