Amber Ruffin will return to host the 2025 Dramatists Guild Foundation Gala on October 20. Ruffin previously hosted the annual fundraiser in 2024.

Held at Ziegfeld Ballroom, this year’s Gala will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the DGF Fellows program, which supports emerging dramatists. DGF’s Gala is generously presented by Creative Partners Productions, with additional support from Concord Theatricals.

As previously announced, the Gala will honor playwright and educator Chisa Hutchinson (Proof of Love, The Subject, Somebody's Daughter), Tony-nominated lyricist and librettist Michael Korie (War Paint, Grey Gardens), and Playbill Publisher Jolie Schaffzin. The three are being honored for their commitment to fostering the next generation of storytellers. Hutchinson is a DGF Fellows alum, who is the founder of the Signpost Fellowship Mentorship Program; Korie is the DGF Fellows Musical Theater Chair and mentor; and Schaffzin is a DGF Advisory Board member and a long-standing supporter of emerging dramatists.

Started at the Dramatists Guild in 2000, the DGF Fellows program was founded by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Janet Neipris, and Susan Miller. Their mission was to bring writers together to learn from each other’s different perspectives, see how collaboration creates magic, and foster community. For nearly 25 years, the Fellows program has spring-boarded the careers of 250 playwrights and musical theatre writers.

Proceeds from the Gala will support playwrights, composers, lyricists and librettists for the American theater through financial resources, education-driven programming, and free rehearsal spaces throughout their careers.

This year’s Gala Committee includes DGF Board Members Louise Evins, Donald J. Loftus, and Barbara Olcott; with Nolan Doran, Lawryn LaCroix, Rob Laqui, Anna Mack Pardee, Lucas McMahon, Rachel Sussman, and Laurie Wenk-Pascal.

Tables, individual tickets, and sponsorship opportunities are available by visiting DGF.org/Gala or calling (212) 391-8384.