Photos: Audra McDonald Takes the Stage at 2026 WNET Group Gala
The evening honored Neal Shapiro, who served as the organization’s sixth President and CEO.
On May 13, the WNET Group hosted its 2026 gala at The Edison Ballroom in New York City, honoring Neal Shapiro. The event included a special performance of six musical theater songs by six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald. Take a look at photos below.
The evening gathered speakers Juju Chang, James A. Attwood, Vanessa Wise, Stone Phillips, and Jane Pauley to pay tribute to Shapiro, who served as the organization’s sixth President and CEO and spent nearly two decades of leadership in public broadcasting. The program also featured a tribute video to Shapiro featuring messages from Good Morning America anchors (Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Michael Strahan), Hoda Kotb, Paula Zahn, Jack Ford, Alec Baldwin, Josh Mankiewicz, and more.
For her evening performance, McDonald graced the stage to perform a setlist of songs that included “I Am What I Am” (La Cage aux Folles), “Pure Imagination” (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), “Summertime” (Porgy and Bess), and “Cabaret” (Cabaret). Additionally, she led the audience in a sing-along of “I Could Have Danced All Night” (My Fair Lady). Between songs, the performer shared how PBS’s Great Performances and Live from Lincoln Center were instrumental in her development as an artist and became a guiding light in her career.
This year, WNET’s “Broadway and Beyond” programming includes Great Performances’ ninth annual “Broadway’s Best” line-up, premiering on THIRTEEN Fridays in May at 9 p.m. across all of The WNET Group’s public media channels and platforms and on pbs.org/gperf.
Offerings include the filmed version of Broadway's Suffs, the Chichester Festival Theatre revival of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat, An Evening with Nicole Scherzinger, a performance by the stage, screen, and studio star at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy.
Photo Credit: Getty Images for The WNET Group
Jim Attwood
Stone Phillips and Jane Pauley
Stone Phillips and Jane Pauley
Jim Attwood and Neal Shapiro
Vanessa Wise
Jim Attwood
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