Brett Singer & Associates, LLC

For Immediate Release, Please

Press Contact: Brett Singer (212) 307-7181; brett@brettsinger.com

BENEFIT LISTING - MONDAY February 27^th

CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM GALA: honoring Alfre Woodard, Billie Allen and Arthur French

Master Of Ceremonies: NBC News Anchor David Ushery
Honorary Benefit Committee Chairperson: Ms. Sherry B. Bronfman

The Classical Theatre of Harlem will hold their 2^nd Annual Benefit on Monday, February 27^th at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Avenue). The event, the second Gala in the company’s seven year history, will honor acclaimed actors Alfre Woodard, Billie Allen and Arthur French with three awards named for legends of African-American theater. The awards are as follows:

The Josephine Premice Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Ms. Alfre Woodard, who holds the record of being the most honored African American actress in Primetime Emmy history, appearing in such television shows as “Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere” and “L.A. Law.” Currently Ms. Woodard can be seen on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”

The Rose McClendon Trailblazer Award will be presented to Billie Allen, appeared on Broadway in several productions including A Teaspoon Every Four Hours, Blues for Mr. Charlie, Four Saints in Three Acts and was a replacement in the original production of A Raisin in the Sun. She also originated the role of Sarah in FUNNYHOUSE in 1964. As a director, Ms. Allen directed Saint Lucy's Eyes with Ruby Dee and has worked with Amas Musical Theatre directing Stormy Weather…The Lena Horne Story, Miss Waters to You, The Crystal Tree and Before the Flood.

The Ira F. Aldridge Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Arthur French. Mr. French has appeared in numerous CTH productions and is a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company. On television, he can be seen in many ‘Law and Order’ episodes. His film career spans four decades, appearing in films such as ‘Malcolm X,’ ‘Music of the Heart’ and ‘Kinsey.’

CTH will also present its first Community Citizenship Award to Washington Mutual Bank Vice-President, Allen Gomez.

The event will feature Buffet Dinner, Entertainment, Awards, door prizes and a raffle. Individual tickets for the event are $200 and can be purchased online at www.Smarttix.com or by calling (212) 868-4444.

Cocktails at 6:00, dinner at 7:00, followed by awards and entertainment. To order, call Smarttix.com at (212) 868-4444.

About The Classical Theatre of Harlem

Since its founding in 1999, the Classical Theatre of Harlem has presented twenty two productions that among others have included numerous works by Shakespeare, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Euripides’ Trojan Women, Derek Walcott's Dream on Monkey Mountain, Melvin Van Peebles' Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death, Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and the company’s most striking success, Jean Genet’s seminal political drama, The Blacks: A Clown Show, which received four 2003 OBIE Awards.

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