Parting artistic director and founding director of the American Repertory Theatre Robert Brustein will get a star-studded farewell. His Massachusetts home for the past two decades will honor him at Boston's Avalon May 6. Comedian Lewis Black will host the evening with Honorary Chairs Meryl Streep and Ann Reinking. The list of talent — some that have graced the A.R.T. Stage — scheduled to be on hand includes F. Murray Abraham, Brooke Adams, Claire Bloom, Carmen de Lavallade (and her husband Geoffrey Holder), Christopher Durang, Arliss Howard, Cherry Jones, Rocco and Debby Landesman, Mark-Linn Baker and Adrienne Lobel, Tony Shalhoub, Carly Simon, William and Rose Styron, Julie Taymor and her husband composer Elliot Goldenthal, Marisa Tomei, Christopher Walken, Mike and Mary Wallace, Debra Winger and the A.R.T. acting company.

The evening will feature a "60 Minutes" grill between Mike Wallace and Brustein, conclusion of inter-active auction and musical parodies by members of the A.R.T. acting company. Moneys earned from the event and auction will go to A.R.T.'s programs and to support their students.

A scholarship named for Brustein will be established to benefit students of the A.R.T./MTAX Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. Send your contributions to: Robert Brustein Scholarship Fund,American Repertory Theatre, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 0213.

If you would like to honor Brustein with your own personal message, A.R.T will include it in a special Tribute Book. Send your note under separate cover by April 20, 2002 to:

Tribute Book
American Repertory Theatre
64 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

For more information, call (617) 495-2668 x8871 or visit www.amrep.org.

— by Ernio Hernandez