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For Immediate Release Media Contact: Lauren Beyea

February 3, 2009 (202) 434-9543/LBeyea@fords.org

FORDS THEATRE HOSTSGRAND REOPENING CELEBRATION

FEBRUARY 11, 2009

Sidney PoitierandGeorge Lucas To Receive Lincoln Medal

Special Performance Will Honor Lincolns Legacy andCelebrate the Reopening of Fords Theatre

Washington, D.C. Fords Theatre Society will host a Grand Reopening Celebration on

Wednesday, February 11, 2009, at Fords Theatre (511 10th Street NW). The invitation-only

evening will include the presentation of the Lincoln Medal to filmmakerGeorge Lucas and screen

legend Sidney Poitier, whose accomplishments exemplify the character and lasting legacy of

President Abraham Lincoln. The evenings performance, titled Birth and Rebirth: A Celebration of

the Lincoln Bicentennial and Reopening of Fords Theatre, will be followed by a seated dinner at

the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum (750 Ninth Street NW).

The evenings events will begin at Fords Theatre, where invited guests will enjoy a

special performance in tribute to Abraham Lincoln and his legacy, including appearances by

Katie Couric, Kelsey Grammer, James Earl Jones, Ben Vereen, Jeffrey Wright, the

Presidents Own Marine Band, Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music, Audra McDonald

and Jessye Norman. Following the performance, guests dine at the National Portrait Gallery.

The performance will be attended by donors to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial

Campaign, which supports the renovation and expansion of Ford s Theatre, as well as by

political supporters of Fords Theatre.

Lincoln Medal

The Lincoln Medal is an annual award given by the Fords Theatre Society to a person

(or persons) who, through their body of work, accomplishments or personal attributes, exemplify

the lasting legacy, and mettle of character embodied by the most beloved President in our

Nations history, President Abraham Lincoln. Recipients of the 2008 Lincoln Medal included Dr.

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Maya Angelou, Civil Rights activist, author, dancer and actress; actress Ruby Dee; Dr. Benjamin

S. Carson, Sr., Director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital;

and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Former Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court.

Fords Theatre Society is grateful to ExxonMobil for their additional support of the Fords Theatre

reopening and Lincoln bicentennial activities and events.

Limited space is available for press wishing to cover this event. Press should contactLauren Beyea at (202) 434-9543.

Lincoln Bicentennial CampaignThe Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign is a $50+ million capital campaign that will

support the renovation of Fords Theatre and its museum as well as the building of the new

Center for Education and Leadership, an education center focused on the life and legacy of

Abraham Lincoln. To date, the campaign has raised more than $49 million.

The Fords Theatre renovation and expansion project has been made possible primarily

through donations from private sourcesindividuals, foundations and corporationsas well as

$8.9 million in federal funding and a recent $10 million grant from the District of Columbia. As the

lead corporate donor, ExxonMobil has awarded the campaign a $5 million Leadership Circle grant

and the State of Qatar has joined them with a $2.5 million gift. More recently, the Leadership

Circle has expanded to include Ronald O. Perelman, Chairman and CEO of MacAndrews &

Forbes Holdings Inc., with a $2.5 million pledge. BP America Inc. has provided a $2 million

contribution, as well as $1 million dollar donations each from AT&T, Foster Wheeler; General

Dynamics, Sheila C. Johnson, Founder of Salamander Hospitality, LLC; T. Boone Pickens

Foundation; The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation/Wayne and Catherine Reynolds; David and

Alice Rubenstein; The Paul Singer Family Foundation; Samsung; and Toyota.

The following corporations, individuals and foundations have also generously provided

gifts of $500,000 or greater to this project: The Adelson Family Charitable Foundation, American

Airlines, BAE Systems, Carl and Edyth Lindner, The Freed Foundation, Lockheed Martin

Corporation, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, OMelveny & Myers, Raytheon

Company, Southern Company and Sunoco, Inc.

Fords Theatre SocietySince its reopening in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865,

assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Fords Theatre has been one of the most visitedsites in the nations capital. Fords Theatre has enthralled visitors because of its unique place in

United States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the

American experience through theatre and education. For its accomplishments, the organization

was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S.

government to artists, arts institutions and arts patrons.

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Fords Theatre Society works to present the Theatres nearly one million visitors each

year with a high quality historical and cultural experience, enhancing the vibrancy of this historic

site, an important tool for promoting the ideals of leadership, humanity and wisdom espoused by

Abraham Lincoln.

Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, Fords Theatre Society has been

recognized by the critics and theatergoing public for the superior quality of its artistic

programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed Big Riverto the regional premiere of

Tryingand world premiere ofMeet John Doe, Fords Theatre has undoubtedly begun to make its

mark on the American theatre landscape.

In addition, through the leadership of Wayne R. Reynolds, Chairman of the Board of

Trustees, the mission of Fords Theatre Society has recently been expanded to include education

as a central pillar of the organization, equal to that of producing theatre of the highest quality. As

Fords Theatre looks to the future, the health of the organization will be defined and determined

not only by the quality of the productions on the stage but also by the success of its educational

programming in teaching about the life, Presidency and lessons of leadership of AbrahamLincoln.

For more information on Fords Theatre and the Fords Theatre Society, please visitwww.fords.org.

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