Merissa Buczy, NBPAC Executive Director, DEVCO Vice President
The City of New Brunswick represented by Mayor Jim Cahill and the City Council as the recipients of the 2024 Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award
Sunday, May 19, 2024 NBPAC & The Heldrich Hotel
The mission of George Street Playhouse is to enrich people’s lives by producing world-class theatre. To accomplish our mission, we seek the following:
To produce the highest quality of intellectually and emotionally challenging new works, re-imagined classics, and educational programs that speak with relevance to society;
To serve as a vital cultural institution in New Jersey and a creative force nationally;
To positively shape and be shaped by the diverse character of our community;
To create a nurturing home for the highest level of professional in the arts.
The values of George Street Playhouse embody and celebrate the identities, backgrounds and diverse experiences of our communities.
We are an organization fully committed to:
Being open to and receptive of new ideas. Being an advocate of diverse populations within our communities. Being collaborative within our organization by giving everyone a voice.
Being authentic in our curiosity and seeking opportunities to develop our own lives through learning and celebrating others.
As we gather tonight for our 50th Anniversary Gala, we reflect on the journey we've embarked on since return to our beloved home at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. In the wake of the pandemic, and through our industry’s continued recovery, your unwavering support has been the cornerstone of our resilience and success, and for that, we extend our deepest gratitude.
Tonight, it is our honor to present the Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award to two extraordinary recipients whose dedication to the arts in our community has been nothing short of inspiring. We celebrate Merissa Buczny, the Executive Director of NBPAC and Vice President of DEVCO, whose tireless efforts have enriched our cultural landscape with a beautiful new venue for the arts. We also applaud The City of New Brunswick, represented by Mayor Jim Cahill and the City Council, for their unwavering commitment to fostering a vibrant arts scene that uplifts and empowers our entire community.
To our cherished sponsors and supporters, your generosity fuels our creative endeavors and ensures that the magic of the stage continues to captivate audiences far and wide. Thank you for standing by us and for joining us in celebrating the transformative power of the arts.
As we anticipate the upcoming season, we eagerly look forward to welcoming you back to New Brunswick for a series of unforgettable experiences that promise to captivate hearts and minds for another 50 years.
James N. Heston Chairman, Board of Trustees
Penelope Lattimer, Ph.D. President, Board of Trustees
David
Saint Artistic DirectorEdgar Herrera Managing
Director
Chairman
James N. Heston*
President
Penelope E. Lattimer, Ph.D*
Treasurer
Kimberlee S.P. Murphy*
Vice President
Philip L. Kirstein*
Secretary Sharon Karmazin*
Trustees
Ronald Bleich* • Edgar Herrera* • Lucy Hughes • Adele Macula, Ed.D.*
Dina M. Mastellone, Esq. • Norman Politziner, CFP, CeFT • David Saint*
Jocelyn Schwartzman • Janic G. Stolar • Lora Tremayne
*Denotes members of the Executive Committee
Al D’Augusta • Cody P. Eckert • Kenneth M. Fisher • Peter Goldberg • William Hagaman
Clarence E. Lockett • Anthony L. Marchetta • Alan W. Voorhees • George Wolansky
James Cahill • Thomas H. Kean • Eric Krebs, Founder
Maurice Aaron▲ Dr. Edward Bloustein▲ Robert L. Bramson** Dora Center**
Douglas Fairbanks▲ Milton Goldman▲ John Hila Betty Wold Johnson▲ Arthur Laurents▲ Richard Sellars▲ Barbara Voorhees**
Edward K. Zuckerman▲ Adelaide M. Zagoren ** - Denotes Trustee Emeritus ▲- Denotes Honorary Trustee
George Street Playhouse is pleased to Honor
Merissa Buczny
Executive Director, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center
Vice President, New Brunswick Development Corportation
The City of New Brunswick represented by Mayor Jim Cahill and the City Council with the 2024 Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award
The Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award was instituted by the George Street Playhouse Board of Trustees and management in 1989 as an annual tribute to an individual, corporation, or foundation whose dedication to the arts enhances the cultural life of our state. The inaugural award was presented to the Honorable Thomas H. Kean, who as governor and private citizen, has had, and continuesto have, a lasting and profound impact in making New Jersey a national model of excellence in the arts.
Withum+, 2024
Robert Wood Foundation, Jocelyn Schwartzman, and Lora Tremayne, 2022
The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Thomas F. Kelso, Esq., and James N. Heston, 2021
Cecelia & Seward Johnson, and The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, 2019
Penelope E. Lattimer, Ph.D. , 2018
Marlene and Tony Volpe, 2017
Joseph P. Benincasa and The Actors Fund, 2016
Stephen K. Jones, 2015
Honorable Mayor James M. Cahill, 2014
The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, 2013
William V. Engel, 2012
Betty Wold Johnson, 2011
William R. Hagaman, Jr. , 2010
Christopher J. Paladino and Geroge R. Zoffinger, 2009
Ralph W. Voorhees, and in remembrance,
Barbara Voorhees, 2008
Robert E. Campbell, 2007
Carol Ann Herbert, 2006 Bank of America, 2005
Freeholder, Director, David B. Crabiel, 2004
John A. Lynch, 2003
New Jersey State Bar Foundation, 2002
Sharon Karmazin and The Karma Foundation, 2001
Clarence E. Lockett, 2000
PNC Bank, 1999
The Eleanor B. Reiner Foundation, 1998
CoreStates Bank, 1997
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, 1996
The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, 1995
Brother International Corporation, 1994
Merck and Company, 1993
Johnson & Johnson,1992
The Prudential Foundation, 1991
Recipients of the 2024 Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award
Merissa Buczny
Executive Director, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center
Vice President, New Brunswick Development Corporation
Ms. Buczny was the key project leader in the creation of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center and has guided its success in the years since its opening in September 2019. We are pleased to acknowledge her leadership and her advocacy of New Brunswick as an arts and culture destination.
The City of New Brunswick
represented by Mayor Jim Cahill and the City Council
Our hometown, under the leadership of long-serving Mayor Jim Cahill, has been a welcoming and nurturing home for arts and culture. We are honored to recognize our partnership with the city as we strive to fulfill our mission to enrich people’s lives through the production of world-class theatre.
Lucy Hughes and Sean Devlin
Sharon Karmazin and The Karma Foundation
SJP Properties
SpecialThankstoOurSponsors
Johnson & Johnson
The Honorable Thomas H. Kean
Mindy Raso and Philip L. Kirstein
Parker Health Group
Dorothy and Norm Politziner
David Saint Withum+
Mrs. Peggy Barbella
Nancy and Joseph Benincasa
Lois and Ronald Bleich
Bloomberg
Boraie Development, LLC
Nancy Brannegan and John Hoffman
Donna Castronovo in Honor of Jim Heston
EisnerAmper
Elkus Manfredi Architects
Erdmann Group/Merril Lynch
Fox Rothschild
Betsy and Lou Garlatti
Genova Burns, LLC
Thomas and Margaret Gorrie
Austin Hagaman
Bill and Rhonda Hagaman
Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation
Ruth and Steve Hendel
Dan Loughlin, JLL
Josh Kalafer/Clinton Honda, Somerset Patriots, and Land Rover Princeton
Thomas and Leslie Keslo
KMS Development Partners, LP
Penelope E. Lattimer, Ph.D.
Adele Macula, Ed.D.
Nancy and Duncan MacMillan
Magyar Bank
Dina Mastellone
Jocelyn Schwartzman
Nonny and Paul Stahlin
Janice and Lewis Stolar
THA Consulting
Lora Tremayne
U.S. Title Solutions Vollers
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP
Your friends, Your friends, Ruth and Stephen Hendel Ruth and Stephen Hendel
Best Wishes,
Winnie Holzman and Paul Dooley
G o o d t i m e s a n d b a d t i m e s , I ’ v e s e e t h e m a l l a n d , m y d e a r , w e ’ r e s t i l l h e r e Congratulations
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S T O T H I S
Y E A R ’ S H O N O R E E S A N D G E O R G E
S T R E E T P L A Y H O U S E O N I T S
5 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y
L O I S A N D R O N B L E I C H
J A N I C E A N D L E W I S S T O L A R A R E P L E A S E D T O H O N O R A N D C E L E B R A T E T H E 5 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y O F T H E G E O R G E S T R E E T P L A Y H O U S E A N D
2 5 Y E A R S O F A R T I S T I C E X C E L L E N C E B Y D A V I D S A I N T C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S T O T H E T H O M A S H K E A N A R T S A D V O C A C Y A W A R D H O N O R E E S M A R I S S A B U C Z N Y A N D T H E C I T Y O F N E W B R U N S W I C K .
and thank you to our friend Mayor Jim Cahill & the City of New Brunswick and Merissa Buczny of DEVCO for all you do for George Street Playhouse and our community.
Lisa Goldstein and Ira Novak
