MTC Director of Education David Shookhoff to be Honored by NYC Arts 6/22

David Shookhoff, Director of Education at Manhattan Theatre Club, will be honored by the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable in a benefit being held on Wednesday, June 22 at the Park Avenue Armory's Veterans Room (643 Park Avenue).

The cocktail event, which is recognizing Shookhoff as outgoing founding chair of the roundtable, is presented by The Board of Directors of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable and event host Bill Pullman. Pullman and Shookhoff have a friendship spanning 30 years when Shookhoff cast the future Tony nominee in his first Equity acting job playing Tom in a school tour of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, directed by Shookhoff.

The evening will feature a specially composed "Fanfare for David" performed by an ensemble from the New York Philharmonic; a performance by Renée Elise Goldsberry, who received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for her work in MTC's recent world premiere production of GOOD PEOPLE; a performance by the Frank Sinatra School of Arts Chamber Singers (Heidi Best, Director); and a jazz combo throughout the evening. Tickets for the evening are available at www.nycaieroundtable.org

In addition, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will declare June 22, 2011 "David Shookhoff Day" in recognition of his contribution to arts education in the city.

The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is the service organization for cultural groups that provide education programs in the city's schools and communities. Founded in 1992 by Shookhoff and a small group of colleagues, the organization has increased in size and importance. Today, its 120 members include major institutions like Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and Manhattan Theatre Club as well as small community-based organizations in all five boroughs. The roundtable shares information, provides professional development, and advocates for arts education with policy makers and the general public. Throughout its 19-year history it has remained a largely volunteer effort - a labor of love undertaken by a working board of directors with a quarter-time coordinator and a tiny project-based staff. Currently the organization is undertaking long-range planning in an effort to expand and more fully professionalize its operation. The benefit will help financially in moving the roundtable into this next chapter of its history. For more information, visit www.nycaieroundtable.org

BIOGRAPHY
As Director of Education at Manhattan Theatre Club since 1988, David Shookhoff has designed and implemented a range of programs that annually serve 5,000 students, teachers, and families in the New York City area and around the nation. A leader in the field of arts education, Shookhoff is the founding chair of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable and serves on the NYC Department of Education Advisory Council on Arts Education and on the Board of Directors of the Center for Arts Education. He has chaired the Arts in Education Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts and has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. He serves on the Education Committee of the Broadway League and was a member of a special task force on learning assessment for the Theatre Communications Group. He has been a consultant to the Lincoln Center Institute, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the Theatre Development Fund, and many other arts organization in New York and around the country. He has directed numerous theatre and opera productions for companies in New York City and nationwide, including MTC, and has taught at NYU, City College, Carnegie Mellon University, Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University Teachers College, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Mannes School of Music. Shookhoff is a recipient of the Golden Administrator Award from the Association Teaching Artists. He holds a BA cum laude from Stanford University and an MFA in Directing from the Yale School of Drama.

www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com