Bay Street's Third Annual Honors Dinner Set for 5/12

Bay Street Theatre has announced Curtain Up!, Bay Street's 3rd Annual Spring Benefit honoring Bonnie Comley and Stewart Lane, and Pia and Jimmy Zankel at Joe's Pub in New York City on May 12. The theater's third honors event will be hosted by Bay Street's new Artistic Director, Scott Schwartz, a leading voice of the next generation of American theater and an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been seen on and off Broadway, across the United States, in Great Britain, and Asia.

As part of Schwartz's commitment to inaugurating a new vision for Bay Street, the Spring Honors Benefit will feature a preview of the exciting 2014 summer Mainstage season of 'Art & Revolution', featuring presentations and performances by the stars and creators of the new productions, which include CONVICTION, a World Premiere modern drama written by Carey Crim, to be directed by Scott Schwartz; TRAVESTIES, a Tony award winning comedy classic by Tom Stoppard, directed by Gregory Boyd and starring Richard Kind, who will also be attending the May 12 benefit; and MY LIFE IS A MUSICAL, another world premiere with book, music and lyrics by Adam Overett, to be directed and choreographed by Marlo Hunter.

The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6pm, followed by the show beginning promptly at 7pm. The program includes a tribute to the honorees as well as a taste from each of the productions with some of the artists involved. The honorees, Bonnie Comley & Stewart Lane, and Pia & Jimmy Zankel, join BST's acclaimed past honorees including Joy Behar, David Bray, Adrianne Cohen, Ana Daniel, and John Downing, to name a few.

"Our honorees truly represent the best of what it means to be supporters of the arts," says Tracy Mitchell, Executive Director of Bay Street Theatre. "Pia Zankel, a committed member of Bay Street's Board of Trustees, and her husband Jimmy Zankel bring a true love of the arts, both theater and music, and a philanthropic spirit to all they do. Like them, Bonnie Comley and Stewart Lane, award-winning producers, writers and performers, also bring a similar support and we could not do it without these four incredible people. Their generous support of fellow artists and theatres like ours, impacts audiences everywhere, from regional theaters to Broadway. All four of these generous honorees give back to the community in so very many ways. "

The evening will focus on the exciting new artistic season that Schwartz has planned for Bay Street's summer season. At its core," says Schwartz, "I believe theater is a social art form, and that a theater company is most vital when it is a focal point for its community. I am excited to bring the best and brightest theater artists working today to Bay Street, and I am delighted to showcase our new season at this benefit paying tribute to our very artistic honorees for all that they do for the theater."

Tickets for this special evening to benefit Bay Street Theatre's theatrical and educational programs range from $500 VIP to $150. To reserve VIP tickets, please contact Diana Aceti, Director of Development at Bay Street, at 631.725.0818, ext. 112, or diana@baystreet.org. $250 and $150 tickets are available at Joe's Pub online at http://joespub.publictheater.org/en/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/Joes-Pub/Bay-Street-Theatre-Reception/?SiteTheme=JoesPub or by calling 212-967-7555.