Brian D’arcy James, Celia Keenan-Bolger and More to Join York Theatre's Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala

The York Theatre will welcome Brian d'Arcy James, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Arian Moayed, James Naughton, Patrick Wilson, and more, to celebrate Kelli O'Hara and Charles Wright, directed by Stephen Nachamie, at the 34th Annual Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at The Edison Ballroom. Tickets start at $1,000 and are available now.

This year's Gala will honor nine-time Tony Award nominee and Tony winner Kelli O'Hara with the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theater, and Theater Historian and Drama Desk co-president Charles Wright with The York Theatre Founders' Award, named after The York founder Janet Hayes Walker for individuals who have made a significant impact on the sustainability of the arts.

Since its inception in 1988, the Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala has been a highlight of the New York theater season, celebrating legendary figures in musical theater and supporting The York Theatre's mission of developing new musicals and preserving notable works from the past. Past honorees have included Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, and André De Shields.

Gala Committee: Jim Kierstead and Riki Kane Larimer serve as co-chairs, joined by Ted Chapin, Doug Cohen, Jamie deRoy, Laurence Holzman, Jessica McRoberts, Joan Mischo, Charlotte Rosenblatt, Joan Ross Sorkin, and Claudia Zahn.