FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan Jimenez
310.208.6500 x126
ryan@geffenplayhouse.com
ACADEMY
AWARD-WINNING MARY STEENBURGEN AND TED DANSON
CO-HOST
FOURTH ANNUAL BACKSTAGE AT THE GEFFEN GALA WITH
GEFFEN
PRODUCING DIRECTOR GIL CATES ON MAY 1
Star-Studded
Gala Honors HBO President Colin Callender with
Distinction
in Theater Award and Benefits Geffen Playhouse Educational Outreach
Initiatives
Geffen
Playhouse Producing Director Gil Cates is Emcee
May 1, 2006
at the Geffen Playhouse
6:00 p.m.
reception; program begins at 8:00 p.m.
LOS ANGELES (March 6.
2006)—The Geffen Playhouse today announced that Academy Award-winning
Mary Steenburgen and husband Ted Danson will co-host the fourth annual Backstage
at the Geffen gala, held at the Geffen Playhouse on May 1, 2006, according to
Geffen Playhouse Producing Director Gil Cates. This yearÕs star-studded event
honors HBO Films President Colin Callender with the Distinction in
Theater Award and benefits the GeffenÕs educational outreach programs.
ÒWe are delighted that Mary
Steenburgen and Ted Danson have agreed to co-host this important Gala at which
we honor Colin Callender, a long-time friend of the Geffen, for his
extraordinary commitment to theater,Ó says Cates. ÒThe Gala also benefits the
GeffenÕs educational outreach programs which not only take theater into Los
Angeles area schools, but also bring young people to the theater.Ó
Backstage at the Geffen has been one
of the cityÕs premier theater galas since its inception in 2002. Geffen
Producing Director Gil Cates guides an audience of noted celebrities and
theater lovers through a collection of select performances and intimate
"backstage" stories shared by Geffen artists and special guests.
Previous Backstage participants have included acclaimed performers such as Jason
Alexander, Annette Bening, Sally Field, David Hyde-Pierce, Karl Malden, John C.
Reilly, Bruce Villanche, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.
(more)
Steenburgen is currently performing
in the GeffenÕs production of Pulitzer Prize-winning David MametÕs Boston
Marriage alongside Alicia Silverstone and Rebecca Pidgeon. She won an
Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1980 film Melvin
and Howard. Danson is best known for his role as the
handsome, smooth-talking bartender in the hit television show Cheers in which he
starred next to celebrated actresses Shelley Long and Rhea Perlman.
The Gala benefits two key Geffen
educational outreach programs: the GeffenÕs Student Matinee Series, and the
Geffen School Tour Program. The Student Matinee Series provides
free tickets and bus transportation for Title I Schools in greater Los Angeles,
enabling their students to attend performances at the Geffen Playhouse. The
Geffen School Tour Program also benefits Los Angeles area schools by taking
theater into participating schools that have little or no resources for the
performing arts.
Ticket packages for the Backstage
at the Geffen Gala begin at $1,000. For more information, or to purchase
tickets, please call Tamara Turoff, Director of Development, at 310.208.6500
x112.
_________________________________________
ABOUT
THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Now in its 10th
Anniversary Season, the Geffen Playhouse is celebrated for its eclectic mix of
classic plays, provocative new works, musicals, and contemporary plays, and
continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition.
Launched in 1994 at the Westwood Playhouse, the Geffen Playhouse was named in
1995 in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who
donated $5 million to the organization, one of the largest gifts ever made to
an already-constructed theater. Headed by Producing Director Gilbert (Gil)
Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney and Managing Director Stephen Eich, the
Geffen has produced eight world premieres, four Tony, four Pulitzer, and seven
Obie-award winning shows in the companyÕs celebrated 10 seasons and maintains
an extensive education and outreach program, designed to engage young people
and the community at large in the arts. Enjoying its stature as a vital
performing arts institution in Los Angeles with an annual attendance of more
than 130,000 patrons, the Geffen Playhouse celebrated the grand opening of its
newly renovated playhouse in November, 2005. For more information, please visit
GeffenPlayhouse.com.
(more)
_____________________________________
CALENDAR
LISTING:
BACKSTAGE AT THE GEFFEN GALA
May 1, 2006
Reception: 6:00 pm; performance at 8:00 p.m.
Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Westwood
Across from the UCLA Main Campus
Co-hosted by Mary Steenburgen and Ted
Danson
With Geffen Producing Director Gil Cates
Gala proceeds benefit Geffen Playhouse educational outreach
initiatives.
Ticket packages for the Backstage at the Geffen Gala begin at
$1,000. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please call Tamara
Turoff, Director of Development, at 310.208.6500 x 112.
# # #
Contact: Ryan Jimenez
310.208.6500 x126
ryan@geffenplayhouse.com