Jim Dale Hosts Tonight's 2015 Theater Hall of Fame Gala, Honoring Susan Stroman, F. Murray Abraham and More

The 44th annual Theater Hall of Fame gala and induction ceremony will be held tonight, January 26, at the Gershwin Theater, honoring director/choreographer Susan Stroman, actors F. Murray Abraham, Alvin Epstein and Blythe Danner, former theatre critic Frank Rich, chairman of the Shubert Organization Philip J. Smith, playwright Alfred Uhry and director Marshall W. Mason.

Tony Award winner and previous Hall of Fame inductee Jim Dale will serve as emcee. Presenting are Bernadette Peters, Cherry Jones, Andre Bishop, Dana Ivey, Lynne Meadow, John Lee Beatty, Rocco Landesman and Brian Kulick.

The Theater Hall of Fame, on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre, was founded in 1971 by Earl Blackwell, James M. Nederlander, Gerard Oestreicher and L. Arnold Weissberger to honor Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater. The mission is to preserve past theater history, honor the present theater professionals, and encourage emerging artists of the American Theater.

To be eligible for induction, the theater professional must have given 25 years distinguished service to the American Theater and, at least, five major production credits on Broadway. The annual ballot is voted upon by over 350 members of the Theater Hall of Fame and the American Theater Critics Association. There are 10 categories and over 50 nominees from which to vote. The final eight nominees receiving the most votes are ratified for the annual induction.

The Theater Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization and U.S. registered trademark. It is the only nationally recognized Hall of Fame honoring Lifetime Achievement in the American theater. It is funded by individual contributions, private foundations as well as event ticket and journal sales. Mr. Terry Hodge Taylor is Executive Producer.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski