Watch ‘The Drama League Awards’ and ‘Broadway Barks’ online this weekend

Two big annual events are streaming this weekend, to celebrate the innovative work of the national theater community during the past year of pandemic closure and to find loving forever families for adorable adoptable pets.

The Drama League has announced that Gloria, Emilio, and Emily Estefan, along with 2021 honorees Iris Smith, Liesl Tommy, Richard and Demi Weitz, and more, will appear at The 87th Annual Drama League Awards streaming this Friday, May 21, at 7:00 pm, through the interactive Awards Room platform.

This year, as a result of the hiatus of live in-theater performances necessitated by COVID-19, five unique categories were established to honor achievements in digital and socially-distanced theatrical productions that premiered between March 12, 2020-March 15, 2021. In addition to the 33 nominated productions, The Drama League will also acknowledge the work of Special Recognition Honorees.

“While the American theater’s stages may have shut down for the last year, America’s theater artists did not,” remarked Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks. “On the contrary, thousands of theater pieces emerged during this time – online and in immersive or socially-distanced environments. Brimming with experimentation in form and content, we knew The Drama League should lift and celebrate these accomplishments.”

Since 1922, the awards (formalized in 1935) have been presented by the arts service organization, which has provided vital support to the theater community for over a century. The organization’s mission provides the nation’s only full-time life-long creative home for stage directors and the audiences that enjoy their work across the world.

The 87th Annual Drama League Awards streams on Friday, May 21, 7-9 pm, on Awards Room. You can RSVP to the event through Friday, May 21, at 4 pm. Tickets start at $15, with table purchase options available; everyone unable to donate is welcome to attend with a Pass-It-Forward Ticket. An email with a viewing link will be sent to registrants prior to the streaming.

Co-founded by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters as a pet adoption event in NYC in 1998, Broadway Barks has since grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Over the course of its twenty-two-year history, more than 85% of the animals featured annually have been adopted and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been allocated to shelters and rescue groups.

The 23rd annual Broadway Barks (and 2nd virtual Broadway Barks Across America) is set to stream free-of-charge on Sunday, May 23, at 7:00 pm. Hosted by Peters, produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Paul Wontorek, presented in partnership with Broadway.com, and sponsored by Subaru, the online event will feature adoptable animals introduced by stars from across the country.

The illustrious line-up of celebrity pet-lovers includes Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, Bill Berloni, Stephanie J. Block, Carol Burnett, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Lily Collins, Harry Connick Jr., Sheryl Crow, Jason Danieley, Ted Danson, Ariana DeBose, Daveed Diggs, Gloria Estefan, Harvey Fierstein, Calista Flockhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Groban, Kathryn Grody, Emmylou Harris, Megan Hilty, James Monroe Iglehart, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Jackson, Allison Janney, Nathan Lane, Bob Mackie, Audra McDonald, Charlie McDowell, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Mandy Patinkin, David Hyde Pierce, Randy Rainbow, Kelly Ripa, Chita Rivera, Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo, Mary Steenburgen, and Will Swenson.

Petra Janney is being honored as the 2021 recipient of the Mary Tyler Moore Award, for her work with Amelia Air – an organization she co-founded, which is dedicated to saving animals by flying them out of high-kill shelters to rescues with the resources to find them loving homes. Named after the beloved Broadway Barks’ co-founder, the award recognizes an individual or group that has changed the lives of homeless animals in a way that encourages others to do the same.

Broadway Barks will also welcome and support the following participating organizations in this year’s event: 1 Love 4 Animals, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniels Rescue, Adopt-A-Boxer, Adopt-A-Dog, Animal Care Centers Of NYC, Animal Haven, Anjellicle Cats, ARF (Animal Rescue Fund Of The Hamptons), ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society Of Los Angeles, Best Friends NYC, Bide-A-Wee, Bobbi And The Strays, Bonapartes Retreat Dog Rescue, City Critters, Dawgs N Texas, Francis’ Friends, Heart Of The Valley Animal Shelter, Humane Society Of New York, Husky House, Little Shelter Animal Rescue And Adoption Center, Long Island Bulldog, Long Island Golden Retriever Rescue, Love Leo Rescue, Manhattan Valley Cat Rescue, Metropolitan Maltese Rescue, Mid-Atlantic Great Danes, Pet-I-Care, Pet-Res-Q, Save Kitty, Sean Casey Animal Rescue, SPCA Of Westchester, Urban Cat League, and Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue.

Viewing of Broadway Barks, beginning at 7 pm, on Sunday, May 23, is free, but contributions are encouraged. Donations made via the website or stream will be evenly dispersed among the participating shelters and rescue organizations. To watch, click on Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, or visit the Broadway.com Facebook page or YouTube channel.

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