The Drama League to Celebrate First Ever “Arts Ally” Honoree “The Good Wife” at Annual Gala
Contact:
Rick Miramontez / Philip Carrubba
rick@oandmco.com / philip@oandmco.com
212-695-7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
CBS’S “THE GOOD WIFE”
TO BE CELEBRATED AS FIRST EVER “ARTS ALLY” HONOREE
AT
THE DRAMA LEAGUE’S 31ST ANNUAL
MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF BROADWAY HONORING JAMES EARL JONES
SPECIAL RECOGITION PRESENTED TO
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ROBERT AND MICHELE KING
AND SERIES CASTING DIRECTOR MARK SAKS
New York, NY (January 6, 2015) – The Drama League (Executive Director Gabriel Shanks; Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth), will recognize the CBS Television series “The Good Wife” as its 2015 Arts Ally in recognition of Executive Producers Robert and Michelle King and Casting Director Mark Saks, whose enthusiastic support of the Broadway community and its artists have immeasurably benefited both the television and theater industries.
31st Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway celebrating the legendary James Earl Jones, to be held on Monday evening, February 2, 2015 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street).
“CBS’s dedication to the New York theater community is unrivaled, as reflected in ‘The Good Wife,’ which is abundantly filled with top-tier theater talent including our friends Alan Cumming, Drama League Advisory Council Member Mary Beth Peil, Nathan Lane, David Hyde Pierce, Steven Pasquale, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth and dozens more,” stated Drama League Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. “I am humbled to see so many unsung heroes on Broadway – individuals, companies, colleagues and supporters who are not always a visible part of the theatre community, but who make significant unheralded contributions to its continued success. ‘The Good Wife,’ Mr. Saks, and Mr. and Mrs. King are emblematic of that success, allies in the truest sense of the word.”
The Musical Celebration of Broadway Honoring James Earl Jones will raise funds to support the educational training programs of The Drama League Directors Project. The award-winning initiative, which began in 1982 and whose alumni now number over 300, has been instrumental in launching the careers of Tony® Award winners Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland), Pam MacKinnon (A Delicate Balance, The Heidi Chronicles), John Rando (On The Town), Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), and award winners Mark Brokaw, Rachel Chavkin, and Alex Timbers, to name but a few.
The black-tie gala, which features dozens of stars from Hollywood and Broadway in a one-night-only musical tribute inspired by Mr. Jones' career in theater, film and television, supports The Drama League’s educational initiatives for promising young artists. Tickets are available by calling (212) 244-9494.
BIOS_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Robert and Michelle King (Series Producer, “The Good Wife”) are the Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominated writing team, who have been creative collaborators for over a decade and married for over two decades. Their critically adored drama, “The Good Wife,” starring Emmy and Golden Globe award winning actress, Julianna Margulies, premiered in the Fall of 2009 on CBS to critical and popular acclaim. They previously created the 2006 ABC drama about the wrongly accused and imprisoned, “In Justice,” starring Kyle MacLachlan (“Marvel Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.”) and Jason O’Mara (“Terra Nova”). Prior to their work in television, Michelle worked in development at various studios and production companies, while Robert wrote a dozen produced feature films – including the mountain-climbing action feature, Vertical Limit, starring Chris O’Donnell and Red Corner, starring Richard Gere. For their work on “The Good Wife,” Robert and Michelle have been honored by their peers with recognition from AFI, the WGA, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, as well as the Television Critics Association. In addition to creative recognition the Kings have been awarded the Humanitas Prize and the prestigious Peabody Award.
Mark Saks (Series Casting Director, “The Good Wife”) is veteran casting director currently at work on “Elementary” starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, “Madam Secretary” starring Tea Leoni and “The Good Wife” starring Julianna Margulies. For “The Good Wife,” Saks has won four CSA Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Series, Drama and recently received his fifth Emmy nomination for this much acclaimed CBS legal drama. He has received a total of ten Artios nominations in various categories including comedy, drama and long form throughout his career. Other recent credits include the six-hour miniseries, “Klondike” (Discovery Channel) starring Sam Shepard, Abbie Cornish, Richard Madden and Tim Roth as well as the A&E miniseries, “Coma” starring Steven Pasquale, Lauren Ambrose, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss, James Woods and Geena Davis. His other series include “Person of Interest”, “Medium”, “NUMB3RS”, “Dirt”, “Related”, “Hack”, “Welcome to New York”, “The Drew Carey Show”, “The George Carlin Show”, and “Knots Landing, ” to name a few. This past season, he cast the pilots “Galyntine” for AMC, “Hindsight” for VH1 and the new hit drama “Madam Secretary” for CBS. Over the past twenty-five years, Saks has held executive positions at Warner Bros Television, CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television. His work in the theatre includes Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions including nine years as the casting director for the Old Globe theatre in San Diego under the direction of Jack O'Brien.
The Drama League of New York, since 1916, has been at the forefront of the American Theatre community, providing talent, audiences, and prosperous support. It is one of the nation’s oldest continuously-operating, not-for-profit arts advocacy and education organizations. Through its programs, initiatives and events, The Drama League indelibly transforms the lives of artists and audiences by harnessing the unique social and creative dynamism of theatre. Its nationally-renowned, award-winning efforts have two vital goals: To train and nurture the artists of tomorrow and to deepen and strengthen the audience experience.
# # # # #
twitter.com/dramaleague
facebook.com/dramaleague