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Lincoln Center Theater will honor Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr. and Emmy Award-winning Producer Susan Downey at their annual spring Gala on Monday, May 18 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, currently home to the mega-hit Ragtime. As previously announced, the evening will feature a concert presentation of Man of La Mancha starring internationally acclaimed tenor Rolando Villazón as “Cervantes / Don Quxiote.” The one-night-only event will be directed by LCT Executive Producer and Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher and will include a post-performance dinner with LCT Artists at the David H. Koch Theater.
Mr. Downey was last seen on stage for the first time in almost 30 years in the brand-new play McNeal by Ayad Akhtar and directed by Mr. Sher, which premiered at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in the fall of 2024 to critical acclaim. This production also marked Team Downey’s Broadway debut.
“Thank you to Bart, Lear, and the entire Lincoln Center Theater team for this great honor. We look forward to being back at the Vivian Beaumont in May, reuniting with the incredible theater community that embraced us wholeheartedly. Our McNeal experience was a creative journey that continues to inspire us long after the run,” said the Downeys.
Lear deBessonet, the Kewsong Lee Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater said, “It is a true privilege to honor Robert and Susan Downey at this year’s Lincoln Center Theater Spring Gala. When artists of their caliber and influence choose to invest their time, talents, and hearts in the theater, it strengthens and benefits the entire community. Together, the Downeys embody a rare combination of excellence and service. Their commitment to both storytelling and philanthropy speak to who they are at their core. We are honored to celebrate them and the extraordinary impact they continue to have on our field and beyond.”
Mr. Sher shared, “Bringing Robert Back to the stage in McNeal after almost three decades was an important moment for him and for us at LCT. It was meaningful to watch one of our great actors return to the immediacy and rigor of live performance. The generosity of spirit he brought to LCT – on stage and off – went beyond celebrity. It was a privilege to witness what that experience unlocked in him at this moment in his magnificent career. Susan was equally essential to the life of McNeal. She was in the rehearsal room every day as an incredibly generous collaborator. Her instincts are formidable, and her creative input left a lasting imprint on the production. Honoring them both is not only about celebrating their artistic accomplishments, but the example they set for giving back and for turning their artistry in the profound direction of change.”
This year’s Gala co-chairs are C. Graham Berwind III and Eleni Giaunilis-Vermeer – Creative Partners Productions; Zita J. Ezpeleta and Kewsong Lee; Sandra and Howard Hoffen; Brooke Garber Neidich and Daniel Neidich; and Laura Speyer and Josef Goodman.
Tables and gala-entry tickets are now on sale. Show-only tickets will be available later this spring.
