NEW YORK, NY — The American Theatre of Actors (ATA), a cornerstone of the New York theatrical landscape since 1976, is proud to announce ATA 50, a golden anniversary celebration and awards ceremony. The black-tie evening will honor five decades of artistic excellence and community impact, headlined by the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary playwright and director Lyle Kessler and TONY-winning actor, Len Cariou..

The gala will take place at the lavish Penn Club at 30 West 44th Street in New York City, beginning with a VIP Admission at 6:30 PM, followed by a formal dinner and the awards presentation at 7:30 PM.

The ceremony will also feature the Hell’s Kitchen Awards, acknowledging the gritty, vibrant excellence of the local artistic community that has called the ATA home for fifty years.

DETAILS:

Event Date: Tuesday April 7th
Tix levels: ($35 OFF through MARCH 15)
6:30pm VIP  $325 ~ includes photoshoot and open bar hour + Dinner & Award
7:30pm General $290 ~ Dinner & Awards, only. 
Address: 
The Penn Club
30 W. 44th St.

Tickets

Honoring Legends: 

Lyle Kessler
Recognized for his monumental contributions to American letters and stage, Mr. Kessler is best known for his masterwork Orphans—which received two Tony nominations for its Broadway revival and has starred luminaries such as Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, and Jesse Eisenberg—Kessler’s career spans the Actors Studio, the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab, and prestigious foundations like Rockefeller and NYSCA.Kessler other works include The Watering Place (premiered on Broadway and starred Shirley Knight and William Devane); Perp, premiering at The Barrow Group in March 2019, directed by Lee Brock; House on Fire (2018) which premiered at Palm Beach Dramaworks, directed by Bill Hayes; and Robbers (1987) which has been performed at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut starring Judd Hirsch. Kessler’s play Orphans has been made into a film of the same name. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, the film version of Orphans starred Matthew Modine and Albert Finney. Beyond his creative output, the award celebrates his humanitarian work with The Imagination Workshop, the world’s longest-running arts and mental health program serving veterans with PTSD.

Len Cariou
Len is an internationally recognized, Tony Award-winning, Emmy-nominated actor whose career spans sixty-five years on regional stages, Broadway, off-Broadway, film and television. A member of the Theatre Hall of Fame, he is known best for his legendary performance as the title character in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 2024 he was honored with the John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre by the Theatre World Awards. Cariou remains highly regarded for his extensive classical repertoire, including King Lear which he assayed twice. His one-man show Broadway and the Bard re-visited some of the best dramatic and musical elements of his robust career. Len became a beloved figure as Reagan over 14 seasons on CBS Blue Bloods. Last year, he distinguished himself once again off-Broadway in the role of Morrie Shwartz in the award-winning Seadog Theatre production of Tuesdays With Morrie, and in the role of Kozlowski in ATA’s acclaimed production of Zagłada. Look for him in the new year on MGM+ as Linus Bean in the new series American Classic, in which he co-stars with Kevin Kline, Jon Tenney and Laura Linney. Len is a Mets fan, an inveterate gin rummy player, and loves the game of golf. He is an adored and adoring father, husband and grandfather, a member of the Order of Manitoba, and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

The Jean Dalrymple Award — In a tradition established in 1985, Founder and Artistic Director James Jennings, alongside Vice President Jane Culley and Executive Director Jessica Jennings, will present the Jean Dalrymple Awards. Named for the “First Lady of City Center” and a founding member of the American Theatre Wing, the Dalrymple Awards honor exceptional talent at the Off-Off and Off-Broadway levels. Jean Dalrymple, who mentored James Jennings for over a decade, was a visionary producer who worked with icons ranging from Cary Grant (whom she famously discovered) to Orson Welles and Uta Hagen. Previous recipients of this flagship honor include Ginger Rogers, Patricia Neal, and Danny Aiello.

The ceremony inaugurates the Hell’s Kitchen Awards, acknowledging the gritty, vibrant excellence of the local artistic community that has called the ATA home for fifty years.

The American Theatre of Actors was founded in 1976 by James Jennings, who continues as its President and Artistic Director. It is a repertory theatre company whose purpose is to promote the development of new playwrights, directors, and actors and provide them a creative atmosphere in which to work without the pressures of commercial theatre.

Over 2000 new works have been presented and more than 12,000 actors have worked at A.T.A., including Dennis Quaid, Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello, Dan Lauria, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin O’Connor, William Fichtner, Edie Falco and Kathryn Hahn.

President: James Jennings
Vice President: Jane Culley 
Exec Director: Jessica Jennings
Secretary: Joseph Krawczyk Treasurer: Jacqueline Pace
Board of Directors: Gil Ancowitz, Ted Baehr, Courtney Everette, Joseph Krawczyk, Suzanne McGrath, Terrence Fergus, McMillan Johnson

Honorary Board: Robert De Niro, Barbara Bel Geddes, James McManus, Peter Masterson, Vincent Sardi, Paul Sorvino, Joseph Stein, Madeline Thornton Sherwood, Andrew Stein