Bay Street Theatre Welcomes New Artistic Director Scott Schwartz in NYC
Bay Street Theatre held a special party on Thursday to officially welcome new Artistic Director Scott Schwartz, a leading voice of the next generation of American theater. Bonnie Comley and Stewart Lane hosted the evening at a private club in New York City to celebrate Schwartz’s arrival and to introduce him to Bay Street Theatre patrons and members of the Broadway community of actors, directors and producers.
Entertainment at the event included two self-composed numbers by Tony nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz, who sang and played the piano. Blumenkrantz is one of the two actors in Murder for Two, directed by Scott Schwartz at Second Stage Uptown over the summer and which is now moving to New World Stages beginning October 23. Flowers for the evening were provided by Bridgehampton Florist.
Others in attendance included Broadway producers Bill Gaden, CFO Imagen (Rodgers & Hammerstein) and Dr. Bruce Horten; Rockefeller University professor Dr. Sarah Schlesinger, Elie Hirschfeld, a Tony-winning Broadway producer and real estate developer. Elisa Stein, the widow of Joseph Stein, who helped bring Enter Laughing to Bay Street in 2011, also attended with her daughter, playwright and author Jenny Lyn Bader. Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who directed and choreographed Bay Street’s production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in August, attended with her husband Anthony. Other Broadway producers in attendance included Barbara Whitman and Jayson Raitt, as well as patrons Ada Samuelsson, Jim Peck and Bruce Sloan.
The Bay Street Board of Trustees—Ana R. Daniel, Chair; Adrianne Cohen, Robert Florio, Lance Gotko, Gary Hygom, Producer, Tracy Mitchell, Executive Director, Ken Searles, and Pia Zankel—came out to welcome Scott Schwartz as well.
The evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres followed by a short welcome speech by Executive Director Tracy Mitchell, who thanked the Board of Trustees as well as Diana Aceti, Director of Development, Producer, Gary Hygom, and Associate Director, Lorien Reese before introducing Schwartz. “The list of Scott’s accomplishments is endless,” Mitchell said, waving a three-page bio. Schwartz went on to deliver an inspiring tribute along with his vision for the future of Bay Street to the more than 50 patrons and VIPs who attended.
Blumenkrantz followed with his performance and received thunderous applause.
Bay Street Theatre also announced a special Holiday Theatre event to benefit its educational programs on Thursday, November 21 in New York City. Patrons are invited to see Murder for Two, directed by Scott Schwartz, at New World Stages. The performance begins at 8 p.m. and $125 tickets include a Q & A with Scott Schwartz and cast members. Contact Diana Aceti at [email protected] or 631-725-0818, for reservations.
Schwartz is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been seen on and off Broadway, across the United States, in Great Britain and Asia. Over the past 20 years, he has built a reputation for pursuing and embracing a wide range of works for the stage, from new plays to classics to musicals and opera. Schwartz’s tenure at Bay Street will bring in a new vision for the theater, beginning with the 2014 season. Click here to read more about Scott Schwartz.
Visit baystreet.org to find out more.