Every day is opening night.

TONY AND GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD WINNER

BERNADETTE PETERS

TO BE HONORED AT

THE DRAMA LEAGUE CENTENNIAL GALA

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015 AT 7:00 P.M.

AT THE PLAZA IN NEW YORK CITY

A ONE-OF-A-KIND HISTORIC MUSICAL EVENING

COMMEMORATES 100 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE AMERICAN THEATER

New York, NY (September 8, 2015) – The Drama League (Executive Director Gabriel Shanks; Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth), embarking on a landmark year of celebration commemorating its 100 years of service to the American theater, will honor Golden Globe and three-time Tony Award winner and musical theater icon Bernadette Peters as their Centennial Honoree.  The Drama League Centennial Gala is set for Monday evening, November 2, 2015 at The Plaza (768 Fifth Avenue) in New York City.

This once-in-a-century black-tie gala will include a fully-staged musical tribute drawn from Ms. Peters’ career in theater, television, music and film.  Featuring acclaimed performers from Broadway, the West End, and Hollywood, funds raised by The Drama League Centennial Gala Honoring Bernadette Peters will support The Drama League’s educational initiatives for promising young artists, including the award-winning Directors Project.  VIP and Ballroom seats are now available, with a limited number of seats open to the General Public.  For more information, please call (212) 244-9494, or visit the website at www.dramaleague.org.

“Since 1916, The Drama League has been honored to celebrate the career achievements of the great women of Broadway, including Helen Hayes, Katherine Cornell, Jessica Tandy, Ethel Merman, Barbara Cook, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, and many others,” noted Drama League Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. “To kick off our second century in this tradition, we could think of no one more perfect than Bernadette, who exemplifies the absolute best of what American musical theater can be.  What a pleasure it is to gather her friends, co-stars and colleagues for an unforgettable night celebrating her many triumphs.”

National Life Group is the proud Centennial Season Sponsor of The Drama League, and will host a VIP pre-event Champagne Toast for Ms. Peters at The Plaza.

The Drama League Centennial Gala Sponsors include Delta Air Lines, the Official Airline of The Drama League; M.A.C. Cosmetics, the Official Makeup Partner of The Drama League; Starbright Floral Design, the Official Florist of The Drama League; and The Plaza.

The Centennial Gala Chairpersons are Anna May Feige and Stan Ponte, with Vice-Chairs Rebecca A. Gillan, Mary Jain, Julie and Rich Meister, Kari Nettles, Joseph and Lauren Pizza, Elaine C. and W. Weldon Wilson, and Nadine Wong.  The Centennial Gala Committee includes Leslie Feldman, John Gore/Key Brand Entertainment, Amy Eller, Ellen Fox, Kathy Henderson, Jano Herbosch, Paula Kaminsky Davis, and Ellie and James Johnson.

The Drama League Centennial Gala helps to 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 Sam Gold (Fun Home), Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland), Pam MacKinnon (China Doll), Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), and John Rando (On The Town); Tony Award nominees Mark Brokaw (Cinderella), Moritz von Steulpnagel (Hand to God) and Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson); West Hyler (the upcoming Broadway production Cirque du Soleil: Paramour); and OBIE and Emmy Award winners Rachel Chavkin, Lear deBessonet, R.J. Cutler, and Anne Kaufmann, to name a few.  ‘Drama League Directors’ have been honored with Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Obie, Peabody, Drama Desk, GLAAD, Drama League, New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics, Evening Standard, Lucille Lortel, Bessie, Princess Grace, Garland, Drama-Logue, Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Elliot Norton, and Joseph Jefferson Awards, and have directed films and plays that received Academy Award nominations and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

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 serves over 3,000 artists and 15,000 audience members each season with over 150 events and programs. More information can be found at www.dramaleague.org.

National Life Group®, the Centennial Season Sponsor of The Drama League, doesn’t make widgets or cars or computers. We make promises. Our goal, since the chartering of National Life Insurance Company in 1848, has been to work together to create a better financial future for each and every customer through innovative financial solutions and then to deliver on those commitments 10, 20, or 50 years down the road. This commitment is evident in our values which are Do good. Be good. Make good.  National Life Group is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (LSW), Addison, TX and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. LSW is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York.