The cast also features Valorie Curry and Tony Walton, with additional casting still to be announced. The benefit reading and gala, held at Symphony Space in New York City, is in celebration of honorary patron, playwright and screenwriter Sir Peter Shaffer. In 2012 the company presented a celebration of Shaffer’s work, and was honored by Sir Ian McKellen, Alec Baldwin, Sir Derek Jacobi, John Guare and Tom Stoppard, among others.

This year's Peter Shaffer Award for emerging excellence in playwriting will also be awarded to Holbrook during the evening, whose play is receiving the staged reading. The Whale and the Dog Star is described by Fundamental as "a quirky, fantastical and poignant exploration of grief and dreams."

Discount tickets from $50 can be purchased by calling the box office at (212) 864-5400 during open hours and using the code "FTPWhale." Full-priced tickets can by purchased online at SymphonySpace.org. Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway, New York.