Tisch School of the Arts to Honor Award-Winning Artists & Philanthropists this Fall

Alternate Contacts: Larry Kopp/Chris Bastardi | The T.A.S.C. Group | 646.723.4344 | larry@thetascgroup.com,chris@thetascgroup.com

Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, has announced that the Tisch School will hold its annual gala, This is Tisch!, on Monday, November 2 at the renowned Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. This is Tisch! will honor Academy Award® winning producer Brian Grazer, two-time Academy Award® winning director Ron Howard, Academy Award® and Tony Award® winning actress and Tisch alumna Marcia Gay Harden, arts philanthropist Diana King, and Academy Award®, Emmy Award® and Peabody Award® winning Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films.

In addition to a fundraising event and gala dinner, This is Tisch! is a celebration of some of the nation’s most distinguished artists and philanthropists with students and alumni performing live at the Frederick P. Rose Hall. The star-studded performance will be produced by Ken Davenport and directed by Stafford Arima. Past Tisch galas have included performances from Tony Award® winning Broadway shows such as Spring Awakening and from some of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated talent such as Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, Wyclef Jean, Bill Cosby, Elaine Stritch, Raúl Esparza and Jesse L. Martin.

Scheduled award presenters will include the Chairman, CEO & President of Sony Corporation, Sir Howard Stringer, and award-winning director, Spike Lee, both members of the Tisch Dean’s Council, and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner.

“The 2009 gala will raise critical scholarship dollars which will be used to support those students who would not otherwise be able to afford an NYU Tisch education,” said Campbell. “In an ambitious effort to scout new talent as proactively as elite schools scout for members of their athletic teams, the Tisch School is committed to finding, enrolling and retaining the country’s most talented young people, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Honoree Marcia Gay Harden added, “I am very proud to be honored by Tisch on November 2. The education and training that I received there enabled me to find my voice as a young artist and gave me the skill and confidence that I needed to succeed in a very competitive field. What I am most proud of, though, is what Tisch is doing today to reach and enroll those students in this country, and even around the world, who have a great gift, but who are not able to afford or access the fantastic training that I received.”

ABOUT TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

For more than 40 years, Tisch School of the Arts has drawn on the vast resources of New York City and New York University to create an extraordinary training ground for the individual artist and scholar of the arts. 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 major research university.

As one of the nation’s leading centers of undergraduate and graduate study in the performing and cinematic arts, Tisch offers programs of study that incorporate state-of-the-art facilities; a collaboratively oriented community of award-winning faculty members; internship opportunities with established professionals; and the incomparable artistic and cultural resources of New York City. For additional information, visit: www.Tisch.NYU.edu

For more information on this year’s gala and ticket purchase information, visit www.TischGala.com.