Youth theatrical production and education company Waterwell will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special event February 12 at Brooklyn's Greenpoint Loft.
The evening will include performances from Waterwell alumni, students, and friends; a silent auction; and a live auction. Tony winner Audra McDonald and Tony nominee Jessica Chastain will serve as honorary chairpersons for the event.
The organization will also present the inaugural Artist as Citizen Award to Tom Ridgely, Waterwell co-founder and producing artistic director of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival; and Shanta Thake, former Waterwell board chair and chief artistic officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
“The last 20 years of Waterwell’s existence could not have been possible without co-founder Tom Ridgley’s ingenuity, artistic brilliance, and entrepreneurial spirit,” says Tony nominee Arian Moayed, who is Waterwell's co-founder and board chair. “On the heels of 9/11, Tom and I created Waterwell to help better the world, and he continues to do that at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. Tom helped develop Waterwell’s ‘Artist as Citizen’ ethos, and we are so grateful for his care and rigor. Shanta Thake has always been the gold standard of civic engagement through art for Waterwell and myself. Since our early 20s, Shanta has always led with her heart in creating Global Fest, bringing Joe’s Pub to the international market place, and is now doing the same at Lincoln Center. It is beyond a privilege to honor Tom and Shanta with Waterwell’s inaugural ‘Artist as Citizen’ award.”
Waterwell is currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Lee Sunday Evans, Director of Education Heather Lanza, and Managing Director Sara Scafidi. The organization is dedicated to training young performers with an "artist-as-citizen ethos." Waterwell mounts productions and provides conservatory-style instruction in partnership with NYC's Professional Performing Arts School, as well as other schools throughout the city. Proceeds from the 20th anniversary celebration will support Waterwell's continued programming.
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