Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online or by phone at 212-244-9494 x5.

This year’s Artists forum will go in depth with artists who are directing, writing, and performing in some of this season’s most anticipated productions. Scheduled to appear are Tony nominee Charles Busch, Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, the Public Theater’s Maria Goyanes, and Directors Project alum Mark Brokaw.

Two events have been added to our roster: an artist forum in September and a holiday luncheon. The Benefit Gala is already shaping to be a great follow-up to last year’s. And it’s never to early to start planning for the 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon.

In addition, we’ll be having some mailing parties that will include pizza, wine, music, and lots of letter folding!

If you (or other friends and colleagues) are interested in volunteering this year, please contact Roger Calderon at rcalderon@dramaleague.org.

We will hold an orientation for new volunteers on Monday, September 13th at 6pm at the Drama League office.

As you are probably aware, the financial downturn has had an unprecedented effect on the arts nationwide. Government programs and corporate foundations have also dramatically reduced their support for arts and culture. At The Drama League, we have met these challenges by reducing expenses AND increasing membership benefits at every level, providing more value and increased opportunities for everyone who loves the theatre.

Membership dollars, however, only cover 50% of our operating expenses. Simply put: to maintain our services to theatergoers and artists, we need your help. We know you recognize the tremendous value theatre has in our lives. A tax-deductible gift is not only a terrific way to show your support, but will immediately impact a young artist’s life.

These small tokens can make an enormous difference, and will touch many lives. From all of us and the thousands who will benefit from your generosity, thank you for your support.

BloomSpot is a website that provides exclusive discounts at local restaurants, bars, spas, hotels and more. We recently started a Circle on BloomSpot to provide members an easy and fun way to support us online. Once you join our Circle, any item you purchase will generate a donation back to our cause.

Please spread the word to your friends by sending this link –  www.bloomspot.com/circles/the-drama-league –  anyone can join and every invite counts! Thanks for your support!

Monday, July 26, 5pm | FREE
Drama League Offices| 520 8th Avenue, Suite 320

RSVP by calling 212-244-9494 x5

The emo-rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which played at the Public Theater this spring, will begin performances on Broadway starting September 21 at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre.

Congratulations to Drama League alum Alex Timbers, who authored the book and will direct the production again for the Broadway run. Click here for more information!

The Classic Stage Company’s 2010-2011 season will begin with Sarah Ruhl’s Orlando, directed by Drama League alum, Rebecca Taichman. Performances begin September 8, 2010. Click here for more information!

Alan Jay Lerner-Burton Lane reincarnation-themed musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever will be presented at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre in January 2011. The production will be directed by Drama League alum and Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer following a concert presentation at Vassar College this month starring Tony nominee Brian d’Arcy James (Time Stands Still, Next To Normal, Shrek The Musical), Tony winner Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change), David Turner (The Invention of Love), Kerry O’Malley (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Billy Elliot), Colin Hanlon (Rent), and Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q,)

The Public Theater’s concert production of Paul Simon’s The Capeman will be presented August 14-16 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The concert will be directed by Drama League alum, Diane Paulus. Click Here for more information!

Roundabout Theatre Company will present The Language Archive (September 24-December 19, 2010) at the Laura Pels Theatre, directed by Drama League alum Mark Brokaw. Roundabout will also present Tigers Be Still in their Black Box Theatre as part of the Roundabout Underground series. The production will be directed by Drama League alum, Sam Gold. Click here for more information!

Drama League alum Sam Gold will also direct two more productions this season! Lincoln Center Theater’s The Coward will play at The Duke on 42nd Street starting November 8, 2010. Click here for more information! And, Kin, a new play by Bathsheba Dora will begin performances this winter at Playwrights Horizons. Click here for more information!

Click here for more information!

“Musicals carry us to a different time and place, but in the end, they also teach us a little bit of something about ourselves. It’s one of the few genres of music that can inspire the same passion in an eight-year-old that it can an 80-year-old –- and make them both want to get up and dance. It transcends musical tastes, from opera and classical to rock and hip-hop. And whether we want to admit it or not, we all have the lyrics to a few Broadway songs stuck in our heads. (Laughter.)

In many ways, the story of Broadway is also intertwined with the story if America. Some of the greatest singers and songwriters Broadway has ever known came to this country on a boat with nothing more than an idea in their head and a song in their heart. And they succeeded the same way that so many immigrants have succeeded -– through talent and hard work and sheer determination.

Over the years, musicals have also been at the forefront of our social consciousness, challenging stereotypes, shaping our opinions about race and religion, death and disease, power and politics.

But perhaps the most American part of this truly American art form is its optimism. Broadway music calls us to see the best in ourselves and in the world around us -– to believe that no matter how hopeless things may seem, the nice guy can still get the girl, the hero can still triumph over evil, and a brighter day can be waiting just around the bend.”

To view the entire speech on the official White House website, click here!