Abingdon Theatre Co to Honor Charles Busch & Julie Halston 10/24

Abingdon Theatre Company - which has produced 63 new American plays in its 18-year history - is set to honor playwright and actor Charles Busch and actress Julie Halston during its 19th Annual Benefit Gala on Monday, October 24 at Espace (635 West 42nd Street) Manhattan.

The evening, which promises to one of excitement and entertainment, also honors businessman Timothy P. Speiss, who currently serves as Abingdon's Chairman of the Board.

Proceeds benefit Abingdon Theatre Company's mission to develop and produce new plays by American Playwrights. Abingdon Theatre Company's 19th Annual Benefit Gala features tributes to all three honorees. Performers and guests are to be announced.

Honorary Gala Chair is Daryl Roth, producer of THE DIVINE SISTER and six Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, including AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY and THREE TALL WOMEN. Carl Andress, who directed Busch's THE DIVINE SISTER, THE THIRD STORY, DIE MOMMIE DIE! and SHANGHAI MOON, among
others, joins the fundraising gala as Director of Entertainment.

Charles Busch is the author of the current Off-Broadway hit OLIVE AND THE BITTER HERBS. He wrote and co-starred in THE DIVINE SISTER, THE LADY IN QUESTION, RED SCARE ON SUNSET, THE THIRD STORY, and VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, which ran five years and is one of the longest running plays in Off-Broadway history. His play THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE ran for 777 performances on Broadway and earned Mr. Busch an Outer Circle Critics Award and a Tony nomination for Best Play. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, PSYCHO
BEACH PARTY and DIE MOMMIE DIE!, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Mr. Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright. Mr. Busch made his directorial debut with
the film "A Very Serious Person," which premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won an honorable mention. He is also the subject of the documentary film "The Lady in Question Is Charles Busch."

Julie Halston presently stars in Charles Busch's OLIVE AND THE BITTER HERBS. Her Broadway credits include HAIRSPRAY and revivals of THE WOMEN, TWENTIETH CENTURY, GYPSY, and THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER. Off-Broadway, she has frequently co-starred with Busch in his comedies, including VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, THE LADY IN QUESTION, TIMES SQUARE ANGEL, and last season's THE DIVINE SISTER. Her work in WHITE CHOCOLATE and Busch's RED SCARE ON SUNSET and THE DIVINE SISTER garnered her Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. She is an acclaimed comedienne, winning four MAC
awards for her solo comedy performances. Her TV credits include "Sex and the City," on which she played Bitsy von Muffling, "Law & Order," "My So-Called Life," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and "The Class." She appeared in the feature films "A Very Serious Person," "The
Juror," "Addams Family Values," "Joe Gould's Secret" and "Drunks," as well as the Woody Allen films "Small Time Crooks" and "Celebrity."

Timothy Speiss is partner in charge of the private client services at EisnerAmper LLP. He has made numerous appearances on the business channel CNBC discussing market trends, but he is also passionate about philanthropy involving the arts and education. Mr. Speiss is the
Development Chair for The Harlem Academy, an independent school (grades 1-8) that prepares bright, motivated students for success at top secondary schools and lifelong learning. He has also been a trustee for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, located in Philadelphia, the oldest academy of fine arts in the United States. PAFA offers exceptional teaching programs and a world-class collection of American art. Tim has been involved in the annual Bacchanal!
fundraiser, as a symposium moderator in 2009, and as co-chair in 2010. For the last five years, he has held the Chairman of the Board position with Abingdon Theatre Company. He has guided the company, which produces new theatre by American Playwrights, through his business acumen and passion for the arts.

Since 1993, Abingdon Theatre Company has developed and produced new plays by American Playwrights exclusively. Their actors, directors, designers, producers and dramaturgs have collaborated with more than 200 playwrights to develop original plays. Under the guidance of
Artistic Director Jan Buttram and Managing Director Samuel Bellinger, the company provides a safe home in which playwrights collaborate with other theatre artists and receive audience feedback through the utilization of a four-step development process: Page 2 Stage, Staged
Readings, and Workout Labs, which culminate in Studio and Mainstage Productions.

Abingdon Theatre Company's upcoming 19th season features three world premieres: John Morogiello's BLAME IT ON BECKETT, directed by Jackob G. Hofmann (October 7-30); Jan Buttram's LOST ON THE NATCHEZ TRACE, directed by Kate Bushmann (February 3-26, 2012); and Frank Tangredi's LIFELINE, directed by Jules Ochoa (March 9-April 1, 2012).

Tickets to Abingdon Theatre Company's 19th Annual Benefit Gala on Monday, October 24 at Espace (635 West 42nd Street), 6pm-10pm, begin at $350. To purchase tickets, please contact Heather Henderson at Abingdon Theatre Company, 212-868-2055.

For more information, visit www.abingdontheatre.org 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos