Theatre Bay Area Announce Legacy Award Recipients

Theatre Bay Area (TBA), the nonprofit service organization for theatre and dance in the Bay Area, is pleased to announce the three Legacy Award recipients to be honored at the upcoming TBA Awards ceremony. This year's awards recognize local performer Joan Mankin, long-time theatre patron and benefactor Jill Matichak and Steve Silver's long-standing musical revue Beach Blanket Babylon for extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to the region's theatre community at milestone points in their careers or history.

The awards will be presented at the inaugural ceremony being held on November 10 at the American Conservatory Theater's historic Geary Theater.

"The Legacy Awards are designed to recognize the enduring achievements made by outstanding performers, patrons and organizations whose accomplishments are revered throughout the Bay Area," said Brad Erickson, Executive Director of TBA.

Joan Mankin has earned widespread recognition throughout the Bay Area performing arts scene for her lifetime body of work as an actor, clown and juggler. In the span of her career, Mankin has performed at most major theatres in the region, including American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater and San Jose Stage Company.

Jill Matichak has earned the respect, admiration and appreciation of leaders across the Bay Area theatre community for her generous contributions as a patron, supporter and trustee. A partner at law firm Chapman and Cutler, Matichak is also an Off-Broadway producer and has served as board president of Magic Theatre.

Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon receives the Legacy Award on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. With more than 15,000 performances to date, it is the longest running musical revue in theatre history, beginning at the Savoy Tivoli in San Francisco in 1974. It has been a permanent fixture at Club Fugazi in the North Beach district ever since.

In addition to the Legacy Awards, the TBA Awards ceremony will spotlight honorees in almost two dozen categories encompassing theatres of all sizes across the Bay Area. The award recipients will be announced from a pool of over 350 finalists who have been evaluated by peer-adjudicators during the inaugural season of the program.

The TBA Awards exist to recognize outstanding achievement within the theatre community and to raise public awareness of the vibrant and diverse theatre scene throughout the Bay Area.

Tickets are available to the public at the A.C.T. Box Office (www.act-sf.org/tba). Tickets for the 7 p.m. ceremony at the Geary Theater are $35-125 and tickets for the post-event no-host party at nearby Ruby Skye are available on a limited basis for a $10 cover fee.

The TBA Awards ceremony is sponsored by Celebrity Cruises, Actors Equity Association, Wells Fargo Bank and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. The annual program is underwritten in part by grants from the Fleishhacker Foundation and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.