Announcing The Chefs And Talent For A TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW

The Orchard Project is proud to announce a preview of the chefs, performers and presenters for its 2019 Gala, A TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW, occurring Monday, April 15, 2019 at the Prince George Ballroom and honoring the work of Avram Freedberg and Eva Price (Co-Founders, Maximum Entertainment, Producers of Oklahoma! and Jagged Little Pill) and writers Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden (Veep, Divorce, and the musicals Female Troubles and Hollywood Romance).

For the gala, some of the most lauded chefs/restaurants in New York City have donated custom recipes inspired by the hottest new shows on and off Broadway. The Orchard Project is thrilled to be working with chefs that currently include: Cat Cora (First Female Iron Chef, Family Food Fight Judge), Carla Hall (The Chew, Top Chef),Ryan Hardy (Charlie Bird NYC Executive Chef), Ash Fulk (Top Chef, Hill Country Executive Chef), Etienne Le Bastard (Pastry Chef-- Bouley Bakery), Jon Snyder (Owner-- Il Laboratorio Del Gelato) and Jake Cohen (Feedfeed, Time Out New York, Tasting Table). The Orchard Project is excited to be showcasing the creativity and craft of these incredible chefs.

Performances at the gala will include songs and appearances by multi-platinum recording artist Jackie Evancho, Ali Stroker and the current cast of Broadway's Oklahoma!, Will Swenson (The Greatest Showman, Waitress), Ryann Redmond (Frozen, Bring It On), Elizabeth Stanley (On The Town, Company), writer Frank Rich, writer/performer Hunter Bell (Found, Title of Show) and others.

A TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW serves as the primary fundraiser for the Orchard Project and raises the crucial funds necessary to continue its support of the future of American theater. The Gala Honorary Committee for TASTE OF SOMETHING NEW includes Alan Cumming, Bebe Neuwirth, Daphne Rubin Vega, Dave Malloy, David Cale, David Mandel, David Yazbek, Esperanza Spalding, Grace McLean, Hunter Bell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, John Glover, Kelli O'Hara, Kurt Andersen and Anne Kreamer, Kyle Jarrow, Lea DeLaria, Mike Bartlett, Nathan Tysen, Richard Kind, and Tonya Pinkins.

The benefit takes place at the Prince George Ballroom begins at 6:00 PM with cocktails and appetizers, with a tasting menu dinner to begin at 7:00 PM and a program to follow. Tickets and program ads can be purchased at orchardproject.com.

Theatre companies and creative artists from around the United States and world unite each year to develop their big ideas at the Orchard Project. Since its founding in 2007, The Orchard Project has supported more than 1,200 artists and 250 shows. In 2015, The Orchard Project expanded and moved to Saratoga Springs, NY, where it added a new series of public programs, allowing the public and theatre industry to get sneak peeks of ground-breaking new work.

The Orchard Project supports work that go to a wide variety of other theaters - from Broadway to the West End to independent theaters across the world. Recent productions include the upcoming Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus (Broadway) and the upcoming In the Green (LCT3), Frankenstein (The Public Theatre), Frankenstein(The Public Theater, The Court Theatre), Amelie (Broadway), The Iphigenia Quartet (Gate Theater), Empathy School (Abrons Arts), All the Way (Broadway, Asolo Rep, Arena Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, OSF, A.R.T, HBO Films and more), The Object Lesson (BAM Next Wave Festival and New York Theatre Workshop), and I Promised Myself to Live Faster (Humana Festival).

Writers, teams, and ensembles join the Orchard Project for overlapping residencies, during which they are provided with free rehearsal space, room and board, and the support of fellow artists. In addition to its professional laboratory program (for form-fitting project residencies) and the Core Company (its elite education program), the Orchard Project recently launched both a NYC Greenhouse, providing a continuum of support for writers, directors, and composers to collaborate with each other over two years, and an Episodic Lab, developing new television and series projects with a high-level group of industry mentors.

Past Orchard Project supported companies include The Royal Court, The Public Theater, Tectonic Theatre Project, The Atlantic Theater Company, Pig Iron, The Rude Mechs, American Repertory Theater, Paines Plough, The TEAM, Mabou Mines, and many others. Work developed at the Orchard Project has gone on to win awards including Obies, Drama Desks, Olivier Awards and the 2014 TONY Award for Best Play for All The Way, which was written at the Orchard Project in 2010 and 2011. By even the most conservative estimate, these shows have been seen by more than 2,000,000 people in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and as far afield as Tokyo and Stockholm.

For more information, visit www.orchardproject.com