ford’s theatre hosts grand reopening celebration
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For Immediate Release Media Contact: Lauren Beyea
February 3, 2009 (202) 434-9543/[email protected]
FORDS THEATRE HOSTSGRAND REOPENING CELEBRATION
FEBRUARY 11, 2009
Sidney PoitierandGeorge Lucas To Receive Lincoln Medal
Special Performance Will Honor Lincolns Legacy andCelebrate the Reopening of Fords Theatre
Washington, D.C. Fords Theatre Society will host a Grand Reopening Celebration on
Wednesday, February 11, 2009, at Fords Theatre (511 10th Street NW). The invitation-only
evening will include the presentation of the Lincoln Medal to filmmakerGeorge Lucas and screen
legend Sidney Poitier, whose accomplishments exemplify the character and lasting legacy of
President Abraham Lincoln. The evenings performance, titled Birth and Rebirth: A Celebration of
the Lincoln Bicentennial and Reopening of Fords Theatre, will be followed by a seated dinner at
the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum (750 Ninth Street NW).
The evenings events will begin at Fords Theatre, where invited guests will enjoy a
special performance in tribute to Abraham Lincoln and his legacy, including appearances by
Katie Couric, Kelsey Grammer, James Earl Jones, Ben Vereen, Jeffrey Wright, the
Presidents Own Marine Band, Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music, Audra McDonald
and Jessye Norman. Following the performance, guests dine at the National Portrait Gallery.
The performance will be attended by donors to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
Campaign, which supports the renovation and expansion of Ford s Theatre, as well as by
political supporters of Fords Theatre.
Lincoln Medal
The Lincoln Medal is an annual award given by the Fords Theatre Society to a person
(or persons) who, through their body of work, accomplishments or personal attributes, exemplify
the lasting legacy, and mettle of character embodied by the most beloved President in our
Nations history, President Abraham Lincoln. Recipients of the 2008 Lincoln Medal included Dr.
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Reopening Celebration, p 2
Maya Angelou, Civil Rights activist, author, dancer and actress; actress Ruby Dee; Dr. Benjamin
S. Carson, Sr., Director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital;
and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Former Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court.
Fords Theatre Society is grateful to ExxonMobil for their additional support of the Fords Theatre
reopening and Lincoln bicentennial activities and events.
Limited space is available for press wishing to cover this event. Press should contactLauren Beyea at (202) 434-9543.
Lincoln Bicentennial CampaignThe Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign is a $50+ million capital campaign that will
support the renovation of Fords Theatre and its museum as well as the building of the new
Center for Education and Leadership, an education center focused on the life and legacy of
Abraham Lincoln. To date, the campaign has raised more than $49 million.
The Fords Theatre renovation and expansion project has been made possible primarily
through donations from private sourcesindividuals, foundations and corporationsas well as
$8.9 million in federal funding and a recent $10 million grant from the District of Columbia. As the
lead corporate donor, ExxonMobil has awarded the campaign a $5 million Leadership Circle grant
and the State of Qatar has joined them with a $2.5 million gift. More recently, the Leadership
Circle has expanded to include Ronald O. Perelman, Chairman and CEO of MacAndrews &
Forbes Holdings Inc., with a $2.5 million pledge. BP America Inc. has provided a $2 million
contribution, as well as $1 million dollar donations each from AT&T, Foster Wheeler; General
Dynamics, Sheila C. Johnson, Founder of Salamander Hospitality, LLC; T. Boone Pickens
Foundation; The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation/Wayne and Catherine Reynolds; David and
Alice Rubenstein; The Paul Singer Family Foundation; Samsung; and Toyota.
The following corporations, individuals and foundations have also generously provided
gifts of $500,000 or greater to this project: The Adelson Family Charitable Foundation, American
Airlines, BAE Systems, Carl and Edyth Lindner, The Freed Foundation, Lockheed Martin
Corporation, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, OMelveny & Myers, Raytheon
Company, Southern Company and Sunoco, Inc.
Fords Theatre SocietySince its reopening in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865,
assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Fords Theatre has been one of the most visitedsites in the nations capital. Fords Theatre has enthralled visitors because of its unique place in
United States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the
American experience through theatre and education. For its accomplishments, the organization
was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S.
government to artists, arts institutions and arts patrons.
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Fords Theatre Society works to present the Theatres nearly one million visitors each
year with a high quality historical and cultural experience, enhancing the vibrancy of this historic
site, an important tool for promoting the ideals of leadership, humanity and wisdom espoused by
Abraham Lincoln.
Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, Fords Theatre Society has been
recognized by the critics and theatergoing public for the superior quality of its artistic
programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed Big Riverto the regional premiere of
Tryingand world premiere ofMeet John Doe, Fords Theatre has undoubtedly begun to make its
mark on the American theatre landscape.
In addition, through the leadership of Wayne R. Reynolds, Chairman of the Board of
Trustees, the mission of Fords Theatre Society has recently been expanded to include education
as a central pillar of the organization, equal to that of producing theatre of the highest quality. As
Fords Theatre looks to the future, the health of the organization will be defined and determined
not only by the quality of the productions on the stage but also by the success of its educational
programming in teaching about the life, Presidency and lessons of leadership of AbrahamLincoln.
For more information on Fords Theatre and the Fords Theatre Society, please visitwww.fords.org.
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