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The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA) presented its
24th Annual Simply Shakespeare benefit reading of “As
You Like It,” at the Freud Playhouse, UCLA Campus. This
year’s event honored the Entertainment Industry Foundation
and its President and CEO, Lisa Paulsen for their continued
dedication to bringing about positive change within health,
arts education and social causes. Hosted by Rita Wilson and
Tom Hanks, the hilarious evening of impromptu Shakespeare
and song featured a star-studded cast including Paul
Simon (as Amiens), Rita Wilson (Audrey),
William Shatner (Duke Frederick and Duke Senior),
Steve Carell (Corin and Charles the Wrestler), Martin
Short (LeBeau, Sir Oliver Martext and Jack De Boys),
Colin Hanks (Orlando), Gillian Jacobs (Rosalind)
Christopher Lloyd (Adam), Glenn Howerton
(Oliver), Kaitlin Olson (Celia), Bill Irwin
(Touchstone), Sam Waterston (Jacques) and Sheldon
Donenberg, (William).
The evening, sponsored by the Entertainment Industry
Foundation and Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, included
a pre-show cocktail reception, followed by a post
performance dessert reception with the cast. All proceeds
from the event support the SCLA and its arts based veterans
employment and youth employment programs for inner-city
youth, arts education in local schools, and professional
union contracted productions at the Japanese Garden on the
grounds of the West Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center.
Rita Wilson
presented the evening’s award to Lisa Paulsen, President and
CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation citing their
ongoing and generous support of SCLA, enriching and building
community through professional theatrical traditions that
are accessible to all.
Under the direction
of SCLA founding Artistic Director Ben Donenberg, William
Shakespeare’s endearing romantic comedy not only gave the
bard’s words additional hilarity through the on-stage
delivery and antics of its all-star cast, but wove in ten
iconic songs from the legendary Paul Simon, in the role of
Amiens, a lord and musician in the Forest of Arden, the
play’s primary setting. Met with wild applause from the 500
guests, Simon’s renditions of favorites included: “The 59th
Street Bridge Song” and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” both
duets with Rita Wilson; “The Boxer,” “Homeward Bound,”
“Cecilia,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” “Bookends”
“Leaves That Are Green” and an all-cast finale featuring “Kodachrome.”
Appropriately, “As
You Like It” features one of the most famous and oft-quoted
speeches in literature, “All the world’s a stage…” delivered
in tonight’s performance by Sam Waterston in the role of
Jacques.
ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION:
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), as a leading
charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has
distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support
charitable initiatives addressing critical health, arts
education and social issues. Visit
http://www.eifoundation.org.
ABOUT SHAKESPEARE CENTER LOS ANGELES:
Since 1985, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles has been a
vibrant hub of unique programs, performances and events
designed to make Shakespeare accessible and engaging to
all. SCLA continues to build community through its
innovative outreach programs including “Will Power to
Youth,” an academic enrichment program that combines
hands-on artistic experience with paid job training and arts
education for at-risk youth. The program has been
nationally recognized for its effectiveness in reducing high
school dropout rate and delinquency. More importantly, it
instills a lasting sense of creativity and competency in the
youth who participate.
SCLA’s “Veterans in Art” program represents an innovation in
veterans programming that explores how the arts can
contribute in a meaningful way in the efforts to assist
veterans to recover and reintegrate into mainstream Los
Angeles civilian life. This summer’s “Shakespeare Under The
Stars” professional production of “Romeo & Juliet”
incorporated a full veteran workforce supporting the
production and continues to offer free tickets to active
military, veterans and their families and care givers. For
more information on the Simply Shakespeare benefit
performance or SCLA, please visit
www.ShakespeareCenter.org.
SCLA Twitter:
https://twitter.com/shakescenterLA
SCLA Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/shakescenter?filter=2
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