2013-14 Annual Report Dear Friends,

It is our pleasure to present you with our annual report on Town Hall’s activities. Once again, it was an eventful year for everyone associated with The Hall – from Board members, to staff, to educators, the performers and our audiences. As great as the performances were, we remain equally impressed with the Town Hall audiences. Perhaps it is the intimacy of the Hall and the closeness of the stage. Or maybe it’s the architecture and the history of the hall, the great performers and nights that have occurred over the last 93 years. Or maybe it’s how the artists hold the hall in awe and love playing here. Most likely for all of those reasons, the Town Hall audiences are the best in the world. Maybe that is why so many great nights have happened on our stage and in our auditorium.

Each year we are challenged with creating a season that is balanced and appealing, where innova - tive and daring work is appreciated and nurtured, and where artists are encouraged to make bold choices that will engage our audience. The 2013-14 season was no exception – we were proud to continue to present our audience favorite Broadway by the Year , as well as a new version of our film series by showcasing the best films from around the globe with The Best Fest Film Series . With the purpose of reaching the full range of New York City’s population, we created a season that brought renowned artists from around the world to our stage. Introduced in 2013-14, and continu - ing in the 2015 Season, is our Leyendas (Legends) concert, a bi-annual series celebrating the leg - ends of Latin music.

Amidst the joys we celebrated this year – there was also sorrow. In 2014 we were saddened to lose five of our Friends of the Arts. We will miss Elaine Stritch and Eli Wallach along with L. Jay Oliva, Muriel Siebert and Senator Roy M. Goodman. Each of them will remain a great friend to the arts and to Town Hall.

It has always been our aim to bring the arts to as many residents as possible and in keeping with this mission we continued to grow our Ticket Access Program and our Educational Outreach. This year, like every year, we were privileged to introduce the arts to thousands of New York City resi - dents.

When we look back on our 2013-14 Season, and on our 93 year history, we are inspired to know that our mission and tradition remain steadfast - presenting world-class artists at affordable prices. Mindful of our storied past, we eagerly look to 2014-15 and to presenting even more unforgettable nights at Town Hall.

Tom Wirtshafter Marvin Leffler President President Emeritus The Town Hall Annual Report of Activities

Town Hall’s National Historic Landmark Status unveiled On Monday, June 23, the Town Hall cele - brated its inclusion as one of 2500 Na - Fiscal Year tional Historical Landmarks by unveiling its 2014 National Historic Landmark plaque. Presi - Sept 1, 2013 – dent Tom Wirtshafter gave a brief history August 31, 2014 of the Town Hall to a street crowded with guests and President Emeritus, Marvin Leffler, spoke about his thirty-five years at The Town Hall and its future. The cere - mony was followed by the final install - ment of Broadway by the Year ® and a celebratory cast party at Tony’s Di Napoli. We are pleased to report that Town Hall’s 93rd Season was worth celebrating. Once New Board Members Welcomed We were pleased to welcome three new again, the hall was filled with affordable members of our Board of Trustees: Rita world-class entertainment, touching Robbins, Nevin Steinberg and Henry Johansson. audiences with a diverse variety of new and established performers. In keeping An experienced financial services and marketing executive, Rita Robbins served with the nature of our city and our history, for over 10 years as a Regional Manager we presented artists and films from at Lord Abbett & Co. before becoming the founder and president of Affiliated Advi - virtually every part of the world including sors, Inc., a financial advisory firm formed Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, in partnership with Royal Alliance Associ - both North & South. Along the way, we ates. Ms. Robbins is currently a board member of the National Educational Advi - resurrected a missing Cole Porter revue not sory Board; and in the past served in sim - seen since 1928, presented several pre - ilar capacities on the AIG Royal Alliance National Advisory Board and the Allied mieres, created some never-before-seen Owners Action Fund, where she was collaborations and entertained audiences elected Chairwoman. She also served two terms as a trustee of the Security Industry with 100 Broadway veterans performing Institute, an education program developed the melodies of 100 years by the Security Industry Association and of Broadway history. the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

A seasoned Broadway sound designer, Nevin Steinberg is a passionate collabora - tor on a wide range of live events and the - atre productions. Attesting to his

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dedication to the creation of new with Arthur Andersen & Co. He Everyone at The Town Hall is work, his recent projects include joined Coopers & Lybrand in 1974 pleased to welcome Rita, Nevin and Terrence McNally’s Mothers and as a consulting manager, and was Hank and we are looking forward to Sons on Broadway, and the world invited to the C&L Partnership in benefitting from their expertise and premiere of John Kander and Greg 1976. Hank served as a Partner for guidance, and to working alongside Pierce’s musical The Landing at the 22 years and retired in 1998 shortly them in the years to come. Vineyard Theatre. He received his after the merger that created PWC. sixth Tony Award nomination for At C&L he rose to assume the role Rodgers and Hammerstein’s of Partner in Charge of Manufac - Cinderella in 2013. As a founding turing Consulting. Hank was The Town Hall principal of the prolific sound de - elected by his Partners to serve on and our sign firm Acme Sound partners, Mr. C&L’s policy making Firm Council. NextGen Steinberg provided sound design Although retired, Hank continues Audience services for dozens of Broadway consulting, with PWC and IBM as shows including such diverse Tony clients, and provides consulting as - Award winners as In the Heights , sistance to the not-for-profit NESC Hair , Monty Python’s Spamalot , The (National Executive Service Corps). Educational Outreach Program Light in the Piazza , Avenue Q , and Hank earned his BS from Manhat - The Town Hall’s Educational Out - La Bohème . In addition to his the - tan College, and his MBA from Tem - reach Program reaches thousands atre design work, Mr. Steinberg ple University. He has co-authored of New York City public school stu - serves as the Audio Consultant for several books including: Business dents each year, and introduces the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Process Reengineering , John Wiley arts to the next generation of artists & Sons, 1993; Best Practices in and leaders. The Town Hall believes Hank Johansson is a retired man - Reengineering , McGraw- Hill, 1995; that an education in the arts is an agement consultant, whose career Reinventing the CFO , McGraw Hill, education for life and that participa - began in 1965 as a staff consultant 1996. tion in the arts at a young age is im - perative to life-long learning and engagement. To this end we cre - ated an Educational Outreach Pro - gram, consisting of Arts-in- Education programming, a Summer Internship Program, and a Black His - tory Celebration. e c n a m r o f r e P

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Arts-in-Education Programming their students. Our program aligns The Town Hall’s Arts-in-Education The New York State Common Core

Program was established in 1998 to Learning Standards with the New t s i t r

serve New York City public schools York City Department of Education’s A

g n struggling to meet state-mandated Blueprint for Teaching and Learning i h c a

arts education requirements while in the Arts. The kinesthetic nature of e T / r e

facing budget deficiencies. It was the program is compatible with the i z o

designed using the Magic of The - learning processes of special edu - n A

a i atre Curriculum which employs cation students and is an excellent l e h artistic principles as a vehicle for learning tool for English language S developing academic, social, and learners. leadership skills. Students learn how Elementary school students learn creativity, discipline, structure, and Each program is custom-designed basic dances, stage components teamwork are combined for a suc - with the input of school administra - and play theatre games; middle cessful production and how these tors and classroom teachers, to school students construct model skills translate into real-world expe - meet the needs and capabilities of sets out of cardboard, experiment rience. Beginning as a long-term each school in terms of budget, with lighting concepts using flash - theatre residency, our program has staff time, space restrictions, and lights, and design simple costumes; grown to include dance, music, vi - available equipment. Having the and high school students receive sual arts, and moving image arts. classes conducted by a Town Hall hands-on training in technical the - In this program, Town Hall teaching teaching artist and a classroom atre and stagecraft professions artists are partnered with Depart - teacher, allows the strengths of such as set and costume design, ment of Education classroom each instructor to be utilized in fa - and construction, stage manage - teachers to supplement the current cilitating individual student learning ment and directing. English, social studies, math and and creating lesson plans. Class - science curricula through the arts. room activities include theatre In 2014 The Town Hall teaching Teachers work together to integrate games, role-playing, story-telling, artists guided students through a theatre, music, dance, film, or visual writing, improvisation, movement wide range of enriching courses. arts into the lesson plans to engage exercises, dance and performance. One of the most exciting was an abridged version of Twelve Angry Men at the American Sign Lan - guage School. The students per - formed a semi-staged reading of the play for parents, family mem - e c n bers and school staff. The classes a D included deaf students who signed n a c i r their parts and the performance f A

g was signed by one of the school in - n i r a terpreters. e l s t n e d u t S f a e D / 5 2 2

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In the 2013-14 academic year, 30 Company (Shakespeare in the Park- Gueye, of Senegal; guitarist Marvin Town Hall teaching artists served ing Lot), and Theater for the New Sewell, and D.R.U.M. students more than 6,700 students at 26 City. Throughout the summer stu- “Moving Through the African Influ - schools across all five boroughs, dents attended weekly seminars ences in a World of Music.” In ad - and logged nearly 5,000 hours. where they learned to set educa- dition to the musicians, spoken Overseeing the entire program is a tional and career goals, how to word artist and actress, Gha’il committee of leaders in education, manage money and create a Rhodes Benjamin and Capoeira chaired by Dr. Charlotte K. Frank budget, and how to prepare for an dancers from Raizes do Brasil also former regent and head of curricu - interview. At the conclusion of the performed. Together the musicians, lum for New York City schools. summer, students attended a post- singers and other performing artists internship debriefing session and took the students on an educa - The Town Hall Summer Internship graduation ceremony. tional and compelling journey Program along the trail of the Underground The Town Hall/Con Edison Annual Railroad, explaining how the coded High school students who are eager Black History Celebration messages in lyrics to popular songs to continue their arts education and This year, as we have done every helped slaves navigate their way to who may also be interested in a ca - year since 1998, The Town Hall pre- freedom. reer in arts administration or pro - sented a series of free concerts for duction are invited to apply for our New York City public school stu- For many of these students it was Summer Internship Program. This dents in grades 3-8, their teachers, their first time attending a live per - program has been offered since and families. The Town Hall is proud formance, and The Town Hall and 2000, and since its inception, more to book artists of the highest caliber Con Edison, together are privileged than 300 students have completed for this celebration, and in February to provide them with this opportu - an internship. In 2014, 17 interns more than 4,000 enthusiastic stu- nity. Students from all five boroughs were placed at one of five host or - dents packed the Town Hall as were in attendance and were in - ganizations in Manhattan. Interns Grammy Award-winning percus- vited to enter the Poster and Essay work up to 30 hours each week for sionist and producer, Jeff Haynes Contest, which encourages the six weeks and earn minimum wage presented Listen to the Rhythms of young concert-goers to think criti - in addition to receiving a small Black History. Along with Mr. cally about the performance, as travel stipend. For many of these Haynes were Sabar drummer Mar well as to express themselves students it is their first professional job and comes at a time in their lives when they will reap great ben - efits. Over the course of the intern - ship students grow tremendously, both emotionally and intellectually. Our host partners in 2014 were: Annabella Gonzalez Dance The - ater, Gina Gibney Dance, Martina Arroyo Foundation, The Drilling

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through words and pictures. Con - Broadway Rising Stars test winners attended a celebration Once again, Scott Siegel wrote and at Con Edison where they snacked The directed an evening where the fu - on pizza, received a cash prize, and Town Hall ture stars of Broadway lit up our an award certificate. This year’s Presenting stage. This year the recent gradu - poster winners are: Analisse Albino Season ates of performing arts programs at of PS 46 in Brooklyn, Geiline such prestigious institutions as Pichard of PS 25 in Brooklyn, and AMDA, Cap 21, Cincinnati Conser - Oliver Terrell of PS 31 in the Bronx. vatory of Music, Marymount, and Daniel Rincon of PS 46 in Brooklyn NYU regaled our audience with the Broadway by the Year ® and Justin Colon of PS 4 in Man - The critically acclaimed Broadway music of Kander & Ebb. The multi- hattan wrote the winning essays. talented Bill Irwin served as the by the Year series entered its 14 th The entries are available to view on season with a new twist. The 2014 evening’s special guest. Throughout our website www.thetownhall.org. series brought 100 years of Broad - the evening these talented young way history over four unforgettable singers enchanted the audience. The performance itself, the study nights. Director, creator, and host, We look forward to seeing them on guides, and the Poster and Essay Scott Siegel, took our audiences on Broadway – and back at Town Hall. Contest enable conversations a charming and informative journey about Black History to begin before through time using both the familiar Best Fest Film Series the concert and continue well after and the lesser known tunes of the In February 2014, The Town Hall in - the students leave Town Hall. Great White Way. Each evening troduced a unique variation to its covered a quarter century of Broad - long-standing film festival. The Best Repertory High School for Theatre way melodies performed by such Fest Film Series offered a film Arts The Town Hall continues to screening from a different renown- house the Repertory Company High veterans as Stephanie J. Block, Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, Justin ed film festival each night. Direc - School for Theater. Every year more tors and curators from around the than 200 students are enrolled in Henry, and Beth Leavel, among dozens of others. world visited and discussed cinema the specialized school and teaching in their respective countries. Audi - artists from our Educational Out - reach Program work with students and faculty on their annual produc - tions. In this year’s presentation of The Inspector General , Town Hall assisted with the lighting design and implementation, and each stu - dent was instructed in how to use a computerized light board. r a e Y

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ence members were given an op - hilarious and brainy discussion of all portunity to see films that are rarely things space including gravity, seen in New York, and learn about extra-terrestrial life, the Big Bang, the art and film of international des - and the future of Earth and the en -

tinations. Some of the highlights of s

vironment. n i a t the series included films from f e i h

Mexico, Cuba, Spain, South Korea, C Gotham Holiday Swing featuring e h Netherlands, and Romania. Vince Giordano and the T Nighthawks StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson The Town Hall was delighted to Science, pop culture and comedy usher in the holidays in style with collided when the popular talk an extraordinary concert celebrat - The Chieftains show StarTalk hosted by celebrated ing the seasonal songs of the 20s, The six time Grammy winners, inter - astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, 30s and 40s, featuring stories and nationally celebrated for their took to the stage. Comic co-host poems about the holiday season in unique and exhilarating renditions Eugene Miriam and other special New York. of traditional Irish music, recently th guests joined deGrasse Tyson in a marked their 50 anniversary and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with the Angelique Kidjo Africa’s premier diva and one of her Town Hall audience. Named Ire - continent’s most celebrated female land’s official Musical Ambassadors, artists had the Town Hall their influence continues to re - audience on their feet - sound in the work of today’s artists. and literally on the stage - with her blend of tribal and pop rhythms, sung in English, French, The Newish Jewish Music Festival Fon, Guon, Mina and Yorùbá. The celebrated contemporary Jewish concert marked the New York stop and Israeli culture and music with of her album release tour. two concerts at Town Hall and ad - ditional programs and events at partnering venues. The Town Hall concerts were presented in associ - ation with World Music Institute. Other presenting venues included: Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Le Poisson Rouge, and City Winery.

John Zorn’s Masada Book Three: The Book Beriah was an epic event featuring 20 new Zorn composi - tions performed by 20 different en - o j

d sembles in one marathon evening – i K e u q i l e g n A

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all performed for the first time. The concert featured , , , Secret Chiefs 3, Vijay Iyer, Abraxas, and dozens more.

The Klezmatics presented Havana Nagila featuring Arturo O’Farrill, Sofia Rei, Lewis Kahn, and Reinaldo De Jesus among others. The singu - lar concert celebrated New York’s unique Latin and Jewish musical heritage with updated historic Yid - dish tunes for a contemporary au - a t dience. i b l A

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Lila Downs y A

Singer-songwriter Lila Downs per - a v formed an inimitable evening of tra - E ditional Mexican folk, pop, and endearing performance was pre - crossed over to France in the 20’s, indigenous roots music. Downs’ ceded by the iconic David Jo - Cole Porter was in the middle of it enigmatic, original, and altogether hansen who presented the singer – and the Town Hall audience was unforgettable sound draws from her songwriter side of his multi-faceted given an opportunity to live it first- multi-cultural heritage and from career, and featured songs from his hand - with this revue for the Café music throughout the Americas. recent Dancing Backward in High des Ambassadeur, Paris’s hottest Heels . night club. The production boasted David Bromberg & David Johansen new arrangements by Grammy Multi-instrumentalist singer/song - Eva Ayllón & Albita Cuban-Ameri - Award-winning bandleader Vince writer David Bromberg returned to can superstar Albita joined forces Giordano that mirrored the original the Town Hall stage with his quin - with legendary Afro-Peruvian per - sounds of the late 1920’s. He was tessential American sounds, blend - former Eva Ayllón in a never before joined by vocalists, a tap dance ing elements of bluegrass, folk, seen collaboration. Both women team, and a ballroom dance couple, country, jazz, and rock&roll. His spent decades electrifying audi - in a program similar to that of the ences world-wide with their inter - original production. pretations of the upbeat and infectious folk music of their native Hershey Felder in Maestro countries. Bernstein: A Play With Music Directed by Joel Zwick, Hershey Cole Porter’s The Ambassador Revue Felder, the critically acclaimed mas - The Town Hall was privileged to ter entertainer and virtuoso pianist present the North American pre - brought one of America’s greatest n e s

n miere of a 1928 musical revue by musical legends to life in his illustri - a h

o Cole Porter. When the Jazz age ous solo performance. Felder com - J

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Great Nights at Town Hall t c e j o r P

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Our musical guests included Patty Nightlife Awards and an evening Griffin, Rosanne Cash, Carla Bruni, with Carol Channing and Justin Josh Ritter, Gregory Porter, Band of Vivian Bond. Horses, Bobby McFerrin and Quest - love, Rufus Wainwright, Reggie Watts, As always, Town Hall played host to Chick Correa, Ray LaMontagne, and a full range of genres with more

r the Israeli Chamber Project, among than 100 concerts, and entertained o l l i

e numerous others. over 200,000 guests from around K

n the globe. Town Hall is grateful for o s i r r The New York Comedy Festival re - the generous support we receive a G turned with Stephen Colbert, David from Trustees, members, friends and bined first-person narrative with the Steinberg, Larry David, Nick Swardson, all of the individuals, corporations, compositions of Bernstein and oth - Whitney Cummings, John Mulaney and foundations that have helped ers to draw us into the fascinating and Anthony Jeselnek. Long form us to fulfill our mission. We look life of Leonard Bernstein. improvisors TJ & Dave brought their forward to another year working to - show to the Town Hall stage, and gether to achieve our goals. In addition to our own original pro - Neil Gaiman and Amanda Plumber gramming, The Town Hall is proud graced the stage. to host some of the world’s most accomplished artists and innova - The Coen brothers and T Bone tors. In 2014 we hosted corporate Burnett produced a concert inspired giants Grey Advertising, and Macy’s, by their film Inside Llewyn Davis , and fashion icon Michael Kors; we with Joan Baez, Rhiannon Giddens, welcomed the enthusiasm of the Marcus Mumford, Conor Oberst, World Cup with Men in Blazers; Punch Brothers, Patti Smith, Gillian TheatreWorks/USA brought thou - Welch & David Rawlings, Jack sands of young students to see a White, and more. live performance; and Garrison Keillor enchanted audiences with a We also hosted a Beatles Tribute, i n u live radio broadcast of his fabled th r

The Drama Desk Awards, the 75 B

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Anniversary of Blue Note, The a C

8/ the town hall Annual Report Fiscal Year 2013-14 Major Gifts, Corporate, Foundation and Government Support

Achelis Foundation The Actors Fund Affiliated Advisors Bank of America Bruce Weber and Nan Bush Foundation Charina Endowment Fund Cohn Foundation Consolidated Edison Company of New York Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Robert Evanson Dr. Charlotte K. Frank Garber Atlas Fries & Associates Anne and Gordon Getty Foundation Harkness Foundation for Dance The Hearst Foundation, Inc. Hurst Foundation Hyde and Watson Foundation Israel Consulate Jewish Communal Fund JP Morgan Chase Jujamcyn Theaters Edythe Kenner Foundation Lewis QVC Trust Local One McGraw-Hill Companies Mex-Am Cultural Foundation Morgan Stanley Nelson Foundation Nesenoff & Miltenberg, LLP New York City Council New York City Department of Cultural Affairs New York State Council on the Arts Henry Nias Foundation Pinkerton Foundation Reed Foundation Pamela and Richard Rubinstein Foundation Rudin Foundation Shubert Foundation Theatre Refreshments Ticketmaster Laurie Tish Foundation Wenner Foundation Zegar Family Foundation

9/ Tthe town hall Annual Report Fiscal Year 2013-14 THE TOWN HALL ARTS IN EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Charlotte K. Frank, Chair Dr. Sharon Dunn Officers Dr. Pola Rosen Tom Wirtshafter, Leona Shapiro President Manuel Urena Alfred H. Horowitz, George Young Vice President Bruce Leffler, Vice President THE TOWN HALL STAFF Andrew T. Miltenberg, Treasurer Phyllis Putter Barasch, Secretary Executive & Artistic Director Lawrence C. Zucker President Emeritus Programmer/Associate Director Marvin Leffler M. A. Papper Trustees Director of Development Phyllis Putter Barasch Kathleen Germann Robert E. Evanson Anne Frank-Shapiro Development Associate Alfred H. Horowitz Louis Lavoie Henry Johansson Bruce S. Leffler Director of Marketing Marvin Leffler Ellen Ann Kafkalas Justin D. Miller Director of Subscriptions & Andrew T. Miltenberg Membership Honorable Milton Mollen Helen A. Morris Donald Rabinovitch Rita Robbins Manager of Special Projects Malcolm Thomson Joe Giardina Nevin Steinberg Tom Wirtshafter Educational Arts Coordinator Robert F. Wright Peter Nicholas Trump

Life Trustees Director of Film Membership Leona Chanin & Children’s Events Coordinator Eugene J.T. Flanagan Sharon Owens Claire G. Miller Ira T. Wender Marketing Associate Justin Grace ADVISORY COUNCIL Chief Engineer Kathleen Rosenberg, Chair Steve Franqui Nancy Berman Shauna Denkensohn Technical Director Sandy Horowitz William Dehling Fern Hurst Elizabeth Iannizzi Box Office Manager Claire Miller Linda Meier Melody Sawyer Richardson Zita Rosenthal House Manager Rhoda Rothkopf Richard Looney