Two Lifetime Achievement Awards will be given: one to Tony winner Linda Lavin, who recently returned to the cabaret stage at Metropolitan Room and 54 Below; and the second to 85-year-old Marilyn Maye, who has been club-hopping to sold-out crowds all over New York City since her star turn at the Mabel Mercer Foundation Cabaret Convention in 2006.

The Board of Directors Award will be given to the Eugene O’Neill Cabaret and Performance Conference "for their dedication to the art of cabaret." MAC will also continue its tradition of awarding a scholarship to a teen, who will perform at the awards show, through WINGSPAN, which provides a year of after-school music education.

“We’re gratified that nightclub performing is alive in New York City,” stated Lennie Watts, current MAC president, “and our special honorees reflect an enduring commitment to its relevance and preservation.”

Nominees in 20 categories are voted anonymously by the general membership. Final nominees are announced in early March, but the winners are kept secret until the ballot is opened on stage at the awards gala, where several of the winners will perform after receiving their award.

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) was founded in 1983, primarily as an organization for cabaret owners, managers and booking agents to meet and exchange ideas. The organization started accepting performers in 1985. MAC’s mission is "to advance the art and business of live entertainment, heighten public awareness of the field’s contributions and vitality, to honor its creativity, to build its current and future audiences, and to speak out as an influential voice on behalf of MAC members and the industry at large." The MAC Awards Gala will be held at BB King’s Blues Club and Grill, 237 W. 42 St., between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets start at $50. For additional information on MAC, to become a member, or to order tickets to the event, visit http://macnyc.com.