Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty To Receive Hammerstein Museum's Ockie Award

The nonprofit Oscar Hammerstein Museum & Theatre Education Center will honor Tony Award-winning songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty with its prestigious Ockie Award at the fourth annual Something Wonderful Gala on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm in Holicong, Pennsylvania. Fresh off their 2026 Tony Award win for Best Revival of a Musical for Ragtime, Ahrens and Flaherty will be recognized for embodying Oscar Hammerstein II's enduring values of optimism, empathy, and mentorship. Named for Hammerstein's childhood nickname, the Ockie Award honors individuals, organizations, or nonprofits whose educational, humanitarian, or philanthropic work reflects his remarkable legacy.

'The Tony Award-winning revival of Ragtime is a powerful reminder that musicals can inspire tolerance, optimism, and hope,' said Gregory Kammerer, Hammerstein Museum Board member. 'Those values were central to Oscar Hammerstein's work, and they shine through Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's songwriting, making them fitting recipients of this honor.'

The elegant evening will feature cocktails, a gourmet three-course dinner, live auction, and an intimate concert by Tony and Grammy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Liz Callaway. Linda Leffingwell Paton serves as Gala Chair, with three-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall serving as Honorary Chair. Broadway performer Jenny Lee Stern will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Proceeds from the gala will support the restoration of Highland Farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Oscar Hammerstein II's longtime home and creative epicenter, as well as the museum's educational programs and general operating expenses.

The gala is presented with generous support from the Zazyczny Foundation and Café with Soul. Liz Callaway's appearance is underwritten by Hammerstein Museum Board member Gregory Kammerer and his husband, Fred White. Individual tickets are $500. Sponsorships and reserved tables, each offering a variety of benefits, are also available. For tickets and sponsorship information, visit https://www.hammersteinmuseum.org/2026gala. The Oscar Hammerstein Museum & Theatre Education Center is a registered nonprofit organization, and a portion of each ticket purchase is tax-deductible.

ABOUT THE HONOREES

Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty are among the most celebrated musical theatre writing teams of their generation. They received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Ragtime, which also earned the 2026 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. They were nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for the animated feature film Anastasia, which they later adapted into a Broadway musical that has since enjoyed acclaimed productions around the world.

Their Broadway collaborations include Once On This Island (2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), Seussical, Rocky, My Favorite Year, and Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life. Their Off-Broadway works include A Man of No Importance, Dessa Rose, The Glorious Ones, Lucky Stiff, Knoxville, and the forthcoming Little Dancer, which will premiere in London in 2027. Individually, Lynn Ahrens is an Emmy Award winner and Lilly Award recipient whose work includes Schoolhouse Rock and A Christmas Carol for Madison Square Garden. Stephen Flaherty recently received the Richard Rodgers Award for Lifetime Achievement and has composed numerous acclaimed theatrical works.

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