2023 Annual Gala

THE 2023 PUBLIC THEATER ANNUAL GALA ON THE GREEN

FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY BRANDON VICTOR DIXON, CHRISTOPHER JACKSON, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, MALEAH JOI MOON, ANNA UZELE

Monday, June 12, 2023
6:00PM ET Check In
6:30PM ET Dinner & Performances
The Delacorte Lawn in Central Park

DONATE

AUCTION

CAST & CREATIVE

Brandon Victor Dixon

Artist

Brandon Victor Dixon

Artist

is an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-nominated artist who can currently be seen starring in the Samuel Goldwyn Films’ 88, which won acclaim at The 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and can currently be watched on Apple +. Dixon stars as “Femi Jackson,” a political operative who discovers information about who is backing his candidate running for president.

Dixon can also be watched recurring on Peacock’s award-nominated series, "The Best Man," as “Demetrius” opposite Nia Long. On television, Dixon has been seen as a series regular on "Power" for STARZ, and on “She’s Gotta Have It” for Netflix, “Gone,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” and “The Good Wife.”

On the New York Stage, Dixon was recently seen starring in the highly acclaimed new musical Black No More, inspired by George S. Schuyler’s Afrofuturist novel set during the Harlem Renaissance. The musical featured a book by Academy Award winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), music by Tariq Trotter, Anthony Tidd, James Poyser, and Daryl Waters, lyrics by two-time Grammy Award winner Tariq Trotter, choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening and Fela!), and direction by The New Group’s founding Artistic Director Scott Elliott.

Dixon was lauded for his Judas in NBC’s "Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert" (Emmy Award nomination) and starred in "RENT: Live" on Fox as "Tom Collins." Previous Broadway credits include: his historic run as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, Eubie Blake in Shuffle Along (Tony Award nomination), Berry Gordy in Motown: The Musical (Grammy and Drama League Award nominations), and Harpo in The Color Purple (Tony Award nomination). National tour: Simba in The Lion King. Off- Broadway: F**king A, Rent, and The Scottsboro Boys (Lucille Lortel, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Laurence Olivier Award nominations).

Dixon was raised in Maryland, and is a graduate of Columbia University. He is the co-founder of WalkRunFly Productions multimedia production company.

Christopher Jackson

Artist

Christopher Jackson

Artist

is a Tony Award-nominated actor as well as a Grammy and Emmy Award winner. Broadway: Hamilton, Holler if Ya Hear Me, After Midnight, The Bronx Bombers (Derek Jeter), In The Heights (Benny), Memphis (Delray Farrell), and The Lion King (Simba). Off-Broadway includes Bronx Bombers (Primary Stages); The Jammer (Atlantic Theater Co.); Lonely, I’m Not (Second Stage); In the Heights (37 Arts); and Cotton Club Parade (ENCORES! at City Center). TV and Film: Freestyle Love Supreme (Pivot Network), "Person of Interest," "A Gifted Man," "Fringe," "Gossip Girl," Tracers, After.Life, In The Heights, "Bull" (CBS), "When They See Us" (Netflix).

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Artist

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Artist

is a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning songwriter, actor, director, and producer. Creator and original star of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights. Additional Broadway: New York, New York (additional lyrics); Freestyle Love Supreme (2020 Special Tony Award); Bring It On: The Musical (co-composer/co-lyricist). 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, and 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. TV/Film: tick, tick…BOOM!, “His Dark Materials,” “Fosse/Verdon,” Moana (Oscar nomination, Grammy Award), Encanto (Oscar nomination, two Grammy Awards), Hamilton (Emmy Award), Mary Poppins Returns, Vivo, and the live action The Little Mermaid.

Maleah Joi Moon

Artist

Maleah Joi Moon

Artist

will next be seen leading The Public Theater’s much anticipated production of Hell’s Kitchen, the new musical loosley based on the life story and music of powerhouse performer Alicia Keys, directed by Michael Grief. Moon recently shot a supporting lead role in the upcoming feature Mystic Christmas. They were a standout in this past year’s ABC/Disney Discovery Showcase.

Anna Uzele

Artist

Anna Uzele

Artist

stars as Francine Evans in the Tony-nominated musical New York, New York, inspired by the 1977 movie, stepping into the iconic role immortalized by Liza Minnelli. Her portrayal received nominations from The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk. She also co-stars as Adriana in the Apple + TV series "Dear Edward" alongside Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling. She recently starred as "Catherine Parr" in the North American tour and Broadway debut of SIX on Broadway. She and the cast were nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. She has previously recurred on Showtime's "City on a Hill" and guest starred on CBS' "FBI." She made her Broadway debut in Once on this Island as "Andrea Devereau." She graduated from Texas State University, earning a BFA in musical theater, and lives in New York City.

Martha Donaldson

Production Stage Manager

Erskine Hawkins III

Accompanist

Caleb Hoyer

Accompanist

HONOREES

Darren Walker

Honoree

Darren Walker

Honoree

is President of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit in US history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19.

Before joining Ford, Darren was Vice President at the Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing global and domestic programs. In the 1990s, he was COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization.

Darren co-founded both the US Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy. He serves on many boards, including the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Committee to Protect Journalists, Ralph Lauren, Block, and PepsiCo.

Educated exclusively in public schools, Darren was a member of the first Head Start class in 1965 and received BA, BS, and JD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been included on numerous leadership lists including Time’s annual 100 Most Influential People, Rolling Stone’s 25 People Shaping the Future, and Wall Street Journal's 2020 Philanthropy Innovator of the Year. He is the recipient of 16 honorary degrees, including Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal. In 2022, he was awarded France’s highest cultural honor, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, for leadership in the arts. In 2023 he was also appointed by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II to the Order of the British Empire for services to U.K./U.S. relations.

Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. fordfoundation.org

Marlla Torres

Honoree

Hunts Point Alliance for Children (HPAC)

The mission of the Hunts Point Alliance for Children (HPAC) is to transform educational outcomes in the South Bronx Community of Hunts Point.

The core of HPAC’s youth development work is its “Community to Career Pipeline” that begins with the Hunts Point Children’s Shakespeare Ensemble (“HPCSE”).

The HPCSE is an extraordinary collaboration between HPAC and the Public Shakespeare Initiative. In afterschool and weekend sessions, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders spend an entire academic year learning to read, understand, speak, memorize, and perform Shakespeare.

The Ensemble’s teamwork, creativity, and commitment come together in performances of a Shakespeare play – fully staged with sets, lights, costumes, and original music, and supported by The Public’s professional production team.

As students progress through middle and high school, they continue to engage in HPAC’s wide range of rigorous writing and performance-based programming that inspires long-term achievement and prepares them for future academic success and meaningful careers.

huntspoint.org

Co Chairs and benefits committee

Co-Chairs

Luis A. Miranda, Jr.

Jay Meredith Stein

Reginald Van Lee

Benefit Committee

Roelof Botha & Huifen Chan

Ursula Burns

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Agnes Gund

George Lucas & Mellody Hobson

Carol Sutton Lewis & William M. Lewis, Jr.

Elyse & Michael Newhouse

Holly Peterson

Paula Scher

Jeffrey Seller

Anna Deavere Smith

Alice L. Walton Foundation

Special Thanks

The Public Theater extends our deepest thanks to everyone who made this evening possible, including, but not limited to:

Adventureland; AK Worldwide; Olivia Amorin; Apothékary; Back to the Future: The Musical; Baseline Theatricals; Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience; BLUMHOUSE; Bond 45; Scott Boute; The Bridge on behalf of Susan Edelstein; Brooks Brothers; Central Park Conservancy; Warner Chappell; Joan Chiverton; The Community Spirit Vodka; Curich|Weiss; dineDK; Susan Edelstein; Empire; Laurie Eustis; Bridget Everett; Fat Ham on Broadway; Friends of the High Line; Mitchell Gossett; Gracious Hospitality Management; Great Jones Distilling Co.; Charlie Guadano; Haikuists; Haswell Green’s; Hometown Flower Co.; Alphonso Horne; Hunt & Fish Club; Jasmine’s Carribean Cuisine; JetBlue Airways; Joe’s Pub; Joe’s Pub LLC; Daniel Alexander Jones; Kander & Ebb Estate; Michael Kors USA, Inc.; Kenny Leon; The Liberty National Golf Club on behalf of Eric Hatzimemos; The Library; Mayflower Inn & Spa; La Mercerie; Lin-Manuel Miranda; Luis A. Miranda, Jr.; Mohonk Mountain House; Aida Murad, Impact Artist; Museum of Broadway; New York City Department of Parks & Recreation; Other Half Brewing Company; Ocean House; The Pale; Owen Panettieri; Pastis; Corey Richman; John Sloan III/GhostLight Productions; Betsy Smith, President and CEO (CPC); Soho Sessions; Stan Steen, Director of Film and Events (CPC); SUMMIT One Vanderbilt; Teresa Tsai; John Varvatos; Joyce Varvatos; Union Square Hospitality Group; The United Theatre; United Theatricals; W South Beach; Hugo Wehe; Wildflower Farms; and Sascia Yuan

Special thanks to this evening's beverage sponsors: