Performers Announced for Theatre Forward Gala Honoring Glenn Close

Theatre Forward has announced presenters and performers for its upcoming Chairman's Awards Gala, honoring Tony winner Glenn Close, arts philanthropist Roe Green, and California's Center Theatre Group. It will be held on April 3 at the Pierre.

The Chairman’s Awards Gala supports the work of Theatre Forward, which is dedicated to advancing American theaters and its communities through its Educating Through Theatre and Advancing Strong Theatre initiatives. Close, who currently stars on Broadway in Sunset Boulevard, will be honored this spring with the Theatre Artist Award. Green will receive the Theatre Forward Leadership Award, and Center Theatre Group will receive the Achievement in Theatre Award on behalf of their 50th anniversary.

Phylicia Rashad will present Center Theatre Group with its honor, and Quiara Alegría Hudes will present the award to Green. Sunset Boulevard company members, including Nancy Anderson, Preston Truman Boyd, Britney Coleman, Katie Ladner, Lance Roberts, and Jim Walton, will present Close with her honor.

The evening will also include performances by Jason Robert Brown and Betsy Wolfe, Bjorn DuPaty, Nedra McClyde, Leenya Rideout, and Brian Sills. Lee MacDougall and Sharon Wheatley will perform a number from Broadway's Come From Away.

The gala will include cocktails, dinner, and performances as well as a live and silent auction. Auction proceeds will benefit the creation of theatrical works and theater education programs across the country serving 500,000 students.