"The West Wing" Actress to Attend Shakespeare Gala

Television, film and Broadway actors Allison Janney and Blythe Danner will be among the celebrities attending the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's annual gala Saturday night at the Hilton Short Hills.

The fundraising event, which is expected to raise about $220,000, will honor artistic director Bonnie Monte, who took over the ailing theater company then known as the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival in 1990.

"Twenty years ago, Bonnie Monte changed the course of this institution," said board president Karl Meister. "Her stewardship over the past two decades has made the Shakespeare Theatre a world-class stage and educational institution dedicated to preserving the world's greatest plays."

A film highlighting major events at the theater during the past two decades will be shown during the gala, followed by a cabaret show of music and comedy sketches inspired by the classics. The show will feature Shakespeare Theatre company members, Broadway performers, and TV and film actors.

The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. and includes a silent auction, featuring such items as Tiffany jewelry, a signed script and director's chair from the TV show "Damages," a five-course tasting dinner at Copeland restaurant and a dinner party for six catered by Ome Catering.   

About 300 people are expected to attend the black-tie gala, which is the theater's biggest fundraising event of the year. Co-chairs are Ellen and Fritz Laird of Harding and Vicky and Richard McGlynn of Far Hills.

Ellen Laird joined the board last year after attending the theater for many years. "We're thrilled to be so involved," she said.

In addition to Janney, best known for her role as press secretary on the 1999-2006 TV series "The West Wing," and Danner, who appeared in the 2000 movie "Meet the Parents" and the 2004-06 TV series "Huff," expected guests include Broadway performers Kate Baldwin ("Finian's Rainbow") and Laila Robins ("Heartbreak House"), Tamara Tunie of the TV series "Law and Order: SVU," former Gov. Thomas Kean and Drew University President Robert Weisbuch.    

Janney, who appeared in the Broadway musical "9 to 5" last year, worked with Monte early in their careers at the Williamstown (Mass.) Theatre Festival and in New York City. Danner also performed at Williamstown.

Gala tickets cost from $295 to $1,000 per person. A portion of each ticket is tax-deductible.

For information, call (973) 408-3761 or go online to www.ShakespeareNJ.org.