
Last night, Lincoln Center Theater honored Emmy Award-winning Producer Susan Downey and Academy Award winner Robert Downey Jr. at their annual spring Gala at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Go inside the event in new photos and video.
Check out our photos from the red carpet here!
The evening featured a concert presentation of Man of La Mancha starring internationally acclaimed opera singer Rolando Villazón as “Cervantes / Don Quxiote.” The one-night-only event was directed by LCT Executive Producer and Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher.
The evening marked an unprecedented milestone in Lincoln Center Theater’s history, achieving a record-breaking level of fundraising, with the evening culminating in a sold-out performance.
Guests included Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Bettany, Tessa Thompson, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Mark Strong, Stephen Flaherty, Oscar Isaac, Ayad Akhtar, and JT Rogers.
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. This production also marked Team Downey’s Broadway debut.
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.
Photo Credit: Andy Henderson

2026 Theater Fans’ Choice Awards – Live Stats
Best Lighting Design – Top 3
1.
Jen Schriever, Michael Arden – The Lost Boys
34.3% of votes
2.
Jack Knowles – Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
9.5% of votes
3.
Kevin Adams – Chess
7.3% of votes

















