Debra Martin Chase

Last night it was my honor to be honored with the Ceiling Breaker Award by the @wptheater at their annual gala. I was so happy that my fellow honorees included my friends at the excellent 321 Management-- Nina Essman, Nancy Gibbs and Marcia Goldberg--who I have worked with on almost all of my theatrical productions and wonderful director @naptural85 aka whitney white who just received her second Tony nomination for the Pulitzer Prize winning and Tony nominated play @liberationbway . @wptheater is the largest theatre in the nation dedicated to supporting and producing women artists. Many thanks and hugs to @karaakter aka Kara Young who beautifully introduced me. You are a ray of light. I am so grateful to all of my friends and family who attended the very lovely event and to those who supported with donations. Many thanks to @lisamcnulty , @leasonnyc aka laura eason and everyone at @wptheater who worked so hard to make the evening a success. And very special thanks to @caleb.mathura and @noahpacht , the current Ponyboy and Johnny of @outsidersmusical , who beautifully sang Stay Gold from our show at my request and Harsh Alukar who made a really terrific tribute video about me.

WE WON! Last night we won the @lortelawards for Best Revival! These awards specifically recognize excellence Off-Broadway. We are thrilled!! And we are super excited that #twoandahalfmen star @mrjoncryer will join our cast beginning on May 11.

When you are a pioneering trailblazer with a singular iconic career, it's a huge task to figure out what to do in the next phase of your career. Such is the case with my friend @mistyonpointe aka misty copeland who with her retirement from @abtofficial aka american ballet theatre on the horizon wisely started laying the groundwork for her transition a few years ago. Wednesday night was a real milestone for her-- a celebration of her 4 year old @mistycopelandfdn aka Misty Copeland Foundation and a public recognition that it has successfully moved from an idea to a thriving institution. Through its signature Be Bold program, MCF's mission is to make ballet and dance accessible to kids from all backgrounds and ethnicities and to support them on their artistic journeys. Major congratulations to Misty and I know that there are many more great things to come.

It was a Disney Channel night at Disneyland At Night! Lots of women walking around in pastel velour track suits with cheetah accessories! Songs from all 3 @cheetahgirlsofficial movies were playing throughout the park all night. And when I walked into Frontierland "Determinate" from @lemonademouth_official was blasting. I am very happy that the work is still being enjoyed. So many great memories.

Great LA weekend hanging with bestie @carolsuttonlewis . First I was thankfully able to slip down to Laguna to spend Friday night at the always wonderful and insightful @wearelwd aka Leading Women Defined annual conference. @iamdebralee has created a remarkable institution that brings together fabulous and dynamic Black women to celebrate the sisterhood and gain insight into and information about a range of relevant topics. Friday night was a terrific panel of my good friends hosted by the always fantastic @michele__norris with Hollywood CEOs @darrenwalker and @iamcharlesdking . We had a prepublication toast to our longtime friend @lisaedavisauthor to celebrate her new book Our Minds Were Always Free. On Saturday we spent the best afternoon at @hauserwirth with their @beatriceshen1 and @kibumk of the wonderful Koreatown based gallery @commonwealthandcouncil to have lunch at manuela and see the most impressive and inspirational exhibit of @eileenharrisnorton 's collection #destinyisarose.

The summer of '24 I visited Copenhagen for the first time and really tried without success to get a reservation at Noma, the no one restaurant in the world for a number of years. So when its LA popup was announced, I was determined to go! It sold out in 4 minutes, but I managed to snag 2 spots. @pigrob46 aka Pearlena Igbokwe and I went tonight and had a great time. Noma totally lived up to its hype. The entire Copenhagen staff of 100 people have moved to LA. All of the ingredients are sourced from California and staff members took months to do so. The multi course ( like 10!) meal -- and we could not fully make it to the end-- was terrific with great artistry, amazing flavor combos and great beauty. Moreover the whole experience, at a Spanish estate in Silverlake, was fun and fab. Despite the controversy, the staff was on the top of their game in all respects. A top 3 culinary experience for me.

Congratulations to @natblacktheatre aka national black theatre, @jaymc86 aka jonathan mccrory, @sade1111 aka sade lythcott and @denisebinspired aka denise bradley tyson for a terrific inaugural luncheon honoring my friend and @purposeonbroadway producing partner Tony Award winning producer @coles_robyn and Tony nominated director @yesimwhitneywhite aka whitney white. NBT is doing terrific work and on the verge of opening an amazing cultural center in the heart of Harlem. They had a fabulous turnout and lots of love in the room. Special congratulations to my girl @denisebinspired who is on the board and co-chaired the luncheon. Onward! ❤️

A great day of art and theatre in Baltimore! My friend @annier0berts , who is a curator at the @baltimoremuseumofart , gave my friend @davidheleniak and I a private tour of the celebrated @asherald exhibit. I had missed it in NYC and it was moved to Baltimore, where Amy had lived and studied, after issues arose with the @nationalportraitgallery . Then the main purpose of the trip-- to see my dear friend @lenawaithe in her new play Trinity. A very compelling and emotionally insightful play written by and starring Lena and directed by Tony nominated @steviewalkerwebb , the Artistic Director of the @bmorecenterstage . Brava Lena!! ❤️The production has been extended to March 15. Heard a lot about the burgeoning Black arts scene in Baltimore. Folks coming down from the tri-state area to have real living space and a strong community.

Today was the annual @nycballet spring luncheon. As some of you know, I was on the board of the Company for a decade. I co-chaired this event for 3 or 4 years awhile back and it's one of my favorite Company events. This year retiring principal dancer @mfairchild17 aka megan fairchild was honored. The woman is amazing and inspirational. She started at the @sab_nyc aka school of american ballet when she was 16 ( or thereabouts) and has been in the organization ever since. While dancing she got her BA from Fordham and her MBA from NYU. She has three kids ( including a set of twins) and a great husband. She also teaches at SAB. The terrific program was wonderfully once again produced and hosted by board member @donyabommer . She is the key ingredient that makes these luncheons such a success.

Brava Betsy! Team Martin Chase Productions--@tinedeangel aka christine deangelis and @racheljfim aka rachel fimbianti and moi--had a really delicious dinner in the warm, cozy and flavorful restaurant @betsynotbetsys aka Betsy in Altadena. I grew up in Altadena and we moved away when i was 15. This was my first time back post fires. What I saw was devastating. Lots of memories gone, lives severely damaged, great loss. But in addition to being just a cool spot, Betsy feels like it's at the epicenter of the determined spirit of the city to stay alive and come back. #denastrong There are plans for a wine bar next door-- and Betsy has a very nice wine list with some depth-- and a garden for fresh herbs and vegetables. Not only is Betsy just a really good meal in a good environment, but supporting it is also supporting the renaissance of Altadena.

Last year my friend, the brilliant costume designer @paultazewell , won the Oscar for @wickedmovie and the Tony for my show @deathbecomesher . Today my Mom and I went to his fantastic retrospective exhibition at the @msichicago aka griffin museum of science and industry. Paul has had an extraordinary career and he's still going strong-- a previous Tony win for @hamiltonmusical , @sleepingbeauty by the Pacific Northwest Ballet and my movie @harrietfilm . It's a beautifully staged exhibit with lovely insights into his personal history, family and inspirations. It has been extended through April 26.

Many thanks to my friends @justin_peck and his fabulous wife @pattideldancer aka patricia delgado for inviting to be their guest at the @sab_nyc --school of american ballet--ball. The program included a gorgeous piece choreographed by Justin and a wonderful final piece that included a large number of students. SAB is essential to the @nycballet as it provides on average 95% of the dancers for the Company. It trains some the best dancers in the world. It has also been focused on inclusiveness for a number of years and that has given the Company the opportunity to become more diverse. A great, fun night at Lincoln Center.