WP Theater’s Annual Gala 2022

Our 2022 Gala was WP Theater’s first big party in physical space in two years! We celebrated our return to space with a truly special event honoring extraordinary Women+ artists and change-makers. The Gala was chaired by WP Board Members LISA TIMMEL and SAMANTHA SULLIVAN KINDLER and vice-chaired by ART LAB LLC, HENRY L. KIMELMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, JENNIFER CHAMBERS/MCJ AMELIOR FOUNDATION, AND JOSEPH PETITO ESQ. We toasted WP Theater’s 44th Anniversary Season on May 16, 2022 at the Edison Ballroom. The evening, hosted by legendary talk show host and star of WP Theater’s sandblasted ROLONDA WATTS, honored founder of Octopus Theatricals and Tony and Grammy Award-winning producer of Hadestown MARA ISAACS; acclaimed Broadway director, storyteller, and founder of Black Theater United SCHELE WILLIAMS; and award-winning singer, actress, and humanitarian VANESSA WILLIAMS.

The Gala was a star-studded event featuring exclusive sneak peek performances from WP’s WEIGHTLESS, DREAMING ZENZILE (the night before they previewed!) and ended with a thrilling number from AIDA. Additionally, there were special appearances by Broadway’s ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS and LACHANZE, as well as Senior Vice President of Production & Co-Producer at Disney Theatrical Productions, ANNE QUART. We also had surprise virtual appearances from ANAÏS MITCHELL, RENEÉ ELISE GOLDSBERRY, AUDRA MCDONALD and the cast of POTUS.

WP’s Annual Gala is our single biggest fundraiser of the year, which helps us continue to empower Women+ artists of all kinds to reach their full potential, challenging preconceptions about the kinds of plays they write and the stories they tell. Our 2022 honorees are inspiring Ceiling Breakers and Trail Blazers who have taken risks, pushed limits, and broken ground in a wide variety of fields. We could not be more excited to honor Mara, Schele, and Vanessa, each exemplary in their fields, to celebrate – back in live space – 44 wonderful years of WP Theater’s achievements in the developing, producing, and promoting the work of Women+ at every stage of their careers.

ABOUT THE HONOREES

MARA ISAACS is a Tony® and Grammy® Award winning producer and founder of Octopus Theatricals, an independent production company dedicated to fostering an expansive range of compelling theatrical works for local and global audiences. She has produced over 150 productions that have been seen on Broadway (Hadestown, The Inheritance, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Translations, Anna in the Tropics, Electra), off-Broadway (Fiasco Theater’s Into The Woods, The Brother/Sister Plays, Crowns, The Laramie Project), at theaters and performing arts centers around the US and the world (UK, Europe, Asia, Middle East, South America, South Africa, Canada). She currently oversees more than 20 projects on the Octopus roster including Iphigenia, a new opera by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding; Social! Dance Club conceived by Steven Hoggett, Christine Jones & David Byrne; THEATRE FOR ONE; Dreaming Zenzile by Somi Kakoma; And So We Walked by DeLanna Studi; An Iliad starring Denis O’Hare; and many others. Mara is co-founder of Producer Hub, a proud founding member of CIPA (Creative and Independent Producer Alliance), and co-founder of Sing It Again Records, an indie record label founded in 2019. She previously served as Producing Director at McCarter Theater Center in Princeton, NJ for 18 seasons and produced new play development programs and productions for Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

SCHELE WILLIAMS is a Broadway director committed to cultivating new musicals and devised work. She is the director of the revival of Aida for Disney Theatrical Group, and the upcoming Broadway revival of The Wiz along with new musicals: Mandela and Indigo. She has directed at regional theaters and festivals across the country and has a long history of work on Broadway in Rent, Aida, and Motown: The Musical. Passionate about pairing social justice with the arts, Schele is a founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization committed to dismantling systemic racism on our streets and stages. She has been a member of Broadway Inspirational Voices for over two decades and serves as chairperson of the board.

VANESSA WILLIAMS is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry. Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings, and the Broadway stage have earned her 4 Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, 3 SAG award nominations, 7 NAACP Image Awards, and 3 Satellite Awards. Vanessa’s Broadway credits include co-starring with Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful, After Midnight, and a special limited engagement in Hey, Look Me Over at New York City Center. She also recently starred in the revival of City of Angels on The West End in London. Her platinum single “Colors of the Wind,” from Disney’s Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. One of the world’s most accomplished concert artists, she has appeared regularly with the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world, including the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center. Vanessa achieved a career pinnacle with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and her autobiography, You Have No Idea, co-written with her mother Helen Williams, was a New York Times Bestseller. Vanessa is a strong advocate for equal rights and was honored with the Human Rights Campaign “Ally for Equality” Award for her humanitarian contributions. She has also embraced and supported such organizations as Black Theatre United, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Special Olympics, Broadway Cares-Equity Fights AIDS, and several others.

ABOUT THE HOST

ROLONDA WATTS For almost four decades, her name, face, and distinctive voice have been known by audiences everywhere, thanks to her many award-winning works in television, radio, film, digital media, comedy, and her romance suspense novel, DESTINY LINGERS, endorsed by Dr. Maya Angelou.

Most know her by one name, Rolonda, under which she launched her own internationally syndicated talk show (1994-1998), produced by King World Productions in association with her company, Watts Works Productions.
Years before her talk show, Rolonda was an Emmy Nominated investigative news reporter, anchorwoman, and producer for Inside Edition, WABC-TV Eyewitness News, WNBC, New Jersey Nightly News, and WFMY-TV.
From news to talk to Hollywood to stage, Rolonda, forever The Reinventionist, just made her Off Broadway debut in sandblasted – a joint theatrical project by The Vineyard Theatre and The WP Theater in NYC, where she now lives.

In TV and movies, Rolonda stars as Hazel Wilson in the new MC Lyte sitcom, Partners in Rhyme on ALLBLK, and guest stars as Adaline Palmer, Chunk’s mother, on Bull (CBS). She was also FBI forensic pathologist, Dr. Melissa Meyers, on Criminal Minds (CBS). In stand-up comedy, Ro headlined at Caroline’s on Broadway in NY and in LA at The Comedy Store, The Ice House, Flappers, Ha! Ha!, The Comedy Union, The J Spot, and more.
Ro’s deep, rich, and raspy voice is one of the most recognized in the voice-over business, where she is also a top voice coach with her Voice Acting Master Class. Rolonda is heard in dozens of commercials and was the announcer and promo voice for Divorce Court (FOXTV), Judge Joe Brown (CBS), The Daily Helpline, and Temptation, the game show. In animation, Rolonda voices the role of Professor Wiseman on Curious George (Universal), Mary Sinclair in LEGO City Adventures, Madagascar, King Fu Panda, Cannon Busters, and stars with Tyler Perry in his first animated movie, Tyler Perry’s Medea’s Tough Love (Lionsgate). In video games, Rolonda is the voice of Warrior Priestess Illaoi in League of Legends.

The McDonald’s Corporation honored Ro as “a Broadcast legend.” Facebook & Business magazine calls her “The Queen of All Media.” There are official “Rolonda Days” in New York City and Newark, New Jersey.

Rolonda holds degrees from Spelman College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and an Honorary Doctorate from Winston-Salem State University. Rolonda lives in New York City with her rescue Terrier, Langston Hughes.

Check out Rolonda’s podcast – Rolonda on Demand. Visit Ro’s website at rolonda.com. Follow Rolonda on social media @rolondawatts.   

Highlights from the 2022 Gala