Roundabout Theatre Company 2024 Gala to Honor Kenny Leon & Feature Ariana DeBose Performance

Roundabout Theatre Company's 2024 Gala will honor Kenny Leon and The Rudin Family on Monday, March 4 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose will perform a unique concert created exclusively for the special occasion.

The evening will honor Mr. Leon for his contribution to the theater with The Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre, named after the late Jason Robards for his longstanding relationship with Roundabout and memorable body of stage work. The Rudin Family will be celebrated with the Ovation Award for Excellence in Philanthropy, given to those who are committed to growing New York City arts and culture and promoting the essential work of a cultural not-for-profit. Samantha Rudin Earls—co- CEO with brother Michael Rudin of the real estate management and development firm, Rudin Management—serves on Roundabout’s Board of Directors, as well the Generation RoundaboutAmbassador Council.

All tickets and tables include a seat for the dinner, live auction, and the special concert performance by Ariana DeBose.

All proceeds benefit Roundabout’s many programs, including Education at Roundabout, which offers nationally recognized programs that use the stimulating power of the arts to inspire, engage, and promote social equity.

Gala Vice Chairs include Cynthia and Ron Beck, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Roxanne and Scott Bok, Michael T. Cohen, Colliers International NY LLC, John and Colleen Cook, Susan and Ed Forst, Sylvia Golden, Jeanne and Tom Hagerty, Tom and Kitty Patterson Kempner, Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere, Stephanie and Ron Kramer, Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence and Dr. Ryan P. Shelhamer, Alan P. Mark and Jeffrey Fraenkel, The Mustang Foundation, Janet and Marvin Rosen, Jennifer and Owen Thomas, and Diane and Tom Tuft. The Gala Auction is Co-Chaired by Wendy Barker, Colleen Cook, Sylvia Golden, Nancy Lee Molesworth, JT Tsou, and Vanessa Williams. The Gala Performance is underwritten by Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence and Dr. Ryan P. Shelhamer. The Education Paddle Raise is sponsored by Capital One.

Gala Tickets range from $2,500 – $10,000 and include seating for the dinner and performance, and an invitation to the private cocktail party with Roundabout artists starting at $3,500. Gala Tables start at $25,000 and include a table of ten for dinner and the performance.

Gala tickets will go on sale on January 9, 2024 at gala.roundabouttheatre.org. For more information, please contact events@roundabouttheatre.org.

Kenny Leon 

is a Tony Award-winning director and producer who also has been honored with The Actors Fund Medal of Honor, an Obie Award and an NAACP Image Award. Mr. Leon is also a proud honoree of the George Abbott Lifetime Achievement for American Theatre. He is currently represented on Broadway with the hit revival of Ossie Davis’s Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch starring Leslie Odom, Jr. Mr. Leon is also on the producing team of Some Like It Hot, the musical directed by Casey Nicholaw. Broadway: A Soldier’s Play; American Son; Children of a Lesser God; Holler If Ya Hear Me; A Raisin in the Sun; The Mountaintop; Stick Fly; August Wilson’s Fences, Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Off-Broadway: The Underlying Chris, Everybody’s Ruby, Emergence-See! (The Public); Smart People (Second Stage). Television: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia; Colin in Black & White; 4400; Amend: The Fight for America; American Son (adapted for Netflix); Hairspray Live!; The Wiz Live!; Steel Magnolias; Dynasty; In My Dreams. Author: Take You Wherever You Go. Artistic Director Emeritus, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company. Senior Resident Director: Roundabout Theatre Company. Leon recently directed critically acclaimed productions of Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy and Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog on Broadway.

THE RUDIN FAMILY

The Rudin Family’s real estate holdings rank as one of the largest and most respected privately owned portfolios in New York City. The Rudin ownership philosophy began in the 1925 when Samuel Rudin and his siblings started acquiring and building residential and office properties. After World War II ended, Sam Rudin and his sons Jack and Lewis set out to expand their holdings and positively influence the skyline of New York. Following Sam’s death in 1975, his sons, Jack and Lewis, took over the company and along with the third generation of Bill Rudin, Eric Rudin, Beth Rudin DeWoody and Madeleine Rudin who expanded the portfolio. As the fourth generation, Samantha Rudin joined the company in 2007 and Michael Rudin followed in 2008. Most recently, Rudin

The family continues to demonstrate their unique understanding of the relationship between the built environment, technology, sustainability, real estate, and the city. Building upon Sam’s philosophy, the family remains extremely active in philanthropic and civic affairs throughout the city. The Rudin family have been supporters of the New York’s medical and educational institutions, the original and the longest running sponsor of New York City Marathon, numerous community has been actively involved in the development The Greenwich Lane; the repositioning of 3 Times Square; the future redevelopment of 350 Park Avenue and 40 East 52nd Street; and the creation of an alternative investment platform. As of January 2024, Bill and Eric will serve as co-Chairmen, Samantha and Michael will be the new co-CEO’s of Rudin. organizations and theater and the arts. Organizations include Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, God’s Love We Deliver, The First Tee of Met New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Whitney, The Drawing Center, New 42 and The Roundabout Theatre Company.

Ariana DeBose 

is an award-winning actress known for her varying roles onstage and in film and television. DeBose is best known for her groundbreaking performance in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of West Side Story, for which she received an Academy Award in addition to BAFTA, Critics Choice and SAG Awards for her star turning role as Anita. Her performance has received universal critical acclaim, with Variety calling her a “radiant force of nature” and Forbes writing “Ariana DeBose shines in an absolutely star-making performance.” In winning her Oscar, she became the first openly queer Afro Latina to win an Academy Award. DeBose can currently be seen in Disney’s animated feature film Wish. Her feature film slate for 2024 includes: Sony Pictures’ Kraven The Hunter; Matthew Vaughn’s action film Argylle (Apple/Universal); Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S., which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year; and Blumhouse’s House Of Spoils (Prime Video). She will also executive produce and star in the feature film Two And Only for Sony's Screen Gems. In the past 2 years, DeBose hosted the 76th and 75th Annual Tony Awards, the former for which she has been nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Variety Special.” In 2021, DeBose had a breakout role in “Schmigadoon!,” the Lorne Michaels’ executive produced Apple TV+ musical comedy series, for which she returned for its second season. She also received critical acclaim for her performance in Ryan Murphy's Netflix adaptation of the hit-Broadway musical The Prom opposite Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington and James Corden. Onstage, DeBose is perhaps best known for her role as “Disco Donna” in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which earned her a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. For the same role, she was nominated for a Drama League Award for “Distinguished Performance” and won a Chita Rivera Award for “Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show. In 2015, DeBose appeared alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in the groundbreaking, Tony- winning musical Hamilton as a member of the original cast in both the Broadway and off-Broadway productions, as well as the Emmy Award-winning film version that was later released on Disney+. After her departure from Hamilton in 2016, DeBose completed a run as Jane in the original Broadway cast of A Bronx Tale. Her additional theater credits include: Leading Player in the Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin, Mary Wilson of The Supremes in Motown The Musical, Nautica in Andy Blankenbuehler’s Bring It On: The Musical and ensemble in Stephen Sondheim's Company. Other credits include: “The Breaks” (VH1), “Blue Bloods” (CBS), OLTL’s “Star Crossed Lovers Series” and Season 6 of “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX), where she was a top-20 finalist. DeBose currently sits on the International Board of Covenant House advocating for homeless youth, many of whom identify as LGBTQ. She is also a board member of A is For, a reproductive rights organization started by Martha Plimpton that works to ensure that all women have access to reproductive and abortion care free of stigma. DeBose resides in New York.

Roundabout Theatre Company 

celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays and musicals on its five stages: Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway’s Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.

Roundabout Theatre Company has been working to prioritize and actively incorporate anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accountability throughout the institution. Read more about the company’s progress and timeline at edi.roundabouttheatre.org.

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