Jackie Hoffman To Host Carolines' 'Cabaretion!' Benefit 5/17

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, has announced that it will host CABARETION! [KA-ba-'RAY-sh-un !] , noun - The fusion of contribution, performance, and celebration of the Off-Off Broadway community at Carolines on Monday, May 17th from 6-9pm.

Hosted by Broadway star and comedienne Jackie Hoffman, currently starring as Grandma in The Addams Family, Cabaretion! brings together an amazing roster of performers to honor the organization that celebrates and advocates on behalf of Off-Off Broadway.

The evening features performances by the sensational Taylor Mac, roguishly delightful magician Jeff Grow, singer/songwriter Justin Utley, the mischievously clever band The Reynaldo The Ensemble, and many more.

The evening will also feature the presentation of the first ever Innovative Theatre Luminary Award to a very exciting special guest and, as always, fantastic raffle items.

Tickets are $45 and include an hour of passed hors d'oeuvres and three hours of an open wine and beer bar, in addition to the concert. For tickets and more information on 'Cabaretion!' visit http://www.nyitawards.com/cabaretion/.

Jeff Grow has been featured in award winning films, national and international commercials and his stage shows have been presented in venues throughout New York City and Europe. Jeff's most recent show, Creating Illusion, received two 2009 New York Innovative Theatre Awards (Outstanding Solo Performer & Outstanding Performance Art Production). He consults on film, commercials and theatre, including recent productions for Arena Stage and Long Wharf Theatre. His elegant sleight of hand and surreal mind reading mix together to explore the diverse facets of the art of illusion.

Jackie Hoffman worked for eight years as an actress and comedian at the Second City Theater in Chicago. She has performed in many solo shows on, Off and Off-Off-Broadway including Chanukah at Joe's Pub, The Kvetching Continues, and Jackie Hoffman's Scraping the Bottom. Hoffman also played in the Broadway productions of Xanadu and Hairspray and is currently playing Grandmama in the upcoming Broadway production The Addams Family. Not only a veteran of the stage, Hoffman has appeared in films such as Garden State, Legally Blonde II, and Kissing Jessica Stein and on television shows like 30 Rock, One Life to Live, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She is the recipient of many awards for her Broadway and off-Broadway work.

Taylor Mac is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, and sometime director and producer. TimeOut New York has called him, "One of the most exciting theater artists of our time" while American Theater Magazine says, "Mac is one of this country's most exciting, heroic and disarmingly funny playwrights." His most recent plays are THE LILY'S REVENGE, THE YOUNG LADIES OF, RED TIDE BLOOMING, and THE BE(A)ST OF TAYLOR MAC. He has performed his plays at The Sydney Opera House, The San Francisco MOMA, New York's Public Theater, Stockholm's Sodra Teatern, The Spoleto Festival, The Bumbershoot Festival, The Time Based Arts Festival, Dublin's Project Arts Center, London's Soho Theater, and literally hundreds of other theaters, museums, music halls, cabarets, and festivals around the globe. Go to www.taylormac.net for more information.

New York City rock group The Renaldo The Ensemble are bizarre, compelling, and often compared to Tom Waits and Talking Heads. This classically-trained band of mischief-makers' inventive songs and comedic live shows are a staple of the downtown scene. There's the sexy French maid, the jealous valet, the priest, the rival bandleader, the scientist and Renaldo The, a buffoonish aristocrat with a pencil-thin mustache. Something of a miniature orchestra, The Renaldo The Ensemble holds a bi-weekly residency at downtown Manhattan venue The Living Room. Their shows are part rock concert, part absurdist theatre; Perez plays the penny whistle with his nose, pops water balloons in his pants and molests a rubber chicken.

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience. www.nyitawards.com.

Carolines on Broadway has kept comedy fans worldwide laughing for nearly 25 years. Comedy stars including Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, Janeane Garofalo, Lewis Black, Chris Rock, Margaret Cho, Darrell Hammond, Ray Romano & Dane Cook just to name a few, have all performed on the Carolines stage. Today, Carolines on Broadway is widely known for being "The Funniest Show on Broadway," presenting the very best and brightest stars on comedy's grandest stage 365 days a year. Carolines on Broadway, America's premier comedy nightclub, is located at 1626 Broadway in New York, NY 10019. To contact the box office, call 212-757-4100. For more information, visit www.carolines.com.

Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi