Julie Halston to Host Transport Group's GIMME A BREAK! Gala Honoring Beth Williams, 12/9

Transport Group, the Drama Desk and OBIE award-winning theatre company, has announced that its 2013 Gimme A Break! benefit will honor producer Beth Williams on Monday, December 9 at 6:30pm, at the Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street.

Gimme A Break! begins with a cocktail reception followed by a performance featuring Broadway stars sharing their 'big break' experiences through stories and songs. Ms. Williams will receive the Transporting American Theatre Award for her outstanding contribution to American theatre. Julie Halston (The Divine Sister, Hairspray, Gypsy) will serve as the evening's host.

Beth Williams helped launch Key Brand Entertainment in the United States and served for six years as its COO & Head of Production and subsequently CEO of the Theater Division. During her tenure, Key Brand's Broadway Across America was a producer of more than 40 new Broadway productions including Big Fish; Pippin; Million Dollar Quartet (New York, US tour, Vegas, and London); Hands on a Hardbody;How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette; Memphis; One Man, Two Guvnors; On A Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Harry Connick, Jr.; Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth; and White Christmas, as well as the current CSI exhibit in Las Vegas. Broadway Across America's presenting division is the foremost presenter of live theatrical entertainment operating in 40 markets across North America. Prior to joining Key Brand, Beth produced Grey Gardens on Broadway in partnership with East of Doheny; was the President of Production for Clear Channel Theatrical where she was a producer of The Producers - The New Mel Brooks Musical, Hairspray, Sweet Smell of Success, Fosse (Broadway and tour), All Shook Up, Cabaret (tour), amongst others, and started a successful family division where she produced and toured Nickelodeon's Rugrats - A Live Adventure, Blue's Clues Live, The All That Music and More Festival and Dora the Explorer - Live! Prior to producing, Beth worked on Broadway as a conductor (Les Miserables,Dreamgirls), pianist (Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Phantom, Dreamgirls) and company manager (Dreamgirls, Dangerous Games, West Side Story in Japan). She is a member of The Broadway League where she serves on the Labor and Membership committees and sits on the Board of Governors.

Julie Halston is one of the busiest actress/comediennes working today. In 2011 she received a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance in Charles Busch's Off-Broadway comedy, The Divine Sister at the Soho Playhouse. She was recently seen in the hit off-Broadway play Love, Loss and What I Wore, written by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron. On network television, she starred in the CBS sitcom "The Class" but is most recognized as Bitsy Von Muffling from "Sex and The City." Younger viewers may know her as Antigone Carruthers on the new PBS show The Electric Company. Well-known to theatre audiences, she was last seen on Broadway in Hairspray after receiving rave reviews (as well as Drama Desk and Drama League nominations) for her performance in William Hamilton's White Chocolate. She received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for her performance in Roundabout's production of Twentieth Century. Other Broadway credits include Gypsy, The Womenand The Man Who Came to Dinner. Off-Broadway credits include acclaimed performances in The Vagina Monologues, The Butter and Egg Manand The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. Miss Halston's one-woman show, Julie Halston's Lifetime of Comedy which was developed from her wildly successful club act, ran off-Broadway for six months and received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Comedy. CBS developed a pilot based on the play. She is also a regular at the Bay Street Theatre, appearing most recently in the Charles Busch comedies Shanghai Moonand The Lady in Question. Last year Ms. Halston, with the assistance of the director Daniel Goldstein, developed the play Miss Margarida's Way. It was produced by Bay Street Theatre, with a subsequent presentation at New York Theatre Workshop. Her smash one woman comedy show has been extended at Birdland in NYC four times. Her film credits include The Juror, Joe Gould's Secret, Addams Family Values, Dottie Gets Spanked, Celebrity and David Searching. She can be seen in Charles Busch's latest film A Very Serious Person, which was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival. In January of 2008, Julie co-authored the well-received book of original monologues Monologues for Show-Offspublished by Heinemann Press.

For tickets (which begin at $250) and more information, please phone the Transport Group office at (212) 564-0333 or visit www.transportgroup.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos