STC Hosts Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala 10/15

The Shakespeare Theatre Company will host the Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala on Monday, October 15, 2012, at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) and the National Building Museum (440 G Street NW). This year's Gala is inspired by Shakespeare's timeless characters.

F. Murray Abraham will receive the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (Will Award), recognizing an artist who has made a significant contribution to classical theatre in America. Clark Construction will be awarded the Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts.

The Gala celebrates artistic excellence and collaboration by inviting a diverse array of performers to interpret a single theme. This year's performance includes works in opera, modern dance, musical theatre and rap based on Shakespeare's great characters, incorporating scenes from Othello, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra and Troilus and Cressida. Featured performers and presenters include Lauren Flanigan, the Q Brothers, Jerry Stiller and the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

The black tie event will begin at Sidney Harman Hall with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. followed by the Gala performance and closing with dinner and dancing in an elegant setting at the National Building Museum. The Gala is chaired by STC Board of Trustees member Melissa Moss; The Honorable Jane Harman is the Honorary Chair for the event. The Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala benefits the many artistic and community engagement programs of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, the centerpiece of which is the annual Free For All. Started by STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn in 1991 as the theatre's gift to the city, the Free For All presents one of Shakespeare's classic plays free of charge to the general public. More than 642,000 D.C. residents and visitors to date have seen a Free For All performance since 1991.

The Company invites D.C.'s young arts enthusiasts, after a sold-out event last year, to enjoy an evening of music, drinks and dancing along with the Gala performance at the Gala After Hours event. The After Hours evening begins at 7 p.m. with the Gala performance in the Company's Sidney Harman Hall. Afterwards, guests and performers will move over to the beautiful National Building Museum to enjoy a standing cocktail reception including an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, DJ, dessert and dancing at the After Hours party, where guests will have the chance to mingle amongst one another and the performers. Pamela Sorensen of Pamela's Punch and Jason Kampf of Covant are the co-chairs for Gala After Hours.