July 2010
ATW Names Angela Lansbury as First Honorary Chairman
 The American Theatre Wing has named Angela Lansbury as its first ever Honorary Chairman. The five-time Tony Award®-winning actress accepted the position during the Tony Awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 13th. Theodore S. Chapin, ATW's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, made the announcement and introduced Ms. Lansbury.
Accepting the position, which she referred to as a "prestigious honor," Ms. Lansbury said:
"Would you believe 70 years ago I arrived in New York with my mother and twin brothers - evacuated from war-torn London? Because we did not have the means for me to continue my training as an actress, The American Theatre Wing of the British War Relief Effort arranged for me to have a scholarship to study at a dramatic school here in New York. The training I received eventually led to a wonderful career."
"We talk about a person becoming a star overnight. It really doesn't happen that way, you know. Young people hoping for a career in the theatre should think about learning everything they can about their craft, and how to apply those skills in the modern world of the theatre. The American Theatre Wing website offers hundreds of hours of free programs to students, aspiring professionals and audiences. I hope you young hopefuls out there will take advantage of these invaluable resources and maybe someday you will find yourself saying 'thank you' on stage at the Tonys."
As Honorary Chairman, Ms. Lansbury will be involved with carrying out the American Theatre Wing's mission of recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre. She is living - and superlative - proof that investing in young, aspiring artists can reap rewards many times over for audiences everywhere and for the theatre itself.
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Connick, Mullally and O'Hara Light Up Loesser Salute
 The centennial of famed composer Frank Loesser was honored in style in early June by Harry Connick Jr., Megan Mullally and Kelli O'Hara, when the American Theatre Wing's annual spring gala drew more than 400 celebrants together for the organization's largest annual fundraiser. Heart and Soul: The Legacy of Frank Loesser also honored companies created by Loesser: Music Theatre International and Frank Music Corp.
Connick kicked off the evening by kicking ATW chairman Ted Chapin (and his rendition of "Heart and Soul") off the piano stool, then launching into "If I Were A Bell." He followed that by duetting with his Pajama Game co-star O'Hara on "Baby, It's Cold Outside;" Megan Mullally then took over the stage to belt out "Adelaide's Lament." Connick and O'Hara returned to the stage for "My Time of Day/I've Never Been in Love Before," after which O'Hara saluted Loesser's widow, Jo Sullivan Loesser (the longest serving board member of ATW) with "Somebody, Somewhere." The entertainment was capped by three dozen members of The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Marching Band performing "The New Ashmolean Marching Society and Students Conservatory Band" from Where's Charley.
The evening's honorary chairs included Susan Loesser, John Loesser, Emily Loesser Stephenson (Frank's children), Stephen Sondheim, and Jo Sullivan Loesser, who, among many other roles, played the lead in the premiere of The Most Happy Fella and toured the country in Guys and Dolls. The Gala Co-Chairs were Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Jacquin Philip Fink, Freddie Gershon and ATW Board members Theodore S. Chapin and Douglas B. Leeds.
The evening also included a live auction with some very unique prizes, including a walk-on role on CBS' The Good Wife, an original drawing by Frank Loesser, and a walk-on in Broadway's Memphis, which went on to win Best Musical at The Tonys only six days later.
Take a look at our 2010 Annual Spring Gala Photos - and don't forget to make sure we have your mailing address if you'd like to be invited to next year's gala. Email: benefit@americantheatrewing.org with your information.
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ATW's "In The Wings" Receives "Silver Telly" Award
 In The Wings, the American Theatre Wing's online video series about the people who work behind the scenes to make theatre magic, has just been recognized by The Telly Awards with its Silver Telly (its top recognition). Amanda Rogers and Stephen Mann of RPP Productions, who produce the features for The Wing, received the award, which recognizes programming for broadcast and non-broadcast commercials, videos and TV programming.
According to their website, The Telly Awards were founded in 1978 to honor excellence in local, regional and cable TV commercials. Non-broadcast video and TV program categories were soon added. Today, the Telly is one of the most sought-after awards by industry leaders, from large international firms to local production companies and ad agencies.
Judges evaluate entries to recognize distinction in creative work - entries do not compete against each other. Instead, entries are judged against a high standard of merit. Judges score entries on a performance scale and winning entries are recognized and awarded as Silver or Bronze Winners based on the combined scoring of the judges who evaluate each entry. Judges may award top honors to more than one entry or no entries in a particular category.
Why not watch The Wing's award-winning series right now? And congratulations to Amanda and Stephen!
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Great Advice from Great Actors
 Each month, we normally feature one pithy quote from a guest on one of ATW's media programs. But our early June edition of Working in the Theatre, titled Equal Exchange: Actors 2010, produced such wise responses to a single question - "Is there a single thing you wish you had known when you were starting out that you know now?" - that we wanted to share them all with you in their entirety. And to paraphrase an old commercial for Pippin, there's another hour of this conversation online.
Alfred Molina:
"Don't make up your mind too soon. Learn to think twice."
Jan Maxwell:
"Respect everyone. Revere no one."
Anthony LaPaglia:
"In the auditioning process, never walk into a room with your cap in your hand. Don't go in like they're doing you a favor. It's an equal exchange: you're giving them your talent, they give you money. That's the equal exchange in being hired as an actor. So many actors go into auditions with this kind of begging quality - I think you have to respect yourself as an actor."
David Alan Grier:
"There's no 'last part.' When I was much younger I was like 'I have to get this role, because there will never be a part like this, there will never be a production like this, if I don't get this role, then my life will never be the same.' There's always another role, another part. Also, do not dress in character because if things go badly, that's a long ride home."
Laura Linney:
"Don't be afraid of the fact that no one is one thing. You have to be careful of what people will say to you, because you can take it too intensely. People will say, 'Oh you're this type, you're that type, you're this kind of actress, you're that kind of actress,' and that can really stunt somebody. I think you can let people say whatever they want to say, but just realize that there's so much more to every human being. Actors don't do just one thing - we do a lot of things."
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In Memoriam: Ron Konecky
 The Board of Trustees and staff of the American Theatre Wing mourn the passing of Ron Konecky, a board member since 2001 and a longtime counselor to ATW prior to that through his relationship with ATW President and Chairman Isabelle Stevenson and her husband John; he passed just days before the 2010 Tony Awards. Ron was a calm, sage and respected member of the theatre community, well-known for his extensive client list and relationships throughout the entertainment industry. He was instrumental over the years in crafting the agreements between The Wing and The Broadway League that governed The Tonys. We extend our condolences to Ron's widow, Isobel, and to their daughter Jennifer, her husband and their children; the family has asked that memorial gifts be made to either the American Theatre Wing or New Dramatists. Ron will be sorely missed.
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