Theatre West To Honor Beau Bridges At 50th Anniversary Gala

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe winning actor Beau Bridges will be honored with the inaugural Betty Garrett Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50^th Anniversary Gala of Theatre West, September 13^th at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood. Founded in 1962, Theatre West, an internationally acclaimed non-profit arts organization, is home to the oldest continuously running theater company in Los Angeles. Dedicated to supporting artists and enriching the community, Theatre West provides world class theater presentations for adults, a professional children's theatre and much needed arts education programs in underserved city schools. Norman and Lyn Lear, Susan and Jeff Bridges, Linda Pace and Abbott Alexander, Chazz Palminteri and Garrett and Andrew Parks co-chair.

Academy Award winning actress Sally Field will speak about her 'husband' from Norma Rae, followed by Norman Lear presenting Bridges with the inaugural Betty Garrett Lifetime Achievement Award.

"In forging our future," said Theatre West Executive Director, John Gallogly, "we strive to honor our past. It seems especially fitting that we honor Beau Bridges with our inaugural Betty Garrett Lifetime Achievement Award, to be given annually to the artist whose work, both at Theatre West and in the larger world, best exemplifies the talent, generosity of spirit and dedication to craft, family and Theatre West that Betty Garrett epitomized in her life."  

Beau Bridges has been a member of Theatre West for over 45 years. His family enjoys a rich history with the program. His brother Jeff participated at Theatre West early in his career. His daughter Emily has been a member for four years. Together, father and daughter co-authored "Acting: The First Six Lessons," a play published by Samuel French. They recently performed the World premiere of the play at Theatre West.

Also, key to Theatre West's mission is the desire to educate and keep theatre alive in the imaginations of generations of children. The "Theatre in Schools" program brings theatrical experiences to thousands of underserved children, many of whom attend schools with no arts programs and this is their only exposure to theatre. In 1984, the award-winning Storybook Theatre for children 3-9 years old was developed by Lloyd Schwartz and Barbara Mallory to present non-threatening, interactive musical theatre performed by professional members of Actors Equity Association. www.theatrewest.org

SOURCE Theatre West