2026 ANNUAL GALA
BENEFIT DINNER
IN SUPPORT OF THE ACTING COMPANY’S MISSION AND PROGRAMS
Monday, April 20th, 2026
6:30pm
583 Park Avenue
at East 63rd Street, New York City
ORDER OF THE EVENING
Cocktail Hour & Silent Auction
Award Presentations & Special Guest Performances
Dinner & Dancing
DRESS CODE
Festive Cocktail Attire / Business Formal
JOHN HOUSEMAN AWARD
for creative achievements and service to the artistic community as an inspiration to emerging actors
The indomitable co-founder of The Acting Company, John Houseman was an accomplished stage, film, radio, and television producer who earned the 1973 Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in The Paper Chase. He published several volumes of memoirs, including Run Through, Front and Center, and Final Dress. He was educated in England and immigrated to the United States in 1924. Houseman organized, with Orson Welles, productions as part of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Theatre Project. He and Welles then formed the Mercury Theatre, which achieved success both on Broadway and radio. In the 1940s Houseman moved to Hollywood, where he produced 19 feature films. He continued to produce and direct plays on Broadway, and in the 1950s he worked as a producer for CBS-TV. He also served as artistic director for, among others, the American Shakespeare Festival, the Professional Theatre Group at the University of California at Los Angeles, and the drama division of the Juilliard School.
JOHN HOUSEMAN AWARD honorees include: Bartlett Sher, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Dakin Matthews, Sanford Robbins, Bill Rauch, John Guare, Mark Lamos, Dr. Mary Schmidt Cambell, Dana Ivey, James Houghton, James Bundy, Bernard Gersten, Dana Gioia, Theatre Development Fund, Edgar Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Jack O’Brien, Marian Seldes, Jeffrey Horowitz, Margot Harley, Tony Randall, Joan Warburg, Joe Dowling, Burt Reynolds, Elizabeth Smith, Kevin Kline, Jane Alexander, Julie Harris, Michael Kahn, Harold Prince, Uta Hagen, Barbara Matera, Zelda Fichandler, Alan Schneider, Joseph Papp, and Liviu Ciulei.
JOAN M. WARBURG AWARD
for philanthropic leadership and extraordinary contributions to civic life and culture
The longtime president of Acting Company’s Board of Directors, Joan Warburg was a passionate advocate for child and family welfare, world peace, women’s rights and the arts whose generosity sustained our organization for decades. A deep believer in the value of volunteering, she served on over 40 boards, always devoting her energy and enthusiasm to the cause she believed in. The first in her family to attend college, she became a permanent member of her alma mater Simmons College’s executive committee and served as president of the college corporation. After marrying James P. Warburg, Joan moved to Greenwich, CT, where she raised four children and became actively involved in civic and charitable causes. Her more than half a century on board and volunteer service included Young Audiences, United Way, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, Greenwich’s Family Centers, and the New York Women’s Foundation, which she co-founded. An ardent supporter of Democracy at all levels of government, she was also active in several organizations advocating for nuclear disarmament.
JOAN M. WARBURG AWARD honorees include: Timothy A. Wilkins, William H. Wright III, Rainn Wilson, Peter H. Darrow, Richard “Dick” Yancey, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Ambassador Carl Spielvogel, Anne L. Bernstein, J. Barclay Collins II, Paul & Tom Fontana, Vin Cipolla, Barbara Fleischman, Earl D. Weiner, Brain Stokes Mitchell & Joseph Benincasa, Tom Viola, Abigail Disney, William D. Zabel, Gerald Schoenfeld, The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Phyllis Newman, Harry Belafonte, and Martin E. Sega.
Thank you!
Group I Acting Company (dba The Acting Company) is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charity. FEIN 13-2759292. Donations made in support of our mission and programs are tax deductible, less the fair market value of goods and services per dinner guest.