Chris Paul, Bebe Neuwirth Set for Geffen Playhouse Gala Ahead of LA28

Geffen Playhouse will honor retired NBA All-Star Chris Paul, Broadway veteran Bebe Neuwirth and longtime entertainment attorney Harold A. Brown at its 24th Annual Backstage at the Geffen fundraiser, set for October 18 inside the theater's Gil Cates Theater in Westwood. The evening will also mark the launch of a new venture chaired by Paul, the Geffen Playhouse Artist & Athlete Collaborative, timed to the city's run-up to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Paul will receive the inaugural Community Impact Award, a newly established honor recognizing a leader outside the theater world whose work has benefited the Los Angeles community, according to MyNewsLA.com. Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, played 21 NBA seasons, including seven across two stints with the Clippers, before retiring in February. His Chris Paul Family Foundation has supported community programs and educational initiatives around the country, the outlet reports.

As chair of the new Artist & Athlete Collaborative, Paul will help steer a program designed to bring together athletes, playwrights, performers and cultural leaders to develop and stage original works. The collaborative will operate around the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, developing work just steps from the UCLA campus that will house the Olympic Village, according to BroadwayWorld.

Olympics Bring Arts and Sports Together

The timing is no accident. LA28 organizers unveiled details in May for the 2028 Cultural Olympiad, a citywide arts and performance program meant to link local cultural institutions with international audiences ahead of the Summer Games, as reported by LAist. Geffen Playhouse sits in Westwood, directly adjacent to UCLA, positioning the theater to serve as a physical and institutional bridge between athletics and the arts as the Games approach.

The Gil Cates Theater, where the fundraiser will be held, seats 512 patrons and hosts five mainstage productions each season along with special events and readings, per the theater's own account of its history. Founded in 1995 by former UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Dean Gilbert Cates and named for donor David Geffen, the playhouse occupies a 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival building in Westwood that was originally built as a UCLA student Masonic clubhouse and remains owned by the university.

Broadway Star and Entertainment Lawyer Also Honored

Neuwirth, a Tony and Emmy Award winner, will receive the Artistic Impact Award. She made her Broadway debut in 1980 in A Chorus Line and later won Tony Awards for her performances in Sweet Charity and Chicago, according to the mynewsla.com report. She was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2023, portrayed Lilith Sternin-Crane on Cheers, won two Emmy Awards, and appeared in films including Jumanji, Green Card and Summer of Sam. Her stage career has continued into recent years; she was nominated for a 2024 Tony Award and won a 2024 Drama Desk Award for playing Fräulein Schneider in Broadway's revival of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, per BroadwayWorld.

Brown, an entertainment attorney who joined Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman in 1976, will receive the Founders Award as the fourth recipient of that honor, following Frank Marshall in 2025, Gene Block in 2024, and Frank Mancuso in 2020. The Founders Award recognizes entertainment industry leaders who made a lasting impact on Geffen Playhouse. Brown served as a founding trustee of the playhouse for 25 years and has represented artists, filmmakers, producers and executives including Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, Michael Mann, George Miller, Robert Zemeckis and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

A Night of Unscripted Stories

Marcel Spears, who appeared in Geffen Playhouse's 2024 production of Fat Ham and stars in The Neighborhood, will host the fundraiser. The event is known for its distinct format: unannounced, high-profile performers and entertainment industry figures share unscripted, behind-the-scenes personal anecdotes without formal scripts or public rehearsal schedules. Past surprise storytellers at the event have included figures such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dick Van Dyke, Amanda Gorman, Debbie Allen, Lily Tomlin and Annette Bening, according to the theater's own press materials.

Proceeds from Backstage at the Geffen support the theater's productions as well as its education and community engagement programs. In recent years, including 2021, 2022 and 2023, the fundraiser has consistently raised more than $1 million per event, money that helps fund outreach reaching more than 15,000 Los Angeles youth, seniors and veterans annually, according to Geffen Playhouse. The nonprofit theater welcomes more than 130,000 audience members each year across its mainstage and community programming.