Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner Cynthia Erivo will be honored at New York Live Arts' 2024 Live Ideas Gala May 20 at the Chelsea Factory. The annual celebration will include performances, dinner, and an auction.
The evening's honorees also include multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams and New York Public Library President Dr. Anthony W. Marx.
Aimee Meredith Cox will host the event, which will include performances from Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Jasmine Hearn, and Vinson Fraley Jr., with music by DJ April Hunt.
"Where thinking and movement meet the future! This is what I said of New York Live Arts when we created the organization in 2011," founder and Artistic Director Jones said in a statement. "Now, our collective 'Future' feels much more fragile. With all that is happening in the world, do we possess the courage to confront the forces of oppression, and what role will artists play in ensuring the protection of free and open societies? Live Arts' 2023-2024 season confronts the current critical moment, in which the changing social, political, and cultural tides call to deepen our vision as a conduit for engagement through art. We honor Cynthia Erivo, Derrick Adams, and Dr. Anthony W. Marx for their inspirational work of creating space and dialogue - true partners in transcending barriers."
Erivo made her Broadway debut starring as Celie in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple, transferring with the production from London's Menier Chocolate Factory. Her performance earned her the 2016 Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, a Grammy Award as a principal soloist when the production's cast recording took home the Best Musical Theater Album in 2017, and a Daytime Emmy for the cast's performance on NBC's Today. Erivo will be seen as as Elphaba in Jon M. Chu's upcoming film adaptation of Wicked.
New York Live Arts provides performances and humanities programming, offering audiences access to art and ideas by creatives noted for their conceptual rigor, formal experimentation, and active engagement with the sociopolitical and cultural currents of our times. The institution supports artists through residencies, commissions, and other services.
Click here for more information or to purchase gala tickets.
