SpeakEasy to Honor Alice Ripley And Paula Plum 3/27

Tony Award-winning actress Alice Ripley and Boston artist Paula Plum will be honored at SpeakEasy Stage Company's 21st Annual Benefit Gala and Silent Auction to be held Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

Alice Ripley received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal. Theatergoers may also know Ms. Ripley for her many recordings as well as her unforgettable performances in the Broadway hits Side Show, The Rocky Horror Show, James Joyce's The Dead, Sunset Boulevard, and The Who's Tommy.

Paula Plum is a Boston-based actress, director, playwright, teacher, mentor, and creative visionary. She has appeared in countless regional productions, including SpeakEasy's local premieres of The Divine Sister, Body Awareness, Reckless, The Savannah Disputation, The History Boys and The New Century. She has been honored with three Elliot Norton Awards and four Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards; and, in 2003, was named a Distinguished Alumna of Boston University's School for the Arts. She is currently in the final year of a three-year Fox Foundation Actor Residency with SpeakEasy Stage.

"I am thrilled that SpeakEasy will be honoring these two amazing artists," said SpeakEasy Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault in announcing this year's honorees. "Each of these women is not only supremely talented, but also fearless in their choice of roles and approach to their work. It is a privilege to recognize these two outstanding women for their many contributions to the art of theatre."

The March 27th Benefit Gala, An Evening with Alice Ripley and Paula Plum, includes dinner, a cocktail hour, silent auction items, and special performances from Alice Ripley and a host of SpeakEasy favorites.

Tickets are $175 and may be purchased online at www.SpeakEasyStage.com or by calling the SpeakEasy Administrative Office at 617-482-3279. There will also be a limited number of $50 general admission lounge seats good for the entertainment portion of the evening only.

For information on sponsorships or to sign-up as a table captain, please contact Director of Development Julie A. Otis at 617-482-3279 or at JulieOtis@SpeakEasyStage.com.