Norah Jones to Perform at New Group Benefit Honoring Ethan Hawke

The New Group proudly announces a benefit evening honoring Ethan Hawke with the third annual Michael Mendelson Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Theater.  This event is set for Monday, November 10 at Chelsea Piers (Pier 60 @ 23rd Street) beginning at 6:30 PM.  The benefit will feature a live auction and a special brief guest performance by celebrated nine-time Grammy® Award-winning recording artist Norah Jones. Guests slated to attend include: Billy Crudup, Vincent D'Onofrio, John Leguizamo, Sam Rockwell, Lili Taylor among others. The evening will run as follows: 6:30 PM – cocktail reception / 7:30 PM – dinner / 8:00 PM auction, tribute & performances.

The late Michael Mendelson was a Founding Board Member of The New Group and served as Chairman of the Board from 1995 until his passing in 2005.  Born in 1941, he received his BS from New York University in 1964.  From 1969 until March 1988, Mr. Mendelson was Senior Vice President of E.F. Hutton & Co., Inc.  He joined Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. as Chairman of Fahnestock Asset Management in March 1988 and served as President of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. from August 1988 to November 1991.  Mendelson was honored in June 2005 at The New Group’s Spring Benefit.  In acknowledgement of Michael Mendelson’s devoted and invaluable efforts as Chairman of the Board of The New Group during its founding decade, The Michael Mendelson Award will be presented annually in grateful recognition of the exceptional contributions of individuals to the theatrical community.

As an actor, Ethan Hawke’s theater credits include The Coast of Utopia (B’way – Tony® Award nomination), Hurlyburly (The New Group), Henry IV (Lincoln Center), Chekov’s The Seagull (B’way), The Late Henry Moss (Signature Theatre Company), The Cider House Rules, Sam Shepard’s Buried Child (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Sophistry (Playwrights Horizons), Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and many others with the Malaparte theater company, where he is also Artistic Director.  His film credits include: Assault on Precinct 13, Before Sunset (Academy® Award Nomination – Adapted Screenplay), Training Day, Before Sunrise, Hamlet, Gattaca, Reality Bites, Alive, Dead Poets Society and Lord of War.  Hawke’s directing credits include: Lisa Loeb's "Stay" music video (1994) and the films Straight to One, Chelsea Walls, and the soon-to-be-released The Hottest State.  In 1992, Hawke co-founded Malaparte (nonprofit theater company in NYC). Last season, Hawke made his Off-Broadway directorial debut at The New Group withThings We Want, starring Paul Dano, Peter Dinklange, Josh Hamilton and Zoe Kazan.

The New Group benefit event will take place Monday, November 10 at 6:30 PM at Chelsea Piers (Pier 60 @ 23rd Street).  Individual tickets are $500 - 1000; tables can be purchased starting at $5,000 and are available up through $15,000.  For tickets contact Cristina Galeano at The New Group: (212) 244-3380 x314 or Cristina@TheNewGroup.org.

Photo Credit Peter James Zielinski