WP THEATER ANNUAL GALA

WP’s annual gala honors truly outstanding Women+ who have taken risks, pushed limits, and broken ground in a wide variety of fields, celebrating their unique accomplishments. We began presenting these awards in 1986 as part of WP’s annual gala, and it has been our privilege each year since to honor extraordinary artists, business people, activists, philanthropists, and others across multiple disciplines throughout the country.

Past honorees include: Presidential Medal of Freedom winners DR. MAYA ANGELOU and GLORIA STEINEM; Academy Award-winning actresses WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ARIANA DEBOSE, VANESSA REDGRAVE, and DAME JUDI DENCH; Tony Award-winning Actress CHITA RIVERA; Former Chairperson and CEO of Warner Brothers ANNE SARNOFF; Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actress DEBRA MESSING; Academy Award-nominated actress, activist, and singer-songwriter AMANDA SEYFRIED; Acclaimed Broadway director, storyteller, and founder of Black Theater United, SCHELE WILLIAMS; Award-winning singer, actress, and humanitarian, VANESSA WILLIAMS; Founder of Octopus Theatricals and Tony and Grammy Award-winning producer of Hadestown, MARA ISAACS; President of the John Gore Organization and Chair of the Broadway League, LAUREN REID; and more!

Special performances and appearances have included: BETH MALONE (Tony Award nominee, Fun Home); BEBE NEUWIRTH (Tony Award & Emmy Award winner); LILLI COOPER (Broadway’s Tootsie, Spongebob Squarepants); TERRENCE McNALLY (Four-time Tony and Emmy Award winner); KATHY NAJIMY (Award-winning actress, comedian & activist); THOMAS SADOSKI (CBS’s “Life In Pieces”, “The Newsroom”); MARGO SEIBERT (Broadway’s In Transit, Rocky); SENDHIL RAMAMURTHY (“New Amsterdam,” “Heroes”); MARLO THOMAS (Four-time Emmy, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award winner); ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS and ANAÏS MITCHELL Tony Award-Winning Performer, and Tony Award-Winning Creator of Hadestown; AUDRA MCDONALD (Six-time Tony Award winner); HEIDI SCHRECK (Tony Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize Finalist); SEAN HAYES (Tony Award winner, Good Night, Oscar); ALEX NEWELL (Tony Award winner, Shucked) and more!

As the single biggest fundraising event in our fiscal year, this year’s gala will be held at the Edison Ballroom and features a cocktail hour –with signature cocktails of the evening– a full dinner, live performances, auction, and more.

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When we say Women+ we mean people who are cis women, trans, non-binary, or gender-nonconforming people, and all gender identities which have been systematically oppressed throughout history in the theater and beyond.