Josh Luxenberg & Julian Shapiro-Barnum to be Honored at The Tank 2025 Gala ALL HANDS ON DECK

The Tank 2025 Gala All Hands On Deck will honor Tank Board Member and artist Josh Luxenberg (The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy) and Tank artist Julian Shapiro-Barnum (The Social Distance, “Recess Therapy”).
 
Hosted by Mariyea (Vile Isle), the Gala will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, beginning at 6pm at the Crowne Plaza for dinner, followed by an after party at The Tank.
 
Ahoy there! Set sail for a night of nautical revelry as we celebrate The Tank and raise the sails for another year of fearless creativity. The journey begins with cocktails and a feast fit for Poseidon himself next door at the Crowne Plaza. With fine dining, toasts, and live music, we’ll celebrate the honorees alongside our most seaworthy supporters before setting course to The Tank to Party Below Deck: a raucous soiree with an open bar, a Zakuska Vodka bar, luxe party snacks, and pop-up performances.
 
The party will also feature drinks and bites generously provided by Bronx Brewery, Foster Sundry, Jalapa Jar, and Solid Wiggles. At the silent auction guests will have the opportunity to bid on products and experiences from our sponsors Avocaderia, Brooklyn Brainery, Bushwick Starr, Clubbed Thumb, Fort Hamilton Distillery, Harbor Fitness, Hit House, Hudson Table, Ivan Ramen, Jacob's Pickles, League of Kitchens, Li-Lac Chocolates, Museum at Eldridge Street, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Broadway, Neofuturists, Orwashers, Pizza School NYC, Sky Ting Yoga, Solace New York, St. Ann's Warehouse, Steps on Broadway, Stumptown Coffee, The Brick, Vital Brooklyn, Y7 Studio, and Snug Harbor Cultural Center. 
 
The Tank will honor longtime Tank Board Member and artist Josh Luxenberg. Josh recently closed a decade at The Connelly, where his curation created a haven for downtown theater, including Kate Berlant’s sold-out solo show Kate; Will Arbery’s Plano; Fake Friends’ Pulitzer Finalist Circle Jerk; Job, before its transfer to Broadway; and many more. As co-Artistic Director of Sinking Ship, Josh creates original work, most recently NYT Critic’s Pick The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy as part of the Under the Radar festival earlier this year. Also with Sinking Ship: Cassandra, an Agony (J. Paul Getty Museum, commission), A Hunger Artist (Connelly Theater/The Tank, nominated for two 2018 Drama Desk Awards, and winner of Summerhall's Lustrum Award for Excellence at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017, touring with Octopus Theatricals), Powerhouse (New Ohio, O’Neill Playwrights Conference Finalist, NY Times Critic’s Pick), Ocean (Mabou Mines Residency), Flatland (EST/Sloan Commission), there will come soft rains (FringeNYC). Josh’s many formative contributions to The Tank include co-curating Flint & Tinder, a flagship theater series, and co-founding the popular puppet and music series Puppet Playlist, which played to sold-out crowds as one of New York's premiere venues for original short-form puppetry since 2009.
 
The Tank will also honor Tank artist alum Julian Shapiro-Barnum, a comedian and actor known for his viral online show, “Recess Therapy,” where he elicits some of the best advice from the youngest minds. The show has garnered over 8 million followers across platforms. Julian’s newest projects include “Celebrity Substitute,” which he hosts and executive produces alongside EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and podcast “Gems with Miles and Julian,” which he EPs and co-hosts alongside Recess Therapy’s Miles. Guests on his shows have included Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Billie Eilish, Lin-Manuel Miranda and many, many, more. His first book is coming out summer 2026 through Penguin Random House’s Viking Imprint. Julian’s first web series was “The Social Distance” on CyberTank, The Tank’s streaming platform.