The evening, scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM, will benefit Bridging Education and Theatre (BEAT), a Theatre Development Fund/CUNY partnership, which helps to make New York City theatre, music and dance accessible to the CUNY community. The gala is produced by Tony Spinosa.

BEAT is a program designed to introduce the CUNY community to New York City's performing arts through a range of programs designed by TDF and tailored to the needs of the CUNY community.

Theatre Development Fund, which recently received a 2011 Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture, is the largest non-profit performing arts service organization in the United States. It is dedicated to encouraging diverse audiences for live theatre and dance, and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. For more information, visit www.tdf.org.

The Graduate Center at the City University of New York is located at 365 Fifth Avenue at 34th Street. For tickets, call (203) 298-4722 or email [email protected].