2010 Gala Honoring Bernard Gersten and Bank of America Held 6/21

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that the 2010 Summer Gala will honor Lincoln Center Theater Executive Producer and former Public Theater Associate Producer Bernard Gersten and Bank of America. The Gala will be held on Monday, June 21 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park and will include a dinner under the stars, a performance of The Merchant of Venice featuring Al Pacino as Shylock and a party afterward at the Belvedere Castle.

The 2010 Shakespeare in the Park season features The Winter's Tale, directed by Michael Greif, in repertory with The Merchant of Venice, directed by Daniel Sullivan. Shakespeare in the Park runs June 9-August 1 at the Delacorte Theater. Tickets will also be available for The Winter's Tale opening night on Wednesday, June 30 with a cast reception immediately following the performance.

The Public's annual Gala is one of the more unique events in New York City. Past gala attendees include President Clinton, Mayor Bloomberg and other top government officials; CEOs and business leaders of Fortune 500 and other major corporations; established leaders of the social community; young trendsetters and a wide range of celebrities, including Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Meg Ryan, Martin Short, Mike Nichols, Diane Sawyer, Cynthia Nixon, Kathleen Turner, Ethan Hawke, Julianna Margulies, Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin.

"Years ago we borrowed a catchphrase from The New Yorker and adopted the slogan, ‘And then there's free Shakespeare in Central Park.' Now, a full 50 years later, we proudly, happily and miraculously, mirabile dictu, replay the original only slightly modified ‘there's still free Shakespeare in Central Park!'" said Honoree Bernard Gersten.

"Continued support of Shakespeare in the Park reflects our belief that the arts, in all its forms, should be shared with the widest possible audience and leveraged to benefit communities," said Rena DeSisto, Global Arts and Heritage Executive, Bank of America. "This summertime tradition has allowed countless New Yorkers and visitors alike access to quality theatre - all at no cost."

Bernard Gersten (Gala Honoree) has been the Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater since its re-establishment in 1985, in partnership with Gregory Mosher through 1991 and with Andre Bishop as Artistic Director since then. Notable among Lincoln Center Theater's 136 productions of the last 25 years are the current South Pacific and When The Rain Stops Falling; In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Cymbeline, The Coast of Utopia, Edward Albee's Seascape, The Light in the Piazza, The Frogs, Henry IV, Contact, The Invention of Love, Ten Unknowns, Old Money, Spinning Into Butter, Marie Christine, Far East, Parade, Twelfth Night, Ah! Wilderness!, Pride's Crossing, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Ivanov, Juan Darien, An American Daughter, A Delicate Balance, Arcadia, The Heiress, Hapgood, Carousel, The Sisters Rosensweig, The Substance of Fire, Mule Bone, Township Fever, Six Degrees of Separation, Waiting For Godot, Our Town, The Front Page, The House of Blue Leaves, Speed-the-Plow, Sarafina!, and Anything Goes. From 1960 to 1978, Gersten was Associate Producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater for, among other works, A Chorus Line, Two Gentlemen of Verona, For Colored Girls..., Much Ado About Nothing, Sticks and Bones, Streamers, Threepenny Opera, The Cherry Orchard, and Hair. He was Executive Vice President of Zoetrope Studios, Executive Producer of Francis Ford Coppola's One From the Heart, and co-producer of the live-orchestra presentations throughout the world of Able Gance's Napoleon. He was the Vice President of Radio City Music Hall and Executive Producer of Porgy and Bess and Ice. He has been an adjunct professor of Theater Administration at New York University, Yale School of Drama, and Columbia University School of the Arts.

BANK OF AMERICA (Gala Honoree) is a major supporter of arts and heritage in the United States, and increasingly internationally. Its support is built on a foundation of responsible business practices and good corporate citizenship that improves access to the arts and arts education in local communities nationwide. Bank of America believes that improving access to arts is critical to both the culture and economic vitality of the communities we serve. The bank's unique program offers customers free access to more than 120 of the nation's finest cultural institutions through its acclaimed Museums on Us® program, while Art in our Communities® shares exhibits from the bank's corporate collection with communities across the country through local museums. In addition, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides philanthropic support to museums, theaters and other arts-related nonprofits to expand their services and offerings to schools and communities.

The Merchant of Venice Gala Pricing for Monday, June 21:
$50,000: VIP table of 12 at the pre-performance dinner. 12 VIP tickets to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast at Belvedere Castle. Includes recognition in the Official Program as a Co-Chair and champagne bottle service.

$25,000: Premium table of 10 at the pre-performance dinner. 10 premium tickets to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast at Belvedere Castle. Includes recognition in the Official Program as a Vice Chair.

$15,000: Preferred table of 10 at the pre-performance dinner. 10 preferred tickets to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast at Belvedere Castle. Includes recognition in the Official Program as a Benefactor.

$10,000: Table of eight at the pre-performance dinner. Eight tickets to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast at Belvedere Castle. Recognition in the Official Program as a member of the Benefit Committee.

$2,500: Seating for one at the pre-performance dinner. One premium ticket to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast at Belvedere Castle.

$1,500: Seating for one at the pre-performance dinner, one ticket to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast.

$750: One ticket to the performance of The Merchant of Venice and the post-performance reception with the cast.

The Winter's Tale Pricing for Opening Night on Wednesday, June 30:
$350: One ticket to the performance of The Winter's Tale and the post-performance reception with the cast.

For more information regarding the 2010 Summer Gala or the opening night of The Winter's Tale, please call (212) 539-8547, email gala@publictheater.org or visit www.publictheater.org.

THE PUBLIC THEATER (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Executive Director) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals, and productions of classics at its downtown and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Public's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day onstage and through extensive outreach and education programs. Each year, over 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public has won 42 Tony Awards, 149 Obies, 40 Drama Desk Awards and four Pulitzer Prizes. The Public has brought 52 shows to Broadway, including Sticks and Bones; That Championship Season; A Chorus Line; The Pirates of Penzance; The Tempest; Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk; On the Town; The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; Topdog/Underdog; Elaine Stritch at Liberty; Take Me Out; Caroline, or Change; Well; Passing Strange; and, most recently, the current Tony Award-winning revival of Hair. www.publictheater.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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