The 2022 Arthur Miller Foundation Honors was held at City Winery NYC on Monday, November 14, hosted by Broadway veterans Sasha Hutchings (Hamilton, Oklahoma!) and Nik Walker (Hamilton, Spamalot), the dynamic duo known as “The Chaos Twins“. The evening showcased the songs of the late, great giant of the theater, Stephen Sondheim, who said, “To me, teaching is a sacred profession. My life was shaped by teachers”. Produced by AMF Executive Director Jaime Hastings with artistic direction by Paul Canaan and music direction by Julie McBride, our annual gala celebrated the power of public school theater education while raising funds for AMF’s theater education programs.
The 2022 Honorees:
- PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE – AMF Arts & Culture Award
- CHRISTINA ANDERSON – AMF Legacy Award
- LYNN NOTTAGE – AMF Legacy Award
- PAULA VOGEL – AMF Legacy Award
- LINDA AMES KEY – AMF Excellence in Arts Education Award
We were elated to celebrate three generations of teacher/student playwrights in honoring Paula Vogel, Lynn Nottage, and Christina Anderson with the AMF Legacy Award, who have each carved out their own legacy in the American theater.
This year’s AMF Arts & Culture Award honoree, Penguin Random House, contributes significantly to the national arts and culture landscape through their long-time commitment to AMF Theater Education Programs, as well as through a vast portfolio for readers of all ages, and the enduring belief “that books, and the stories and ideas they hold, have the unique capacity to connect us, change us, and carry us toward a better future for generations to come”. Penguin’s commitment “to shape a more equitable, diverse, and sustainable world” resonates strongly with AMF’s vision and core values of equity and access to quality education.
AMF was delighted to honor Linda Ames Key with the Excellence in Arts Education Award. Linda’s ability to reach her students, in the words of Principal Michael Johnson, “using theater as a tool to examine complex, emotional, and critical social issues that are relevant to our scholars” made her the ideal honoree. Principal Johnson went on to say, “I am honored and grateful to be a member of Linda’s team. She has dedicated her life’s work to ensuring all youth, especially our most vulnerable students, receive a quality arts education. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of the Arthur Miller Foundation Excellence in Arts Education Award.”
We enjoyed featured musical performances and anecdotes from Brian d’Arcy James, Nikki Renée Daniels, Sidney DuPont, Mary Kate Moore, Heath Saunders, and Eleri Ward. McKinley Belcher III and Khris Davis from the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman appeared as special guest presenters.
A highlight of the evening was the performance of a Sondheim “Somewhere/Our Time” medley by our student ensemble from New York City Public School, Fordham High School for the Arts in the Bronx, alongside hosts Sasha Hutchings and Nik Walker. Thank you to these remarkable students for demonstrating the importance of theater in public schools.
Red carpet:
