John Lithgow (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) will present Mirren with her award. The gala will also include play readings, intimate storytelling and song and will recognize outgoing board of directors chairman Herb Gelfand. The evening benefits the Geffen Playhouse's education and outreach programs.

This year Mirren won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Critic's Choice awards for "The Queen"; won Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards For HBO's "Elizabeth I"; and received a Golden Globe nomination for PBS' "Prime Suspect: The Final Act," which had previously won her an Emmy and three BAFTA Awards. Her many stage credits include Broadway productions of Dance of Death and A Month in the Country.

Past recipients of the award include actor Karl Malden (presented by Tom Hanks) and HBO's Colin Callender (presented by Annette Bening).

Geffen Playhouse board members Pamela Robinson Hollander, David Pence and Fred Specktor are co-chairs of the event, and producing director Gil Cates serves as emcee.

Individual tickets are $300, and special donor packages start at $500. For more information, or to purchase Gala tickets, call Regina Miller, director of development, at (310) 208-6500 ext. 112. Geffen Playhouse is located at 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles. For more information visit www.geffenplayhouse.com.