Odds & Ends: Marc & Julie Platt Help Establish MCC's Gary Platt Musical Initiative & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed today.

Marc & Julie Platt Help Establish MCC's Gary Platt Musical Initiative
Off-Broadway's MCC Theater, the celebrated nonprofit that today begins previews of the new musical The Wrong Man, has announced a generous donation by producer Marc Platt and his wife, Julie, to enhance and support the development and production of new musicals. The funding will help establish the Gary Platt Musical Initiative, named for their family's uncle and great-uncle, Gary, who had a lifelong love of musical theater. "Beyond being my beloved uncle, Gary introduced generations of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews to the world of musical theater," said Marc Platt, speaking on behalf of wife, Julie, and their family. "An initiative that encourages new playwrights and songwriters to reach their potential is a legacy he would be so proud of and a beautiful reflection of his life."

Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards to Launch in November
The legacy of one of America's most celebrated composers will serve as the basis of the newly announced honor The Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards, set to launch at an inaugural concert event this fall. The awards, aimed at recognizing and enabling the next generation of music-composition talent and organized in collaboration with Queens College, will debut in a ceremony at Lefrak Concert Hall on November 18 at 7:00pm. Among Hamlisch's long list of theater achievements are his Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning score of A Chorus Line and Tony-nominated music of Sweet Smell of Success.

Betty Corwin, Who Ensured the Filming of Live Theater, Dies at 98
Betty Corwin, the groundbreaker who in 1970 launched the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' program to preserve live performance on videotape, passed away on September 10 at home in Weston, Connecticut, according to The New York Times. She was 98. In 1969, Corwin proposed the idea of a Theater on Film and Tape Archive to the library. At first told she could pursue the project as a volunteer, Corwin proved the value of the project and was quickly brought on as director and fundraiser of the archive, which today holds 8,127 recordings, including theater performances and interviews with artists.

Kathleen Chalfant, Arian Moayed Take Part in Waterwell's "Flores Exhibits"
Waterwell and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition have announced the launch of "The Flores Exhibits," a series of short videos that amplify the voices of children held in detention facilities at the U.S./Mexico border. The first group of videos, now live at www.flores-exhibits.org, form the core of an integrated strategy to affect change in the U.S. immigration system through narrative-driven advocacy. Readers featured in the videos so far include Kathleen Chalfant, Arian Moayed, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Sakina Jaffrey, David Schwimmer, Malina Weisman, Bitta Mostofi, Jeffrey S. Chase and Luis Mancheno. Check out the trailer below.

The Flores Exhibits - Video Trailer from Waterwell on Vimeo.