Congratulation to NYTW Usual Suspect & Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Three Pianos at NYTW) and Tony Award-winning producer Jordan Roth (Producer of Hadestown; President of Jujamcyn Theaters), who were honored at New York Theatre Workshop’s 2020 Gala on February 3 at Capitale in New York.
Tony Award winner André De Shields (Hadestown), Tony Award nominee Amber Gray (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Tony Award nominee Patrick Page (Hadestown), Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada, Reeve Carney & members of the cast and band of the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown kicked off the evening’s festivities singing “Way Down Hadestown”. Check out the video below for excerpts of the performance.
Ana Gasteyer (“Saturday Night Live”) served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Other performers and presenters included Tony Award nominee Josh Groban (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812); Emmy Award winner Rachel Brosnahan (Othello, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”); Tony Award nominee Anna Deavere Smith (Notes from the Field); Tony Award nominee Taylor Mac (Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus); Tony Award nominee Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Three Pianos); Obie Award winner Heather Christian (Animal Wisdom); The Bengsons (Hundred Days).
The evening’s program was directed by Kevin Cahoon (“Glow,” The Nerd), scripted by Josh Koenigsberg (“Orange is the New Black”) and featured musical direction by William Shuler (Pippin National Tour). The live auction was conducted by Robbie Gordy.
Rachel Chavkin received the 2019 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Director of a Musical for Hadestown. She is a director, writer, and dramaturg, as well as the founding Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based ensemble the TEAM (theteamplays.org) whose work has been seen all over London and the U.K. including The National Theatre, the Royal Court, and multiple collaborations with The National Theatre of Scotland. Selected freelance work: Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Ars Nova, A.R.T., Broadway), Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer’s Lempicka (Williamstown), Caryl Churchill’s Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (New York Theatre Workshop), Marco Ramirez’s The Royale (Old Globe, Lincoln Center), Bess Wohl’s Small Mouth Sounds (Ars Nova, Off-Broadway, national tour), Sarah Gancher’s I’ll Get You Back Again (Round House), and multiple collaborations with Taylor Mac including The Lily’s Revenge, Act 2 (HERE). In addition to her awards for Hadestown, Chavkin is a recipient of a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical, three Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, multiple Lortel Award nominations, two Doris Duke Impact Award nominations, and the 2017 Smithsonian Award for Ingenuity along with Dave Malloy, with whom she is working on an upcoming adaptation of Moby Dick (A.R.T. December 2019). Her first film, Remind Me, was an official selection of the Venice and Beverly Hills Film Festivals. Proud NYTW Usual Suspect and Member SDC.
Jordan Roth is recognized as a style influencer and talented creator. As President of Jujamcyn Theaters, Jordan champions shows that push the boundaries of Broadway and creates uniquely welcoming experiences for audiences and artists. He has won five Tony Awards, including Hadestown (2019 Best Musical); Angels in America (2018 Best Revival of a Play), which broke records as the most Tony-nominated play in Broadway history; Kinky Boots (2013 Best Musical); Clybourne Park (2012 Best Play) and Hair (2009 Best Revival of a Musical).
The NYTW Annual Gala raises nearly 10% of the Off-Broadway company’s annual budget. Funds raised at this one-night-only event help NYTW to mount five world class productions each season and to share them with more than 50,000 audience members. Proceeds also support NYTW’s Artist Workshop activities through which nearly 2,000 artists develop more than 80 projects each year and their Education Initiatives including Learning Workshop, Mind the Gap, and Public Programs that serve over 1,600 students of all ages.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2020 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 