Jay Leno Returns to the Geffen Playhouse to Raise Funds for No Limits for Deaf Children and the Geffen's Education and Community Outreach Programs

JAY LENO RETURNS TO THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR NO LIMITS FOR DEAF CHILDREN AND THE GEFFEN’S EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS

“A SPECIAL EVENING WITH JAY LENO AND FRIENDS,” A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY EVENT ON MONDAY, JUNE 26; TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 3, 2017) – Jay Leno is returning to the Geffen Playhouse for a one-night-only show to benefit No Limits for deaf children and the Geffen’s education and community engagement programs. A Special Evening with Jay Leno and Friends will take place on Monday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. Kathy Buckley, “America’s First Hearing Impaired Comedienne,” will host the event.

Leno previously appeared at the Geffen in support of No Limits for deaf children and the Geffen Playhouse in 2015 with Jay Leno & Friends. The partnership underscores the Geffen’s commitment to fellow non-profit organizations by collaborating on one-of-a-kind events.

Jay Leno, television late-night show host, stand-up comedian, best-selling children’s book author, voice-over artist and philanthropist, began his career in night clubs before earning widespread acclaim with his own late-night talk show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1992. By then, he had made a name for himself as a well-respected comedian due to his late-night television appearances: he made a record number of visits to Late Night with David Letterman and served as Johnny Carson’s permanent guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, eventually inheriting Carson’s seat when he retired. Leno’s final show as the host of The Tonight Show in 2014 featured Billy Crystal and musical guest Garth Brooks, along with a few surprise guests including Jack Black, Kim Kardashian, Jim Parsons, Sheryl Crow, Chris Paul, Carol Burnett and Oprah Winfrey.

Leno’s CNBC series Jay Leno’s Garage debuted in October 2015 and delivered CNBC’s most-watched first season in network history. Now in its second season, the show explores the world of cars and the real stories of the people behind the wheel.

Leno is committed to using his talents to help those less fortunate. Each year, he hosts numerous benefit performances, including shows for those whose lives were devastated by the 9/11 tragedy, the tsunami in Thailand, hurricanes in the gulf, and the severe economic downturn in Detroit. He leads the annual Love Ride in California to benefit numerous humanitarian organizations serving people with autism, muscular dystrophy, and the Special Olympics, among many others. He has also served as honorary campaign chairman for several years for the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood’s charitable arm, and he has assisted the Gender Apartheid campaign led by his wife Mavis with the Feminist Majority, helping to free Afghan women of Taliban tyranny, an effort for which Mavis and The Feminist Majority were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Kathy Buckley, Board Member and Spokesperson of No Limits, is a five-time American Comedy Award Nominee for Best Stand-Up Female Comedienne, and the winner of countless other awards for her work. Her television appearances include The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Inside Edition, CNN, HBO, VH1’s Stand-Up Spotlight, Comic Strip Live, Evening at the Improv, and Caroline’s Comedy Hour. E! Entertainment named her one of the “World’s Most Intriguing Women.” In addition to comedy, Buckley starred in her own original award-winning PBS special, “No Labels No Limits.”

Whether performing in a comedy club, appearing on television, speaking publicly, teaching at camps for children, or appearing in any number of other settings, Buckley bears her message that anything can be achieved when the heart and the mind work together. An active volunteer for No Limits, she dedicates every day of her life to the children and families of No Limits as its spokesperson and has raised more than $1,000,000 over the past 20 years. She is passionate about ensuring all deaf children have the ability to communicate and has dedicated herself to raising awareness for the children and families of No Limits. She has performed alongside No Limits children in theatrical productions nationwide, including sold-out performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall, sharing the message that anything is possible for deaf children.

A SPECIAL EVENING WITH JAY LENO AND FRIENDS
Monday, June 26, 2017
7:30 p.m. Curtain

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are currently priced at $95.00 - $150.00. Available now in person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, by phone at 310.208.5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply.

LOCATION
Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

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ABOUT NO LIMITS FOR DEAF CHILDREN
No Limits is a nationwide non-profit organization, founded in 1996 by Michelle Christie, Ed.D, that teaches deaf children the skills to succeed in school and in life through its national theater program and after school centers in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, NV, and Oxnard, CA. No Limits is the only program in the country that provides life changing, impact driven programs that help school-age deaf children boost their self-esteem and develop communication skills as well as teach parents the skills to be advocates for their child. To date, No Limits has produced over 100 theatrical productions in professional venues nationwide, including Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Kirk Douglas Theater, and the Neighborhood Playhouse. No Limits has received countless accolades for its revolutionary techniques, including recognition as a Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Hearing Angel Award, and the George Washington Medal of Honor by the Freedom’s Foundation. No Limits has been the subject of four documentaries and been featured on OPRAH, The Learning Channel, PBS, CNN, NBC, and other local media outlets across the nation for its innovative and uplifting programming. No Limits is proud to have reached over 200,000 people, with 100% of its alumni in college or graduated from college. For more information, visit: http://www.nolimitsfordeafchildren.org.

ABOUT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates, and is currently helmed by Artistic Director Randall Arney, Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr., and Co-Chairs of the Board Martha Henderson and Pamela Robinson. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts. www.geffenplayhouse.org

MEDIA CONTACT
Ashley Bodul, Geffen Playhouse

310.208.6500 Ext. 159