

Join us for a singular evening honoring the recipients of the 2026 THEATRE NOW IMPACT AWARD
BOB MARTIN &
MICHAEL R. JACKSON


We celebrate their originality, singular voices, and extraordinary achievements that have changed musical theatre and continue to influence what it can become.
PLATINUM COMMITTEE SPONSOR
Music Theatre International (MTI)
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SILVER COMMITTEE SPONSOR
Jerry Mitchell
THE GALA 2026 HONORARY COMMITTEE
Lisa Lambert, Chair
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Brooks Ashmanskas Nell Benjamin Susan Birkenhead
Danny Burstein Mary-Mitchell Campbell
Erika Henningsen Grey Henson
Marc Shaiman Lynne Shankel Alex Timbers
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH - 7PM
THE PLAYERS
16 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003



Bob Martin
Michael R. Jackson
Bob Martin has been working as a writer, performer, and producer in television, film, and theatre in Canada and the US for more than three decades. Bob is a co-creator of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone, which has had dozens of productions worldwide after winning 5 Tony Awards (including a Tony for Mr. Martin’s co-writing). Elf has enjoyed similar success with multiple productions worldwide each holiday season in both theaters and arenas, including multiple return engagements on Broadway and the West End. Most recently, he opened two blockbuster musicals on Broadway: Smash, a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and Boop! The Betty Boop Musical. The Prom garnered high critical acclaim, a NYT Critic’s Pick, and earned Mr. Martin another Tony nomination. Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation of The Prom (Netflix) stars Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden. Additional theatre projects include Millions (Alliance), Hey Look Me Over! (Encores!), Half Time (Paper Mill), and The Sting (Paper Mill). His theatrical endeavors in development include musical adaptations of House of Flowers, The Princess Bride, and Night at the Museum. On screen, Mr. Martin is co-creator of the new MGM+ original series American Classic and the cult favorite series Slings & Arrows. Additional television projects include Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, Michael: Everyday, and Sensitive Skin, with more in development.
Michael R. Jackson was one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2022. His Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle winning A Strange Loop (which had its 2019 world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in association with Page 73 Productions) received 11 Tony nominations in 2022, and was called "a full-on laparoscopy of the heart, soul, and loins" as well as a "gutsy, jubilantly anguished musical with infectious melodies" by Ben Brantley for The New York Times. In addition to A Strange Loop, Michael recently made his operatic debut with an original libretto for Complications in Sue, commissioned by Opera Philadelphia starring Justin Vivian Bond. He also wrote book, music and lyrics for White Girl in Danger, and book and lyrics for Teeth which opened at New World Stages in Fall 2024. Awards and associations include: a New Professional Theatre Festival Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, an ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Award, a Whiting Award, the Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, a Fred Ebb Award, a Windham-Campbell Prize, a Dramatist Guild Fellowship and he is an alum of Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Group.






