NYU Tisch School of the Arts 50th Anniversary
Gala,
Celebrating the Past/Creating
the Future
Hosted by
Alec Baldwin and Spike Lee
Honoring the Tisch Family, Wendy Calhoun, Paul Tazewell
and Lili Cheng
Over $2
Million Raised to Support Education of Talented Artists
from Around the World
New York, NY – April 6, 2016: Nearly
1,000 alumni, donors and supporters gathered at Jazz at
Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on Monday night
for the NYU Tisch School of the Arts 50th Anniversary
Gala, Celebrating
the Past/Creating the Future, honoring
the Tisch family and notable alumni Paul Tazewell, Wendy
Calhoun and Lili Cheng. Hosted by Alec Baldwin and Spike Lee,
and co-chaired by alumni Jonathan Cohen and Michael D.
Ratner, the event featured performances by current
students and alumni of NYU Tisch, including a special
performance byHamilton’s Javier Muñoz. Also in
attendance were Martin Scorsese, Billy Crystal, Vanna
White, Julie Menin, Iris Cantor and NYU President Andrew
Hamilton. Over $2 million was raised to fund
scholarships to support the education of talented young
artists from around the world.Photos
from the red carpet, performance and dinner are
available for download here. (Photo
credit: ©NYU Photo Bureau: Asselin)
“It is an absolute joy and privilege to
lead the Tisch School of the Arts every day, and to feel
the energy pulsating through our buildings,” said Allyson
Green, Dean, NYU Tisch School of the Arts. “We
are nurturing artists and scholars who are leaders and
change agents, who excel in a range of fields, engaged
with the stories and critical issues of our world. No
matter the discipline, we have a singular mission—to
support, challenge and celebrate our students first.”
The gala marked the culmination of a
year-long celebration of the school’s 50th anniversary,
celebrating the impact of the NYU Tisch community on the
cultural landscape over the last 50 years and
envisioning how the school can continue its legacy of
excellence in arts training over the next 50 years.
Virtual reality artist Aiden Terry (’16) opened the show
with a brief history of the school, illustrated with
Oculus Rift technology. After co-hosts Alec Baldwin and
Spike Lee welcomed the crowd, Dean
Allyson Green took the stage, sharing a bright, exciting
vision for the school’s future. NYU President Andrew
Hamilton also congratulated the school on 50 years of
success.
The gala performances, produced by
Broadway producer Amanda Lipitz, included an excerpt
from “Dream’d in a Dream” by the Seán
Curran Company and
a performance by Tisch alumnus and Hamilton star Javier
Muñoz, who sang a rendition of “Midnight Radio” from Hedwig
and the Angry Inch. Over 900 guests enjoyed the
show, which also included performances by over 100
talented students from numerous Tisch programs,
showcasing the depth and breadth of the school’s
offerings, which include acting, dance, cinema studies,
design for stage and film, dramatic writing, film and
television, game design, interactive telecommunications,
moving image archiving and preservation, musical theatre
writing, performance studies, photography, art and
public policy and recorded music.
Paul Tazewell (’89), five-time
Tony Award nominee and costume designer for Hamilton and The
Wiz Live!, Wendy
Calhoun (’91), writer
and producer of Empire, Nashville and Justified and
Lili Cheng (’93), distinguished
Microsoft engineer, were honored with Big Apple Alumni
Awards at the gala. The
alumni honorees looked back at how their Tisch
educations propelled them toward success. They were
presented with their awards by current Tisch students,
embodying a future of possibility for a school that has
launched many illustrious careers.
“Throughout my career, I've had the
opportunity to work with a huge array of entertainment
greats,” said Paul Tazewell.
“Each opportunity and experience with these institutions
and amazing talents has built one on top of the other to
create who I am today as a designer, artist and person.
I'm very grateful to have had my creative seed germinate
at Tisch School of the Arts and hope that I can continue
to inspire young minds—and old minds—to create brilliant
designs for the entertainment industry today and for
years to come.”
Wendy Calhoun looked
the part of award-winner in a glamorous floor-length red
gown, walking the carpet with her mother Marilyn. “Thank
you, Tisch School of the Arts,” she said, while
accepting her award. “I am a student of your excellence.
I am honored to be here, and accept this moment as a
supreme call to action. My best work is ahead of me. I
promise to blaze new paths for future artists to follow
and use as a launching pad for their dreams. I’m
standing here as proof that all things are possible.” Wendy
was called back onstage for a hug from the evening’s
co-host Spike Lee, whose film She’s
Gotta Have It inspired
her to apply to his alma mater, NYU Tisch, all those
years ago.
Lili Cheng,
who walked the red carpet with her son, Eli Boss, spoke
lightheartedly about Microsoft's latest artificial
intelligence experiment, Tay, and shared her deep wish
for the future of Tisch. “It’s my dream that tonight
isn’t just a celebration of everything that we’ve
achieved, but also that we can work together and
collaborate more. It’s really a privilege to be able to
create this world, and I hope that we can do that
together,” said Cheng.
Playwright Tony
Kushner presented
the Big Apple Award for Leadership in the Arts to
longtime Dean’s
Council members Andrew Tisch, Jonathan Tisch and Steve
Tisch, who accepted the award on behalf of the Tisch
family and were met with a standing ovation from the
crowd. The family's heartfelt acceptance speeches showed
their deep commitment to New York University, their
passion for the arts and their belief that giving back
is essential to creating a brighter and more vibrant
future.
“As a filmmaker, I believe in the power
of storytelling, and that stories told through the arts
– be it performing, cinematic or emerging media – can
break down barriers, increase understanding, and
stimulate meaningful conversations,” said Steve
Tisch, filmmaker, producer andChairman,
the New York Giants.
“Thank you Tisch School of the Arts for educating and
training remarkable talent that allows guys like me to
keep doing what I love.”
“While we are all proud to be here
tonight to celebrate this wonderful school, one of the
leading schools of the performing, cinematic and
emerging media arts in the country, if not the world,
tonight is, for me and my family, a celebration and
tribute to its most devoted champions—Larry and Billie,
and Bob and Joan. We, and all members of the NYU family,
thank them for their vision,” said Andrew
Tisch, co-chair,
Loews Corporation, while
remembering his parents and relatives’ early
contributions to the school.
“Art can be subjective—you may like a
show, you may not like a show, you may like a song, you
may not like a song, you may like a costume, you may not
like a costume,” said Jonathan
Tisch, Co-Chairman, Loews Corp and Chairman, Loews
Hotels. “What isn’t subjective is heart, soul,
determination, courage and character. And all the young
people you saw on the stage tonight that are currently
students at Tisch School of the Arts possess all those
traits and more.”
The program also featured a message from
former Dean Mary Schmidt Campbell and a powerful video
tribute to the Tisch family, documenting the naming of
the school following a generous donation by Preston
Robert Tisch and Laurence A. Tisch.
In true Tisch style, the show closed with
a performance by alumna Emily Warren performing Jessie
J’s “Masterpiece,” a song Warren wrote during her time
at the school. She was joined by student performers
onstage and in the aisles amongst the audience of alumni
and supporters—all together truly embodying the theme of
the night, Celebrating
the Past/Creating the Future.
Thousands of Tisch alumni have gone on to
enjoy fulfilling careers in the arts. Tisch graduates
include renowned artists such as Pulitzer Prize winners
Tony Kushner, Doug Wright and Chang Lee; Academy Award
winners Marcia Gay Harden, Keiko Ibi and Ang Lee; Tony
Award winners Nina Arianda, Steve Kazee, George C.
Wolfe, Idina Menzel, Stephen Spinella, Jeff Whitty and
Frank Wood; Emmy Award winners Alec Baldwin, Billy
Crystal, Kristen Johnston, John Leguizamo, Camryn
Manheim and Debra Messing; and acclaimed filmmakers
Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Amy Heckerling.
About the NYU Tisch School of the Arts
For almost 50 years, the NYU Tisch School
of the Arts has drawn on the vast artistic and cultural
resources of New York City and New York University to
create an extraordinary training ground for the
individual artist and scholar of the arts. Today,
students learn their craft in a spirited, risk-taking
environment that combines the professional training of a
conservatory with the liberal arts education of a
premier global university with campuses in New York, Abu
Dhabi, Shanghai and 11 academic centers around the
world. Learn more at
www.tisch.nyu.edu