David Rockefeller News

Victory Gardens Theater introduces Public Programs to Envision Justice through the Lens of Theater, a new initiative made possible by a grant from The David Rockefeller Fund. Public Programs is an event series designed to enhance audience experience by exploring themes and issues within Victory Gardens' productions by provoking dialogue and deepening the relationship between audiences and the plays. Public Programs to Envision Justice takes Victory Gardens one step further by building a stream of citizen engagement programs that will contextualize the plays in relation to the issues surrounding criminal justice and lead audiences to understanding their role in affecting change.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced the line-up today for the 2018 Free Shakespeare in the Park season, continuing a 56-year tradition of free theater in Central Park.

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 43rd season with BREACH: a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate, written by Antoinette Nwandu and directed by Lisa Portes. BREACH runs February 9 March 11, 2018, with the press performance on Friday, February 16, 2018 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Victory Gardens Theater announces Jess McLeod and Aaron Todd Douglas as the 2018 Next Generation Fellows. Beginning in February 2018, the Next Generation Fellowship will provide comprehensive mentorship, requisite training, and experience for these future leaders of color, preparing them to helm arts institutions or departments on the national and local level. The program is made possible by a generous grant from The Field Foundation of Illinois.

As we say goodbye to 2017, we remember all of those we have lost in this past year. From actors to directors and musicians, these people have shared their gifts with us and they will not be forgotten. Join BroadwayWorld in remembering some of these people below.

Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham announced the line-up today for The Public's Astor Anniversary Season at their landmark downtown home on Lafayette Street, celebrating 50 years of new work at 425 Lafayette.

Gibney Dance Company is set to perform a newly commissioned work by Joanna Kotze and re-imagined works by Reggie Wilson at Lower Manhattan's Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center May 4–6. The program marks the second annual edition of GRIT: Gibney Repertory Initiative for Tomorrow, created to simultaneously commission new works from and re-imagine signature works by contemporary dance artists.

Musica Viva NY, led by Artistic Director Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, closes its 2016-2017 season on Sunday, May 7 at 5:00 p.m. at All Souls Church with An Elegy for All Humanity, featuring a performance of Brahms' German-language masterpiece, Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) in a rarely heard chamber ensemble arrangement by Joachim Linckelmann with the Musica Viva NY choir and soloists soprano Devony Smith and bass-baritone Joseph Beutel.

Low- and moderate-income residents in New York City neighborhoods with many cultural resources are healthier, better educated, and safer overall than those in similar communities with fewer creative resources, according to a groundbreaking study by the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. And the results hold true in all five of the City's boroughs.

Dance/USA is thrilled to announce that Gibney Dance Founder, Artistic Director, & CEO Gina Gibney will receive Dance/USA's 'Ernie' Award at the 2017 Annual Conference in Kansas City! The 'Ernie' Award honors individuals working in the dance field whose achievements have significantly empowered artists and supported their creativity individually or as a community.

Sing for Hope, the country's leading "artists' peace corps," mobilizes a roster of 2,000 artists of all disciplines who volunteer their time and talent in under-resourced schools, hospitals, and communities, transforming lives through the power of the creative arts. The organization's flagship program is The Sing for Hope Pianos, which is made possible in large part by The Fosun Foundation and 28 Liberty.

During this year's Art Basel Miami Beach, the National YoungArts Foundation will host two visual arts exhibitions on their Miami campus, including the debut of a new body of work by José Parlá and an installation of rarely seen masterworks from the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, as well as a booth at PULSE Miami Beach Contemporary Art Fair. Co-curated by Naomi Fisher (1994 YoungArts Winner in Visual Art) and Luisa Munera, YoungArts Artistic Programs Coordinator, the booth will feature works by ten YoungArts alumni. 

On Tuesday October 25, Americas Society and the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York hosted a groundbreaking performance in which Mexican fashion designer Carla Fernandez presented her Spring/Summer 2017 collection at the Society's landmark building on Park Avenue. The event featured a synthesis of fashion and dance featuring Silas Riener and Rashaun Mitchell, who wore the costumes and choreographed a performance inspired by Fernandez's signature clothing, rooted in Mexico's textile traditions and pre-Hispanic techniques.

Today, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs launched the public engagement process for CreateNYC, the City's first-ever comprehensive cultural plan.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice has just announced it will honor Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony- and Grammy Award-winning composer, lyricist, performer, and 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award recipient, as part of its Educating for Justice Gala on Monday, May 23, 2016.

Check out Gibney Dance Company's upcoming events, during its 25th anniversary season!

Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education's annual black tie "Fiesta 2015" honored John Bernbach, Baz Luhrmann, and Veronique and Bob Pittman, on Tuesday, October 13 at the Plaza Hotel, New York City. Scroll down for photos!

Actress and author Leslie Zemeckis celebrated the launch of her highly anticipated biography of Lili St. Cyr titled, Goddess of Love Incarnate: The Life of Stripteause Lili St. Cyr yesterday with an invitation-only cocktail reception, at the Upper East Side home of Susan and David Rockefeller.

The Japan Art Association announces that Sylvie Guillem, the French ballerina whose artistry, technical prowess, and vivid dramatic presence have established her as one of the premier dancers of her generation, and Mitsuko Uchida, the Japanese-born British pianist whose deeply personal and insightful interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven have set the highest standards in central repertoire and made her one of the world's greatest artists, have won the 2015 Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award.