A special event on Tuesday, June 5 will kick off AEA's yearlong Centennial Celebration with live performances, interviews, and other entertainment in Times Square, just blocks from where rank-and-file theater artists asserted their working rights in 1913 to establish the union that would protect their interests and ensure their health and welfare. AEA now represents 50,000 stage actors and stage managers.
"Actors’ Equity celebrates the art of live theater and with this yearlong celebration we honor the thousands of stage actors and stage managers that have committed their professional lives to sharing their craft with audiences across the country over the last 100 years," said AEA Executive Director Mary McColl in a statement. "It takes tremendous dedication, collaboration, and devotion to create live theater and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to say thank you."
The celebration culminates in a red carpet event in New York in April 2013. A variety of celebrity emcees and presenters will pay tribute to the past 100 years of live theater, while also looking to the future by showcasing up and coming talent.
Other events throughout the year include "Behind the Curtain," a unique traveling exhibit that promises to bring the history of theater to fans with an interactive museum; a series of roundtable discussions with high-profile actors in cities across the country; and "The Narrative Project," an online personal history of live theater through the eyes of professionals and enthusiasts.
"Actors' Equity's centennial celebration is a testament to the rich tradition of live theater in our city and to the talented performers and stage managers who call New York City home," New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a statement. "Live theater is an integral part of our local economy, drawing New Yorkers and tourists from around the globe to our theaters every day, making the city the world's ultimate stage."
The "100 for 100" honorary committee includes Broadway vets Alec Baldwin, Alice Ripley, Angela Lansbury, Cheyenne Jackson, Constantine Maroulis, Cynthia Nixon, Daniel Radcliffe, David Hyde Pierce, Denis O'Hare, Harvey Fierstein, Hugh Jackman, Kristin Chenoweth, Liza Minnelli, Mandy Patinkin, Nathan Lane, Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Phylicia Rashad, Whoopi Goldberg, and more.
For more information and event updates, "like" the Facebook page at Facebook.com/AEA100.
