The Live Design Honors, recognizing The Design Aesthetic of Hal Prince, took place on Tuesday, May 15 at the Kimmel Center at New York University in a gala evening that benefited The ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes charity. This event marked the 2nd Annual Live Design Honors, paying tribute to a group of outstanding individuals and the collaborative spirit of the designers who work together to create memorable and innovative productions. A panel discussion included lighting designer Allen Lee Hughes serving as moderator, as well as Lisa Aronson, Beowulf Boritt, Judith Dolan, Eugene Lee, Richard Pilbrow, and David Rockwell.
A raffle and silent auction were held during a cocktail reception prior to the evening's panel. Auction items included VIP tickets to Cirque du Soleil's KÀ, a week in St. Barth, tickets to several NY Mets and NY Yankees games, a quartet of wines from Piedmont, original photographs from Andrew Hefter, and a priceless copy of The Designs of Tharon Musser signed by all living ‘Musser University Alumni’ participants. There were many bidding wars over the items, raising almost $7,500 for Behind the Scenes.
The raffle drawing, which took place at the end of the evening, was conducted by Hal Prince himself. The lucky winner went home with a 30GB video iPod and CDs of Hal Prince productions including Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and A Little Night Music.
Contributors and donors included Altman Rentals, Cast Software, Cirque du Soleil, City Theatrical, Theresa De Turris, Design & Drafting Software Co., Rosemond Gréaux, Andrew Hefter, Ellen Lampert-Gréaux, Lee Filters, John McGraw, John McKernon Software, Rob Strohmeier, and Wybron.