After winning a Tony Award for Cabaret and starring in the film version, Joel Grey will be right at home when he headlines the American Conservatory Theater's evening of cabaret, Starry Starry Night. The annual fundraising event for the San Francisco's venue educational programs will be held Nov. 3 at the Fairmont Hotel. Filmdom's Annette Bening, a graduate of ACT's M.F.A. program and a former member of its resident company, will be among the honored guests.

Grey won the 1967 Tony for his role as the Emcee in Cabaret. He was nominated for the Tony three more times, for George M!, Goodtime Charley and The Grand Tour. Grey most recently appeared on Broadway as Roxie Hart's hapless husband Amos in Chicago, garnering the Outer Critics' Circle and Drama Desk Awards.

Members of the Young Conservatory and the theatre's resident company will participate with Grey in the evening of song and dance focused on "The Life of the Actor." Young Conservatory director Craig Slaight directs the program.

A.C.T.'s conservatory, sole beneficiary of "Starry Starry Night," serves 3,500 students a year under head Melissa Smith. The first U.S. acting program not associated with a college or university to award a masters of fine arts degree, the conservatory has produced several well-known artists including Benjamin Bratt, Nicholas Cage, Winona Ryder, Danny Glover and Denzel Washington.

Tickets for the benefit are $500 for premium admission; standard is $350. For information and reservations, call (415) 439-2308. Seating is limited to 350 people. -- By Christine Ehren