The New Dramatists’ annual benefit luncheon is scheduled to be held on May 17 at the Marriott Marquis. The organization’s 52nd annual fundraiser will honor playwright Arthur Miller for his “outstanding artistic contribution to the American theatre.” Miller’s plays include The Man Who Had All the Luck, All My Sons, The Crucible, A View From the Bridge, After the Fall and Death of a Salesman.

Actor Brian Dennehy, who won Tony and Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal of Willy Loman in the 1999 revival of Miller’s Death of a Salesman will present the playwright’s award. Also scheduled to attend are honorary chairs Lily Tomlin and Robert Whitehead as well as New Dramatists board member Scott Mauro, the long-term luncheon chairman.

Miller’s works, closely identified with moral issues, have proven timeless: His breakthrough hit, Death of a Salesman first opened on Broadway in 1949, when it won him a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Fifty years later, the show remained a Tony favorite.

Early on, Miller wrote “radio scripts for CBS, the Columbia Workshop and the Calvacade of America,” according to production notes. In addition to his plays, he has worked in film--his credits there include “The Misfits” and his Oscar nominated adaptation of The Crucible. Miller’s books include “Situation Normal,” “Focus” a 1987 autobiography called “Timebends: A Life” as well as numerous collaborative books written with his wife of 37 years, Ingeborg Morath.

Past New Dramatists honorees include Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Glenn Close, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Neil Simon, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, Gwen Verdon and Terrence McNally. The New Dramatists 52nd Annual Benefit Luncheon will be held at the Broadway Ballroom of the New York Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets) on May 17. A champagne reception at 11 AM starts the event, which will run until 2:30 PM. Tickets are $200 (a portion of which is tax-deductible). For tickets call (212) 757-6960.

—By Robert Simonson
and Murdoch McBride