Dallas Theater Center Welcomes Liz Mikel and Cedric Neal for Centerstage 2013 Gala, 5/11

Dallas Theater Center announced today that Brierley Resident Acting Company member Liz Mikel and former Company member Cedric Neal will headline Centerstage 2013 on Saturday, May 11. Co-chaired by Rusty Duvall and Deborah McMurray, with honorary chairs Diane and Hal Brierley, Centerstage 2013 will take place at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, which will be transformed for the evening.

CenterStage 2013 supports DTC's innovative artistic programming - from classics like King Lear to new musicals such as Giant - as well as its inspiring, life-changing education programs.

"Centerstage plays a key role in making it possible for DTC to continue creating high-quality productions and also deepening its impact in the community," said co-chair Rusty Duvall. "We're so excited to spend an evening celebrating our past successes and at the same time ensuring DTC's future."

The theme for the Centerstage 2013 gala is "Reflection" as DTC reflects on three ground-breaking years in the Wyly Theatre, as well as celebrates the success of two prominent actors from DTC - Brierley Resident Acting Company member Liz Mikel and Brierley Resident Acting Company alum Cedric Neal. Both Mikel and Neal have recently made their Broadway debuts in critically acclaimed productions. Liz Mikel appeared as Hetaira in the original Broadway production of Lysistrata Jones, formerly titled Give It Up!, a role that she originated at Dallas Theater Center in 2010. Since then, she has appeared on stage at DTC as the Narrator in the hit summer musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Cedric Neal took the stage in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, which won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. It was just announced that Neal is a Helen Hayes nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role in Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.

"Few regional theaters in the U.S. have company members who have successfully extended their careers in Broadway hits," said co-chair Deborah McMurray. "Both Cedric and Liz are loved in North Texas, but they are also celebrated and applauded by critics in New York and around the nation. They are returning to Dallas and creating a one-night-only show especially for our Reflection Gala."

The evening will begin at 6:30pm with a cocktail hour followed by three courses of culinary art by The Food Company, a special performance by Mikel and Neal and an after-party of live music and dancing with The Project.

Individual tickets for Centerstage 2013 are $1,000 and underwriting levels start at $2,500.

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