Olney Theatre Center's 2025 Annual Gala
Featuring Broadway Legend and Maryland Native André De Shields!
Join Gala co-chairs Benjamin and Elissa Wolf, and José Alberto Uclés and Tom Noll on Sunday, June 1, 2025, as we honor the extraordinary career of Maryland’s own Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner André De Shields. The evening will feature Mr. De Shields himself, along with surprise guests and spectacular performances from some of our region's brightest stars.
Performance and dessert reception tickets will become available on April 30. We are currently at capacity for our Gala dinner. If you would like to be placed on our waitlist for our Gala dinner, please email advancement@olneytheatre.org. All waitlisted guests will receive early, priority access to performance and dessert tickets.
More About the Artist
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In a career spanning fifty-five years, André De Shields, at age 78, has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, activist, educator and philanthropist. As Actor Mr. De Shields’ mission is to fill intimate spaces with enormous beauty. He defines intimate spaces as the hearts of humanity. As Activist he endeavors to restore majesty, elegance and literacy to the Black Thespian toolbox. His legendary career has resulted in a treasure trove of accolades, among them Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa from his Alma Mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has founded THE ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS FUND. His other marks of esteem include having been the triple crown winner of the 2019 awards season, garnering Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Grammy Awards for his universally acclaimed role as Hermes, messenger to the gods, in Hadestown. Mr. De Shields transitioned from 2022 into 2023 with a paranormal portrayal as Ben Loman in the searing production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, starring Wendell “The Lion” Pierce. In 2024, he starred as Old Deuteronomy in the critically-acclaimed and radical reimagining of CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL at Perelman Performing Arts Center. Perennially known for his idiosyncratic, show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway productions—The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award), Play On! and The Full Monty—Mr. De Shields has achieved the status of “Broadway Deity.” www.andredeshields.com.
The schedule for the evening is as follows:
5:00 PM - Cocktail Reception & Silent Auction
6:00 PM - Seated Dinner
8:00 PM - Performance
9:30 PM - Dessert Reception
Recommended dress code: cocktail or semi-formal attire
Sponsorship Levels and Benefits
We would like to thank our current sponsors. For a full breakdown of available sponsor levels and benefits, please click the following link:
Corporate Sponsorship Levels and Benefits
For more information on how to become a corporate sponsor, please contact Michael Mercier at mmercier@olneytheatre.org or 240-722-6046.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Advancement Team at advancement@olneytheatre.org.
