Michael Douglas Announces $1 Million Gift to Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center honored their Founder George C. White with the 21st Monte Cristo Award at a Gala event last night at Gotham Hall in New York City. In a very special moment of the evening, O'Neill alumnus and former Monte Cristo Award recipient, Michael Douglas presented Mr. White with his honor. Mr. Douglas also announced that he is making a $1 million gift to the O'Neill, and challenged the audience and supporters to match the gift to support the O'Neill's operations.

The Monte Cristo Award is presented to a prominent individual each year in recognition of a distinguished career exemplifying Eugene O'Neill's "pioneering spirit, unceasing artistic commitment, and excellence," and furthering the American theater.

"I'm so happy to be here tonight with all of you in honor of the incredible George White and the O'Neill Theater Group," said Michael Douglas. "George and Betsy have touched many lives and I consider myself lucky enough to be one of them. I am so grateful for how much I've learned, the joy I experienced, and the interactions I had with so many individuals due to this wonderful feeling of coming together, and it pleases me to know and to hear how this experience is still replicated every day for so many others. That each year, we continue to welcome playwrights, actors, musicians, puppeteers and students from all over the world to Waterford to experience the magic of this place like I did."

About the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center:

The Launchpad of the American Theater, the O'Neill is the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. Founded in 1964, and named in honor of Eugene O'Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and America's only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, the O'Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and thousands more emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full production at theaters around the world. O'Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, Cabaret & Performance Conference, and National Theater Institute - which offers six credit-earning undergraduate training programs. In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage as a museum open to the public. The O'Neill is the recipient of two Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts. www.theoneill.org.