Arena Stage Annual Gala

Laura Benanti

Tony® Award winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. Benanti co-starred in the hit film No Hard Feelings with Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick and guest stars in Max’s Gilded Age, Hulu’s Life & Beth (created by and starring Amy Schumer), and Elsbeth on CBS. Benanti earned rave reviews for her portrayal of a grieving widow in Netflix’s film Worth, starring opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci, and Amy Ryan. She can currently be seen in the film Goodrich, opposite Michael Keaton. She will next be seen in Everything’s Going to Be Great with Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney. Ms. Benanti’s iconic impression of Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is widely praised. Other TV work includes Younger, Ziwe, Gossip Girl, Supergirl, Nashville, and Inside Amy Schumer (among many others). In the theater, Ms. Benanti took Broadway by storm at the age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music and has subsequently starred in ten more Broadway shows (musicals, straight plays, comedies, and dramas) including Into the Woods, Nine (opposite Antonio Banderas), Gypsy (for which she won a Tony Award), She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower opposite Amy Schumer and Keegan-Michael Key. This year, Ms. Benanti debuted her highly celebrated solo comedy show Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, which she created, wrote, and starred in. This New York Times critic pick is available for streaming on Audible.

Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has represented and championed the residents of the District of Columbia since 1991. Before joining Congress, she served as the first female chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as appointed by President Jimmy Carter. Her work to secure Federal buildings in DC and her service as chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit and as a member of the Committees on Oversight and on Reform Transportation and Infrastructure have brought significant economic development to the District.

Congresswoman Norton entered Congress as a prominent national figure, having previously been a civil rights and feminist leader, a tenured law professor, and a board member for three Fortune 500 companies. She has been recognized in surveys as one of the 100 most influential American women and one of Washington's most powerful women. A third-generation Washingtonian, Congresswoman Norton's work for full congressional voting rights and complete democracy for the people of DC continues her lifelong commitment to human and civil rights.

Deborah F. Rutter

Former President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Deborah Rutter is one of the leading voices in arts administration today. As the first woman leader of the national cultural center, Rutter oversaw programming across all genres, as well as a global network of education initiatives. In 2019 Rutter opened the REACH—the first expansion of the Center's campus designed to bring audiences into the artistic process—setting the stage for dynamic growth. She expanded the Kennedy Center's programming to fully represent the diversity of art in America and introduced social impact and wellness programs across communities.

Before her tenure at the Kennedy Center, Rutter held executive leadership roles with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, the Seattle Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Rutter sits on the board of Vital Voices, is a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and served as co-chair of its Commission on the Arts.

Felicia Curry

Felicia Curry appeared at Arena Stage this season in both Karen Zacarías’s adaptation of The Age of Innocence and Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Death on the Nile. Most recently, she was in the one-woman thriller, Sandra, at TheaterWorks Hartford, and performed her solo cabaret at Everyman Theatre. Felicia received a Helen Hayes Award for Lela & Co. at Factory 449 where she is a company member. She is also a Resident Company Member at Everyman Theatre and an Artistic Associate at Ford’s Theatre. Felicia made her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated revival of Into the Woods, and then toured with the show around the country, including at The Kennedy Center. She has a Berkshire Theatre Critics Award, a RTCC Award, an Anderson-Hopkins Award, and is a two-time AUDELCO nominee for Queens Girl in the World at Abingdon Theatre and Fabulation at The Billie Holiday Theatre, both off-Broadway. Felicia has been named one of “12 DC Stage Dynamos” by The Washington Post and one of “DC’s Biggest Theater Stars” by Washingtonian magazine. She is on the WAPAVA Board of Directors and the Emmy-nominated host of WETA Arts on PBS.

 

Susan E. Carter

Susan Carter has expertise in issues management, government relations, crisis management, communications, nonprofit management, and strategic philanthropy. Recently retired after nearly 30 years with ExxonMobil, Susan served as the company’s lead representative with the White House and Executive Branch from 2006-2017.

Susan served in many other leadership roles over the course of her career. She led ExxonMobil’s worldwide community investment initiatives from 2003-2005, and during her tenure, created a new initiative focused on supporting women in developing countries. She also led the creation of a system of best practices for engaging with communities worldwide that has since been embedded in ExxonMobil’s operations, environmental and safety management practices.

After her retirement, Susan was President of the National Woman’s Party (NWP, founded by Alice Paul, the suffrage and women’s rights leader and author of the Equal Rights Amendment) at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument. Under her leadership, the organization in 2020 gifted the NWP’s iconic historic collection of artifacts from the women’s suffrage and equality movements to the National Park Service and the Library of Congress. The NWP also established a Research Fellowship in Women’s Rights History at the Library of Congress.  In 2021, the NWP combined operations with the Alice Paul Institute, and Susan served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Institute.

Susan currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of Arena Stage in Washington, DC and co-chairs its Strategy Committee. For NC State University, she chairs the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Advisory Council, is former chair of the School of Public and International Affairs Advisory Council, and serves as a reviewer for the prestigious Park Scholars selection process.

Susan earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from NC State, and her Masters Degree in Middle East Studies, International Economics and Arabic from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. After completing her graduate degree, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Syria, and a freelance journalist based in the Persian Gulf region. Her passions include travel, foreign policy, politics, women’s basketball, music, theater, books, art, and nature. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband, dog, and two cats.

R. Lucia Riddle

R. Lucia Riddle is the owner of Sister Strength, LLC, a fitness company devoted to the wellness, cardio/strength training ,and physical conditioning needs of women 50 years of age and older. Ms. Riddle is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and holds NASM’s Weight Loss Specialist (WLS) and Special Populations Specialist (SPS) certifications.

Until March 2012 she served as Vice President – Federal Government Relations with the Principal Financial Group. In that capacity she directed the federal legislative and regulatory strategy for issues affecting the company, ranging from health care to tax policy to financial services. Ms. Riddle holds an MBA from Drake University, is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI), and holds designations from America’s Health Insurance Plans and the International Claims Association.

Ms. Riddle serves on the Board of Directors and as Audit Chair of TD&P Consulting Inc., a privately held firm based in Silver Spring, MD. In addition, she serves on the boards of UnityPoint Hospital System (Des Moines, IA), Arena Stage, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (Emeritus), the Board of Advisors of Pathfinder International, and the National Coalition and Caucus for the Black Aged. She also is Co-Chair of the External Advocacy Committee of the Executive Leadership Council, the Capital City Chapter of The Links, Inc.; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and Sigma Iota Epsilon, an honorary business fraternity.

In 2008 and 2012, Ms. Riddle was named by Savoy Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America.” The prestigious list showcases leaders with exemplary accomplishments, influence in their companies and communities, and an ability to inspire others. In 2011, Ms. Riddle also received the President’s Award from the Washington Government Relations Group.