Congratulations to all who attended and contributed to Theatre for a New Audience’s 30th Anniversary Gala! The event was the best-attended and highest-grossing in the Theatre’s history, more than $600,000 was raised to benefit artistic and educational programs.
The festivities took place at The Powerhouse at The American Museum of Natural History, under the leadership of Gala Chair Monica G-S. Wambold. Master of Ceremonies was actor Alfred Molina, a 2010 Tony Award nominee for Best Actor in the thrilling Broadway production Red, is third nomination. The Theatre presented the sixth annual Samuel H. Scripps Award to a pair of artists: Tony Award-winning director/designer Julie Taymor and Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal.
Of the honorees, Founding Artistic Director Jeffrey Horowitz said, Theatre for a New Audience is a home for Shakespeare and plays of classic stature. Our productions are seen by a diverse audience. We offer education programs, accessibly priced tickets and workshops for artists. But, at the bottom, this Theatre’s core belief is to defend and support the preciousness of the creativity of contemporary artists interpreting the language and ideas of authors. Working with Julie and Elliot taught me this; they put Theatre for a New Audience on the map. They set the bar. And for this, I’m eternally grateful.
Presenting the award to Mr. Goldenthal was his former teacher, legendary composer John Corigliano. I never had a student quite like Elliot, he said. His music is so full of drama, of the greatness and grandness of theatre, film and opera.
Scholar Jonathan Bate presented the award to Ms. Taymor, and spoke of her great successes working with classical text. Julie has brought Shakespeare back to life in the most magical ways, he said of her work on theatre and film works such as Titus and the upcoming feature, The Tempest, based on her production of the play at TFANA in 1986. She has shown extraordinary achievement in her creative reanimation of his extraordinary language.
Entertainment included an aria by singer Eric Owens from Goldenthal’s opera Grendel, a 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Auctions raised record funds for the Theatre’s operating budget as well as our education residency, the largest program in the NYC Public Schools to introduce Shakespeare and classic drama to students grades 5 to 12.
Please click here for more photos from this fabulous evening!