Schwartz Honored at Goodspeed, 6/17; Ripley will Perform

Composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz will be honored by Goodspeed Musicals on June 17th.

During the gala evening, which will begin at 6:30 PM, Schwartz will be presented with The Goodspeed Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre. Schwartz will also treat the audiences to a performance, as will Tony Award-nominee Alice Ripley (Side Show, Rocky Horror Show), who last year starred in the composer's The Baker's Wife at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Schwartz' Wicked, for which he penned the music and lyrics is currently the biggest musical hit on Broadway. His 1972 Tony Award-winning musical Pippin will be revived by Goodspeed from July 14th through September 24th.

Wicked producers Marc Platt and David Stone will serve as co-chairs for the gala, which will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and a live auction in addition to the performances by Schwartz, Ripley and others. The silent auction will give audiences the chance to bid on tickets for four to the Tony Awards, a walk-on role in The Pirates of Penzance (playing at Goodspeed from October 2nd through December 10th) and memorabilia from Schwartz' long-lived career, among other items.

Schwartz also wrote the music and lyrics for Godspell,The Magic Show, Children of Eden, and contributed his songs to the score of Working; he also collaborated with Charles Strouse on Rags. He has also written for the big screen, with a number of scores for animated films; he wrote music and lyrics for DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt and the TV musical Geppetto, as well as lyrics for the Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (both with Alan Menken). Schwartz, whose two solo CDs "Relucant Pilgrim" and "Uncharted Territory" feature him performing his own songs, has received three each of the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and the Drama Desk Awards. His children's musical Captain Louie is set to launch on a national tour, and it was also recently announced that he would begin writing Séance on a Wet Afternoon--his first opera.

Proceeds from the gala will be given to Goodspeed Musicals and its Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater.

Individual tickets start at $500, and tables of 10 are available at $5,000 and up. Those who purchase tickets over $1,500 will be able to attend a private reception with Schwartz at the home of Senator and Mrs. Christopher Dodd. For ticket information, call Theresa Kidd at (860) 873-8664, extension 317.

The Goodspeed Opera House is located in East Haddam, CT, while the Norma Terris Theatre (which houses developmental musicals) is located in Chester, CT.

Visit www.goodspeed.org for more information.