The Acting Company to Honor John Guare, Anne L. Bernstein at 2017 Winter Gala

The Acting Company will honor playwright John Guare and film and theater producer Anne L. Bernstein at its 2017 winter gala on December 4 at 583 Park Avenue.

Guare will be presented with the John Houseman Award, which honors individuals who have extended the legacy of Acting Company founder John Houseman’s commitment to the development of American classical actors and cultivation of a national theater audience. The playwright is best known for House of Blue Leaves and Six Degrees of Separation, the latter of which was revived on Broadway earlier this year in a production starring Allison Janney, John Benjamin Hickey, and Corey Hawkins. Previous award winners have included Patti LuPone, Public Theater founder Joseph Papp, and former Old Globe Theatre artistic director Jack O'Brien.

Bernstein, an Acting Company board member, will be presented with the Joan Warburg Humanitarian Award, given to those who have demonstrated admirable dedication to philanthropic causes in the arts and other areas. Harry Belafonte, Gerald Schoenfeld, and the Honorable Thomas Kean have previously received the honor.

Timothy Helwick and Timothy J. Saunders will be cochairs of the gala, and Dakin Matthews its honorary chairman.