Helen Mirren to Attend Shakespeare Theatre Company's 2015 Gala Honoring Julie Taymor

At its 2015 Harman Center for the Arts Gala, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) will present renowned theatre, film and opera director Julie Taymor with the 2015 William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (Will Award), which recognizes artists who have made significant contributions to classical theatre in America. JM Zell Partners, Ltd. will receive the Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts.

Dame Helen Mirren (Academy Award winner and star of Taymor's film The Tempest) will be a special guest at the black-tie event, themed "Imagine: Shakespeare." The entertainment lineup features Broadway's Jennifer Damiano (Next to Normal, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) and Tsidii Le Loka (Tony Award-nominated original Rafiki in The Lion King); Joffrey Ballet principals Fabrice Calmels and Victoria Jaiani; acclaimed Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova; Christine Sherrill and Douglas Sills (stars of STC's upcoming production of Kiss Me, Kate); and many more.

Gala Leadership for 2015 consists of Nick and Marla Allard, Anita Antenucci, Jerry and Isabel Jasinowski, Abbe David Lowell and Molly A. Meegan, and Melissa Moss and Jonathan Silver. Serving on this year's Gala Committee are Stephen Allis, Stefanie Erkiletian, Miguel and Patricia Estrada, Meg and John Hauge, Kevin and Stephani Kolevar, Pauline Schneider, Stephen and Lisa Ryan, Tom and Cathie Woteki, and Suzanne and Glenn Youngkin.

It all takes place on Sunday, November 1, 2015. The Gala performance, directed by STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul, begins at 6 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall, followed by dinner and dancing at the National Building Museum.

The Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala benefits the many artistic and community engagement programs of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. STC Education programming serves more than 20,000 children and adults each season through comprehensive school, training, community access and audience enrichment programs that make Shakespeare and classical theatre exciting and accessible both on and off the stage. The centerpiece is the annual Free For All, which presents one of Shakespeare's classic plays free of charge to the general public, having reached more than 665,000 D.C. residents and visitors since its launch in 1991.

Notable Washington influencers expected to attend the evening's events include:
Mr. Nicholas W. Allard, President and Dean at Brooklyn Law School, Senior Counsel at Dentons, STC Trustee
Mr. Stephen Allis, National Principal in Charge of Government Affairs at KPMG LLP, STC Trustee
Mr. Mike Alto, Senior Vice President, Clark Construction Group LLC
Ms. Anita M. Antenucci, Senior Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey, STC Trustee
H.E. The Honorable Kim Beazley, Ambassador of Australia to the United States
Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
Jerry Carlson, Managing Partner of KPMG LLP for D.C. Metro Area
Dr. and Mrs. Paul Carter, CEO of Global Wireless Solutions, STC Trustee
Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, American Internet pioneer
Ms. Jennifer Damiano, Tony Award-nominated star of Broadway's Next to Normal and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Mr. Jack Davies, Founder of AOL International; ownership group of Monumental Sports
Ms. Stefanie Erkiletian, President of Erkiletian, STC Trustee
Mr. Miguel Estrada, Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, former U.S. Assistant Solicitor General
Mrs. Patricia McCabe Estrada, Deputy Public Information Officer, U.S. Supreme Court
Ms. Shannon Fairbanks, Founder of The Fairbanks Investment Fund
George and Carla Frampton, George is Senior of Counsel at Covington and Burling LLP in New York and D.C.
Ms. Barbara Harman, Catalogue for Philanthropy, Harman Family Foundation, STC Trustee
The Honorable Jane Harman, President, Woodrow Wilson Center, former Congresswoman, widow of Sidney Harman
Helen Henderson, HRH Foundation is a sponsor of STC productions, Kennedy Center Trustee
Hon. Sven Erik Holmes, Vice Chairman and Chief Legal Officer of KPMG LLP
Allan and Shelly Holt, Allan is Senior Partner and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
Dr. Maxine Isaacs, theatrical producer and prominent philanthropist
Mr. Frank Islam and Ms. Debbie Driesman, Islam is a Technology Entrepreneur and Obama appointee to Kennedy Center Board; Driesman is an STC Trustee
Mr. Peter Jablow, Levine School of Music President and CEO
Ms. Kay Kendall, Chair of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Ms. Vicki Kennedy, widow of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Senior Counsel at Greenberg Traurig
Mr. Kevin Kolevar, Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy at Dow Chemical Company, STC Trustee
Mr. Michael Kahn CBE, Artistic Director, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Mr. Mike Klein, Chairman of the STC Board of Trustees
Ms. Tsidii Le Loka, Grammy Award winner and originator of the role Rafiki in The Lion King on Broadway
Mr. Abbe Lowell and Ms. Molly Meegan, Abbe is Chair, Litigation Department, Chadbourne and Park, and STC Trustee
Mrs. Gail MacKinnon, Chief Government Relations Officer & Executive VP at Time Warner Cable, Inc.
The Honorable Doris O. Matsui, U.S. Congresswoman from California
Dame Helen Mirren, Academy and Tony Award-winning actress
Mr. Kevin Moore, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Ms. Melissa Moss, Moss Advisors, STC Trustee
Mr. Eric Motley, Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of National Programs
Mrs. Eden Rafshoon, prominent philanthropist
Mr. Frank Raines, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Mr. Douglas Sills, Tony Award-nominated actor
Mr. Douglas and Mrs. Gabriela Smith, The Amanter Fund
Ms. Julie Taymor and Mr. Elliot Goldenthal, award recipient, theatrical and film director; Mr. Goldenthal is an Academy Award-winning composer
Ms. Nina Totenberg, NPR commentator
Mr. Roderick and Mrs. Alexia von Lipsey, Roderick is the Managing Director leading the Washington office for UBS Financial Services Damien Woetzel, Director of the Arts Program at Aspen Institute and a former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet
Drs. Tom and Cathie Woteki, ?Sr. Vice President & Chief Architect, Strategy & Solutions Development at Maximus/Acentia
Glenn and Suzanne Youngkin, Glenn is President and COO of The Carlyle Group, Suzanne is an STC Trustee
Mr. Jeffrey M. Zell, JM Zell Partners, Ltd., Recipient of the Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts
Joanne Zimolzak, co-managing partner of Dentons

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos