Rebecca Naomi Jones, Elizabeth Stanley and More to Join Keen Company Gala
The event will also feature Lisa Kron, Morgxn, Ato Blankson-Wood, David Auburn, Adam Gwon, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 28, 2026
Keen Company will present the first gala under new leadership for Keen's 26th Season. Kelly Kerwin (Artistic Director) and Annie Middleton (Producing Director) began their tenure last July and on February 9, 2026 their first gala will be held at Manhattan Penthouse as Keen's Midwinter Bash. The night will honor Jonathan Larson Award winner Julia Jordan (Murder Ballad), and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Marsha Norman ('Night Mother; The Color Purple). Keen's Midwinter Bash celebrates Keen's next chapter and supports all of Keen's artistic programming including Keen Teens-Keen's impactful educational program for New York and New Jersey teenagers.
The event will begin with a cocktail hour at 6pm, followed by dinner served at 7pm, moving into performances and a paddle raise, and at 9:15pm the night will end with a set by Doll Parts-New York's Premier Dolly Parton Cover Band.
Keen Company is a Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Off-Broadway company creating theater that connects. In intimate theater productions, we celebrate the complexities of hope and the joys of the human condition. Gala contributions underwrite Keen Company's 26th Season including support for dozens of innovative theater artists, and our unique education program serving students in all five boroughs of NYC-the 20th Anniversary of Keen Teens.
Keen's Midwinter Bash will bring together theater lovers, creators, supporters, and change makers, ready for a memorable night that will be a celebration of resilience, creativity, and connection.
The Gala will feature contributions from Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner David Auburn (Proof); Pulitzer Prize Finalist and Tony Award winner Lisa Kron (Fun Home), Drama Desk nominated Rebecca Naomi Jones (Oklahoma!), Tony Award nominated Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill), Tony Award nominated Ato Blankson-Wood (Slave Play); Morgxn (Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Sara Bareilles); Guggenheim Fellow Monica Bill Barnes; Helen Hayes Award nominated Adam Gwon (Keen's All the World's a Stage) and more.
The gala's host committee includes David Auburn, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Lindsey Ferrentino, Susie Gould, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Christine Jones, David Lindsay-Abaire, Lynn Nottage, Audra McDonald, J.T. Rogers, Sarah Ruhl, Jen VanDemark, and Doug Wright.
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