POSITIVE EXPOSURE, a 501c3 charitable organization that promotes a more equitable and inclusive world through award-winning photography, films, lectures and educational programs, will present Steven Perlman, DDS, MScD, DHL, with the Spirit of Change Award and Xian Horn with the Rising Leader Award during their virtual 2021 Change How You See Celebration on September 22nd at 7:00 PM ET.
Highlights of the evening will also include a very special tribute by Bebe Neuwirth to the late Ann Reinking, a longtime champion of disability advocacy and POSITIVE EXPOSURE.
The show is directed by beloved Broadway actor and director, Nick Corley, who acted in She Loves Me, Mary Poppins, You Can’t Take it with You, A Christmas Carol and was the Associate Director on the recent revivals of Burn This and Plaza Suite. Currently he is the Associate Director of Candace Bushnell’s new show, coming to the Daryl Roth Theater this fall, Is There Still Sex in the City. Choreographer James Kinney (Fosse) put together a stellar performance as part of the tribute to Ann Reinking with Broadway dancers Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Yesenia Ayala and Arisa Odaka, as well as Heidi Latsky Dance Core Company Member, Donald Lee. Other performances for the evening will include Mandy Harvey (America’s Got Talent), Lachi (PBS), Treshelle Edmond (Broadway’s Spring Awakening) and The Broadway Boys.
A tradition of the Annual Celebration is the “Pre-Party,” which airs immediately before the main event at 6:00 PM ET and is hosted by Tastemade, a modern media company and one of the sponsors for the fundraiser. Chef Gregg Brackman, owner of the G Bar and Little G Bar in Swampscott, MA, will host a livestream cooking class via the ChefsFeed Experiences by Tastemade platform, a marketplace and ticketing platform that empowers Makers to create, sell, and manage unique experiences, including livestream cooking classes, IRL pop-up events, culinary tours, brand activations, and more. The inspiration for the “Pre-Party” was initially a response to the pandemic during the 2020 event and wanting to give people the feeling of connectedness by cooking a meal simultaneously with people from around the world and then tuning into the Annual Celebration together.
Adding to the many highlights of the evening will be award presentations. Tim Shriver will present Dr. Steven Perlman with the 2021 POSITIVE EXPOSURE Spirit of Change Award for creating Special Olympics Health Athlete, which is currently the largest public health program in the world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is the founder of Special Olympics Special Smiles, an oral health initiative of Special Olympics International and an integral component of bringing healthcare services to athletes. Judy Heumann, disability rights activist and legend, will present the 2021 POSITIVE EXPOSURE Rising Leader Award to Xian Horn.
Find out more about the event here.
