"Backstage At The Geffen” Raises More Than $575,000 For Theater’s Education Programs

Sold Out Evening Honoring Annette Bening and Robert A. Iger

Shines a Spotlight on Importance of Live Arts

LOS ANGELES, March 19, 2008 — Monday night’s star-studded event at the Geffen Playhouse and the W Los Angeles’ NINETHIRTY restaurant raised a record-breaking $575,000 for the Geffen’s Stage for Any Age education and outreach programs. The event, honoring actress Annette Bening and President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Robert A. Iger, was co-chaired by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and featured artists of the stage and screen including Anjelica Huston, Julie Taymor, James Cromwell, Dana Delany, Sharon Lawrence, Bruce Vilanch, Jane Lynch, Roma Downey, Sierra Boggess and Ashley Brown.

Overall Event Highlights:

Double the Impact – The total amount for the evening more than doubled the money raised at last year’s gala with a sum total $575,000, enabling the theater’s education and outreach programs to grow up to 10 percent next year
Standing Room Only – All parts of the “Backstage at the Geffen” evening, including the preshow host committee dinner at W Los Angeles’ NINETHIRTY, were completely sold out, leaving the theater with a waitlist the night of the event
Geffen Goes Green – Artists made a grand entrance to the Geffen Playhouse on Monday night on a green carpet. Not a homage to St. Patty’s Day (despite the event date), but because the Geffen Playhouse worked with the NRDC to help green the evening, eliminating the use of plates and plastic flatware by choosing a menu that centered around finger foods and when necessary using 100% recyclable products. In addition, the Geffen worked with the organization to offset the event and make the whole evening carbon neutral.
A Monumental Award – As honorees of this year’s evening, Annette Bening (Distinction in Theater Award) and Robert A. Iger (Distinction in Service Award) were presented with beautiful glass awards designed by Ron Frink, the architect of the Geffen Playhouse’s 2005 award-winning renovation.
Preshow Pampering – W Los Angeles-Westwood’s BLISS Squad was on-site at the Geffen Playhouse to pamper and indulge guests with hand massages and mini-facials before the show.
Something Sweet – After the show, all the guests were treated to cognac and desserts, all keeping with the playful theme of the evening, including a make-your-own-sundae bar and tray passed warm cookies with shots of milk
Local Partners Show Some Geffen Love – Local brands showed their support to the Geffen Playhouse by providing more than $100,000 in in-kind donations, nearly eliminating the theater’s up-front cost for the evening including all botanicals by local Silverlake florist Bittersweet Butterfly, water and juice by FIJI Water and POM Wonderful, wine by Palm Bay Imports, mixed beverages and alcohol by Venice Magazine and a VIP host committee dinner hosted by NINETHIRTY at the W Los Angeles – Westwood.

Host Committee Dinner Highlights (NINETHIRTY, W Los Angeles – Westwood):

Menu Worthy of Stars – The gala host committee was treated to an intimate dinner with the honorees at the W Los Angeles' restaurant NINETHIRTY where Executive Chef Monique King served her famous Moroccan Roasted Chicken with saffron couscous, sweet and spicy cumin carrots, crushed pistachio, harrissa and pickled apricots.
A Surprise Visit – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had other plans for the evening, but when he got the call from Gil Cates, producing director of the Geffen Playhouse, the mayor changed his schedule to swing by the W Hotel and give a quick toast to the evening’s honorees.
Mighty Mingling – Friends and family came to the preshow dinner in droves to support Bening and Iger including their spouses Warren Beatty and Willow Bay, respectively, colleagues Anjelica Huston (and husband Robert Graham), Brian Grazer, Colin Callender, Alan Horn, Frank Mancuso, Ron Meyer, Dana Delany, Roma Downey, Sharon Lawrence and the evening’s co-chairs Dick Van Dyke (with his wife Michelle) and Julie Andrews.
The Ride of Their Night – The host committee, which consisted of about 160 of the theater top donors, board members and the evening's honorees and artists, took a short trolley ride to transport them from the host committee dinner to the theater to join in the onsite festivities and take their seats for the performance.

Performance Highlights:

Something New – Audiences were treated to a specially commissioned original scene starring Jane Lynch and James Cromwell written by Emmy-Award winning author Jane Anderson (who could not be at the Geffen’s event because she was accepting an award for Best World Premiere play in Los Angeles for her Geffen-commissioned production of The Quality of Life).
Super to the Extreme – As Dick Van Dyke went to exit the stage after his story, he was halted by a few chords from the piano, after which he nabbed a microphone and burst into a stunningly energetic version of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious -- complete with two steps and a few jigs
Legendary Stories – Julie Andrews brought the audience to laugh-induced tears with a story about her shared adventures with Carol Burnett, as well as spilled the beans about her My Fair Lady costar Rex Harrison
A Rose by Any Other Name – Rather than a traditional acceptance speech, upon taking the podium Annette Bening truly gave the gift of theater to the audience by performing a spontaneous monologue from Romeo and Juliet. Upon completion, she confessed that after all the wonderful performances of the evening she felt like she just had to contribute to the artistic portion of the night, and this was the only monologue she knew completely by heart
Disney Makes Magic – The Walt Disney Company flew the leads of their two current shows, Ashley Brown and Sierra Boggess, who play the title role in Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid, respectively, to perform a few numbers as well as serenade Bob Iger with "He's a Tramp" to close the show. The actresses flew to Los Angeles immediately after their performance on Sunday night, spent the day in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse, and jetted back to NY in time for Tuesday evening’s curtain.

ABOUT BACKSTAGE AT THE GEFFEN GALA

The Geffen Playhouse’s annual event raises funds for Geffen’s Stage for Any Age programs, which help bring the excitement of live theater to 27,000 families and community members each year. The proceeds from Backstage at the Geffen help underwrite low ticket admissions to Saturday Scene, the popular theater performances for children; fully support the Geffen School Tours Program that takes theater to participating elementary and middle-schools that have little or no resources for the performing arts; and benefit CREATE (Community Representatives Engaged in Active Theater Education), a season-long, interactive exploration and analysis of live theater for community and social service groups, deemed a model program by the City of Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

Awarded the Preservation Award by the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Award of Excellence from the Society of American Registered Architects, and the Architectural Award of Excellence by the Los Angeles Business Council for its acclaimed 2005, $19 million renovation, the Geffen Playhouse began its 12^th season in 2007/2008, enjoying its stature as a leading West Coast theater company and the crown jewel of Los Angeles theater. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its eclectic mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and musicals, the Geffen continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who donated one of the largest gifts ever made to an already-constructed theater, the company is headed by Producing Director and President of the Board Gilbert (Gil) Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney and Managing Director Stephen Eich, and has produced eight world premieres, four Tony, four Pulitzer, and seven Obie-award winning shows in its 12 season history. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains an extensive education and outreach program, designed to engage young people and the community at large in the arts. For more information, please visit geffenplayhouse.com.

ABOUT W LOS ANGELES - WESTWOOD

W Los Angeles-Westwood is a modern oasis – a contemporary chic retreat where design and comfort mix and mingle. Recently renewed by design guru Thom Filicia, W Los Angeles – Westwood invites you to indulge in their newly remodeled modern-bungalow suites, stylish poolside cabanas equipped with state-of-the-art intelliChaise technology, and new outdoor restaurant The Backyard. Here, guests can dine at world-class restaurants, indulge in sexy, sophisticated nightlife, relax poolside in a private cabana, and be pampered at LA’s most exclusive spa. Premiere attractions include LA’s hottest bar-Whiskey Blue; critically acclaimed restaurant NINETHIRTY; new poolside bistro-The Backyard; NY’s hottest spa-bliss; and a new state of the art workout facility. Centrally located and minutes from Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, and the coastline, W Los Angeles enjoys a prime location in beautiful Westwood Village offering easy access to key interest points such as UCLA, the Armand Hammer Museum and the Geffen Playhouse. Located on two acres of lush gardens with a heated pool and private furnished cabanas, W Los Angeles is a sanctuary within the city.