The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television announces the debut of its annual benefit gala, "ONE NIGHT ONLY...With a Little Help From Our Friends," to be hosted by Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson at UCLA's Royce Hall on Dec. 2.

 

The event will feature a one-time presentation of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Broadway comedy "You Can't Take It With You," by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, directed by Nora Ephron and featuring Wilson and Hanks, along with a dozen talented actor friends. This unique evening of entertainment and laughter will mark a reunion for Wilson, Hanks and Ephron, who previously worked together on the Oscar-nominated romantic comedy "Sleepless in Seattle" in 1993.

 

Additional performers include Maria Bamford, Annette Bening, Charles Durning, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, Alicia Silverstone, James Cromwell and Holland Taylor. The full list of cast members and musical performers will be finalized in the days leading up to the event.

 

A founding member of the executive board of the School of Theater, Film and Television, Wilson has long hoped to host such a gala event to benefit the school and its students. Hanks, Wilson's husband, recently agreed to partner with her in this project, which promises to be an experience unlike any other since the school's inception in 1989.

 

"It will be a truly unique experience to see Tom and Rita and some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry join together to have a good time and put on a show," said Robert Rosen, the school's dean, who oversees programs that include the department of film, television and digital media, the department of theater, the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Billy Wilder Theater at the UCLA Hammer Museum, as well as the school's relationship with the Geffen Playhouse.

 

Wilson and Hanks have earned a reputation for organizing benefit readings that showcase a diverse range of acting and musical talent. They have collaborated on past fundraising events with friends and colleagues such as Bening, Short, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Christina Applegate, William Shatner, Natalie Cole, Goldie Hawn, Zach Braff, Fred Willard, Lyle Lovett, Warren Beatty and Matt Damon. These gifted artists present evenings filled with high energy, spontaneity and camaraderie, taking the audience along for the ride.

 

The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, consistently ranked among the nation's top institutions in its field, offers students a unique blend of scholarship and practical training, bringing together the highest levels of professionalism with the social mission of a public university. Its landmark integration of theater, film, television and digital media and its outstanding faculty and facilities nurture creative innovation, personal vision and social responsibility. Alumni include such notables as Jack Black, Carol Burnett, Charles Burnett, Francis Ford Coppola, Susan Egan, Moctesuma Esparza, Mariska Hargitay, Catherine Hardwicke, Todd Holland, Judy Kaye, Gregory Nava, Alexander Payne, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Eric Roth, Tom Schumacher, Paul Schrader, Brad Silberling, Gore Verbinski and Audrey Wells.

 

 

The original production of "You Can't Take It With You" opened on Broadway at the Booth Theater on Dec. 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances. The play was also the basis for the 1938 Academy Award–winning film of the same name directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold, Spring Byington, Ann Miller, Dub Taylor, Charles Lane, Mischa Auer, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson and Arthur Murray (who was not credited).