Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director Will Receive 'Spirit Of Gratitude Award' At 10,000 Beds Gratitude Virtual Celebration

Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director Sean Daniels will be among six honorees recognized for making "a positive difference in the addiction and recovery space" at the 10,000 Beds Gratitude Gala virtual celebration at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 (Pacific Time). Beechtree Diagnostics is the Presenting Sponsor of the fifth annual event.

Daniels, who captured his unusual path to sobriety in his critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play, The White Chip, will receive the Spirit of Gratitude Award. Laura Collins-Hughes, writing in The New York Times, described the play as achieving "a delicate balance between laugh-out loud comedy and gasp-inducing, self-inflicted tragedy," adding in a Tweet that "Plays save lives in all kinds of ways. I would bet that Sean Daniels' addiction-and-recovery comedy, The White Chip - getting an excellent production by Sheryl Kaller at 59E59 - has, and will."

"In the middle of this COVID pandemic, there's another one raging: more people will die of overdoses and addiction this year than any year before," Daniels said. "Essentially, if 9/11 happened every three weeks. If we provide some help in this moment, I'm happy."

In a September column forSalon magazine, following then-President Elect Joe Biden's remarks at the presidential debate when he said how proud he was of his son for overcoming his addiction, Daniels wrote of his struggle with alcoholism and "How shame keeps so many of us quiet; how shame kills so many of us ... Because even with years of sobriety under our belts, we fear what our friends and employers will say if they know."

Others receiving awards are Brandon Lee of 3TV/CBS5, the Spirit of Recovery Award; AZ Public Media, the Spirit of Community Award; Beechtree Diagnostics, the Spirit of Giving Award; Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, the Spirit of Leadership Award; and Billy Gregg, the Spirit of Inspiration Award.

Registration for the awards celebration can be completed at Eventbrite. In addition to the award presentations, the event will include a special musical presentation by singer-songwriter Logan Bruce, whose work is inspired by his journey from addiction to recovery; testimonials; an annual update and a moment of silence in remembrance of the many individuals lost to addiction.

Rob Ferre will be the master or ceremonies for the celebration and motivational speaker Tim Gard will give the keynote address, focusing on his personal story of recovery that led to a life dedicated to kindness and happiness.

For more information about 10,000 Beds, visit https://10000beds.org. For more information about Arizona Theatre Company, go to www.arizonatheatre.org.