By Mabel Pais

• SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES 75 YEARS
• LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT FOR ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS, PATTI LUPONE
• EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR AUDRA MCDONALD

SUNDAY, JULY 11 @ 7 PM

 

The Theatre World Awards, Dale Badway, President, in association with Tom D’Angora and Michael D’Angora present the star-studded line-up of this year’s “Theatre World Awards: Special Event Celebrating 75 Years!!” Each year The Theatre World Awards presents 12 awards to outstanding debut performances on and off-Broadway. After a year of no debuts, The Theatre World Awards, the oldest American award for debuts in theatre in New York, will return for a one-night virtual benefit gala honoring Broadway legends André De Shields and Patti LuPone with the 8th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in The Theatre as well as presenting Audra McDonald with the Dorothy Loudon Special Award for Excellence in Theatre.

Directed by Tom D’Angora and Michael D’Angora, the star-studded benefit gala will feature performances from past Theatre World Award winners.

The special event will be hosted virtually by BroadwayWorld.com on Sunday, July 11th beginning at 7pm. The free event will stream exclusively on BroadwayWorld.com

The event and accompanying fundraising campaign are being produced by Tom D’Angora, Michael D’Angora, and Tim Guinee. The trio are donating their time to the Theatre World Awards project. The event is produced in association with The Theatre World Awards Board of Directors.

The Theatre World Awards relies on the support and contributions of its alumni and donors. Tax deductible donations may be made by visiting the Go Fund Me link at gofund.me/cf2604da.

In what has become a highly entertaining and often touching tradition, 12 previous winners serve as the presenters, and often relive moments from past ceremonies and share wonderful stories rarely heard at other theatrical awards. Many people feel that this is the most fun and enjoyable awards show of the Broadway season! This special gala presentation will celebrate past and present honorees showcasing the historic heritage of the organization.

For additional information about the Theatre World Awards, visit

www.theatreworldawards.org

www.facebook.com/TheatreWorldAwards/

www.twitter.com/TWAwards

——————————————–

PLAY-PERVIEW BENEFITS RAICES

By Mabel Pais

PRESENTS STREAMING OF“LIVING AND BREATHING”

BY MANDO ALVARADO

DIRECTED BY JERRY RUIZ

NET PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT RAICES

(REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND LEGAL SERVICES)

STREAMING BEGINS SATURDAY, JULY 10

Play-PerView’s next streamed event benefits RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services).

Featuring Tony Award winners and a constellation of stars from the worlds of Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and television, Play-PerView, a new live-streaming theater initiative founded by producer Jeremy Wein (NYC PodFest, Kevin McDonald: Alive), will deliver unique, one-time-only, live-streamed theatrical events and original series into the homes of theater fans around the globe.

On Saturday, July 10th at 7:00pm EST (on demand through July 14), Play-PerView will stream a LIVE performance of “Living and Breathing” by Mando Alvarado (“Vida,” “Greenleaf”). Directed by Jerry Ruiz (Mala Hierba, Basílica), the cast will feature Chris Gardner, Thomas Mejia, Jose Joaquin Perez (“We Need To Talk About Kevin,” “Person of Interest”), and Johnathan Tchaikovsky (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Bull”).

In “Living and Breathing,” when Todd purchases a ‘living sculpture,’ the controversial piece of art causes a rift with his old college friends Michael and Jeremy that leads to a hilarious and incendiary examination of the nature of their lifelong bond through a conversation about race, friendship, and art in today’s America.

Proceeds from all events will be directed to arts organizations impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Play-PerView’s producers Jeremy Wein and Jen Campos Productions, have raised close to $0.5M to date in support of arts organizations and other charities across the country impacted by the COVID-19 virus through 48 major live-streamed events and additional auxiliary programming.

Tickets are “pay what you can” and are available at eventbrite.com/e/play-perview-living-and-breathing-live-reading-tickets-152845417759.

For additional information on these and future events, visit Play-PerView.com or follow @Play_PerView on Twitter and @Play_PerView on Instagram for updates, trivia, contests, and more!

PLAY-PERVIEW

Play-PerView is an organization that believes in the power of community and highlights the ways in which artists can support one another both in times of triumph and crisis with love, joy, and innovation in the digital age. Play-PerView programs present a variety of one-time-only events — including play readings, non-scripted series, panel discussions, and more — as well as a desire to bring live theatrical experiences to audiences outside of the major hubs of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles — this initiative will raise funds for arts organizations and other charities such as The Actors Fund, Broadway Cares, not-for-profit institutions, and theatrical unions who are helping to relieve those in need of financial assistance due to job loss, medical bills, and other essential needs. To learn more, visit play-perview.com

 CREATIVE TEAM

MANDO ALVARADO (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright/screenwriter from Pharr, Texas. He is currently a Supervising Producer on “Brand New Cherry Flavor” for Netflix. To learn more, visit mandoalvarado.com

JERRY RUIZ (Director) is a director, producer and new play aficionado. Having directed several plays in New York theater, he has developed work at Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep., The Public Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Playwrights Realm. Currently, Jerry serves as Head of Directing at Texas State University. To learn more, visit jruizdirector.com

JEREMY WEIN (Producer) is a producer and director based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the founder of the New York City Podcast Festival, which he produced from 2013-2018. He recently produced the debut EP for The U.S. Open (featuring Shawn Randell, William Jackson Harper, Steven Boyer, Diana Oh, Jeff Biehl, and Bobby Moreno), which will be released later this year. Follow him at

Twitter: @ThisMyShow

Instagram: @JeremyWein90

JENNIFER CAMPOS PRODUCTIONS (Producer) JC Productions was founded to promote diverse and inclusive theatrical productions across the country. Ms. Campos has worked as an equity stage manager with several off-Broadway theater companies including The New Group and Primary Stages. Most recently, Jennifer was an Associate Producer for The New Group Off Broadway production of “Waiting for Godot” with Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, and Wallace Shawn. She can be accessed at linkedin.com/in/jennifer-campos-9386075

RAICES (REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND LEGAL SERVICES)

RAICES is a nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. With legal services, social programs, bond assistance, and an advocacy team focused on changing the narrative around immigration in this country, RAICES is operating on the national frontlines of the fight for immigration rights. We defend the rights of immigrants and refugees, empower individuals, families, and communities, and advocate for liberty and justice. Watch the video – youtu.be/7YTmuSkgsWY

To learn more, visit play-perview.com and raicestexas.org

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)