By Ernio Hernandez
29 Oct 2009

Bobby Cannavale and Eric Bogosian during webisode filming.
photo by Monique Carboni

LAByrinth Theater Company will again host its "Celebrity Charades" event featuring top stars and company members vying for victory in the silent game. This year the event subtitled "Jackpot" takes place Dec. 7.

The stars currently scheduled to take part in the four-team tournament include include Ian Astbury (frontman for The Cult), Bob Balaban ("Waiting for Guffman"), Bobby Cannavale ("The Station Agent"), Tom Colicchio ("Top Chef"), Billy Crudup (The Coast of Utopia), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt"), John Ortiz ("Miami Vice"), Julia Roberts (Three Days of Rain, "Pretty Woman"), Sam Rockwell ("Frost/Nixon"), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Julia Stiles (Oleanna) and Yul Vázquez ("Che"). (All names are subject to continuing availability, with more players to be added.)

To promote this event, the company will again launch a webisode series titled "Celebrity Charades Underbelly Exposed" to be found online at LABtheater.org. (Playbill.com got a peek at the first in the series; view it at the Inside Track blog.) Appearing in the online videos will be Eric Bogosian, Bobby Cannavale, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Bob Balaban among others.

Eric Bogosian (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) will again preside over the Charades, while between games John Patrick Shanley (Doubt) will host a live auction.

The evening also honors Time Warner Inc. with The 2009 Dave Hogue Award. The prize — presented for "inspiring commitment to new work and its leadership support of LAByrinth Theater Company" — has previously been bestowed upon Daryl Roth, Ira Pittelman, Madonna, Bennington College, George C. Wolfe and Carole Shorenstein Hays.

All proceeds from the annual event will support LAB's 18th season. Tickets and tables are available via e-mail at charades@LABtheater.org or by phone at (212) 513-1082.

"Celebrity Charades: Jackpot" will take place at St Paul's Hall on 60th Street (at Columbus Avenue). For more information visit labtheater.org.

Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay film a webisode for "Celebrity Charades."
photo by Monique Carboni