The Summer Institute 30th Anniversary Benefit Celebration at Indochine

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate 30 years of the Summer Institute! Scroll down for a gallery of photos from the event.

Honoring

Paul Lazar
Natsuko Ohama
Kaneza Schaal
 
 

At a Glance

What: 30th Anniversary Benefit for The Wooster Group Summer Institute
When: Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Where: Indochine, 430 Lafayette Street, NYC
Who: A free, three-week performing-arts program for NYC public-school students ages 12–18
Why: To keep the Summer Institute tuition-free for all participants
 
 

Event Sponsor

Select Equity Group Foundation
 

Invitation Committee

Larry Casalino and Margaret Sloan
Steve Cuiffo and Eleanor Hutchins
James Dennin and Heather Brennan
Vallejo Gantner
David Gilbert and Hara Woltz
Mike Iveson
Robin Jenkins and Lisa Marie Simonetti
Mark Russell and Jennifer Goodale
Scott Shepherd
Kathy and Allan Weiser
 

Patrons

Anonymous

Benefactors

Barry Abrams
Jerry Bernstein and Ann Berlstein
Paul Cassidy and Vernon Evenson
Johnny Colapinto
Norma Cole
Buddy Dikman
Mark Goldberg and Ariana Smart Truman
Madeleine Grynsztejn and Tom Shapiro
Tom and Jennifer Jacoby
Maxine Lubner and Paul Goldberg
Gary Martin and Patrick Owens
Noni Pratt
Anita Sibony de Adelsberg and Jonathan Adelsberg
Bill Stasiulatis and Carolina Saez
Michelle Stern

Supporters

Jennifer and Charles Baum
Suzanne Bocanegra and David Lang
Dolores Budd
Stella Duarte Geller, Claudia Duarte, and Alan Geller
Laurie Hawkinson
Karen Lashinsky
Greig Sargeant
Kate Shepherd
Erica Weissman

Contributors

Scott Adkins
Bruce Allardice
Heidi and Niels Andersen
Anonymous
Carol Callahan
Don Castro
Oleg Dubson
Deborah Freedman
Michael French
Sandra Garner
Claudia Gould
Yvan Greenberg and Chris Kam
Brian Heatherington
Amy Huggans and Jim Findlay
Barbara Hughes
Lecia Kaslofsky
Tom Mandel and Beth Joselow
Laurie Malkoff
Aran Maree
Matthew Malin
Robyn Mewshaw
Jennifer Harrison Newman
Natsuko Ohama
Maria A. Perez
Daniel Pettrow
Malka Schwartz
Dans Maree Sheehan
Dave and Celia Slater
Shanta Thake and Tommy Kriegsmann
Louisa Thompson
Tory Vazquez and Richard Maxwell
David Wagner
Weinberg Family Fund
Ian Wen
Kim Whitener
Ben Williams
Gary Wilmes
David Zinn

Institutional Donors

The Bowery Group restaurants Cookshop and Vic’s
Court Street Grocers
The Drama Book Shop
Grandaisy Bakery
Indochine
Ladurée
 
 
 
Founded in 1996 as an educational offshoot of The Wooster Group, the Summer Institute invites students to discover new dimensions of themselves through joyful, rigorous exploration of live performance. Each summer, we serve approximately 20 students and 4–5 paid interns. More than half of participating families receive government assistance, and students come from all five boroughs, representing a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

The 30th Anniversary Benefit is both a celebration and a fundraiser. Proceeds directly support the Institute’s continued ability to remain tuition-free for students, ensuring that access is never determined by a family’s ability to pay.

The afternoon will be convivial and informal, with food, conversation, and community, as we honor three teaching artists whose work has been foundational in shaping the spirit, pedagogy and ethos of the Summer Institute.
 
 

HONOREE BIOGRAPHIES

Paul Lazar is a founding member of Big Dance Theater and an Obie-award winning director and performer whose work has been presented at BAM, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Classic Stage Company, and internationally. As an actor, he has appeared in more than forty feature films and was a longtime performer with The Wooster Group, bringing a singular rigor and playfulness to the Institute’s creative practice.

Natsuko Ohama is one of the country’s leading voice teachers and a founding faculty member of Shakespeare & Company. A Drama Desk–nominated actress and internationally sought-after pedagogue, she has trained generations of performers at institutions including NYU, Columbia, CalArts, the Stratford Festival, and USC, shaping the Institute’s vocal and ensemble work for decades.

Kaneza Schaal is a Guggenheim Fellow and internationally recognized director working across theater, opera, and film. Her productions have been presented globally, and she directed the Pulitzer Prize–winning opera Omar; her expansive artistic vision and commitment to arts education have profoundly influenced the Institute’s scope and ambition.