Breakfast on 65, Laura Benanti Hosts TDF at the Rainbow Room

Laura Benanti hosts Theatre Development Fund's 2026 Broadway Breakfast at the Rainbow Room on Wednesday, October 28, at 8 a.m., a fundraiser marking 15 seasons of the group's Autism Friendly Performances.

Julie Benko and Liam Pearce join her on the program, Playbill reports. TDF announced Benanti, a Tony Award winner, as a returning host.

Broadway people do not usually do 8 a.m. This one is 65 floors up, so the view does some of the waking.

Who Is Laura Benanti?

She is a New York-born singer and actor who made her Broadway debut in the 1998 revival of *The Sound of Music* as a nun and the understudy for Maria, then took over the lead at 19. She won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical as Louise in the 2008 revival of *Gypsy*, according to her Wikipedia biography.

She has four other Tony nominations, for *Swing!*, *Into the Woods*, *Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown* and *She Loves Me*. Television audiences also know her from *Supergirl*, *The Gilded Age* and *Elsbeth*, and from her recurring turn as Melania Trump on *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, per the same entry.

Broadway people do not usually do 8 a.m.

What Is TDF?

Theatre Development Fund is a not-for-profit that has worked to share the performing arts with everyone since 1968. New Yorkers know it best for the TKTS booths, which sell same-day Broadway and Off-Broadway seats at up to 50 percent off, according to TDF's site.

The best-known booth sits under the red glass steps in Duffy Square, at the north end of Times Square.

It also runs a costume collection, memberships and accessibility, education and community programs, per Playbill. The Broadway Breakfast is its annual fall fundraiser.

What Are Autism Friendly Performances?

They are Broadway performances adjusted for audiences with autism, which Playbill describes as relaxed and sensory-friendly. TDF says productions make slight changes, such as reducing jarring sounds and spotlights that shine into the audience, and the house lights are dimmed only faintly.

TDF says it works with professionals in the field and consultants with autism to set each one up, and it prepares resources so audience members know what to expect before the day. Its recent social posts mention autism-friendly performances of *The Great Gatsby* and *Ragtime*. TDF also says its video campaigns for the program earned three Anthem Awards nominations in the Belonging and Inclusion category.

Who Is Being Honored?

Christopher Jackson and his wife, Veronica Jackson, receive the Christina Trivigno Advocate Award for their advocacy within the performing arts community, Playbill reports.

Jackson originated Benny in *In the Heights* and George Washington in *Hamilton*, a role that earned him a Tony nomination. He and his wife, Veronica, advocate for KultureCity, a nonprofit that works for the acceptance and inclusion of people of all abilities, according to his Wikipedia biography).

The TDF Founders Award goes to the Adult Access Initiative, an advocacy collective of Broadway producers that includes Mara Isaacs, Thomas M. Neff and Craig Balsam. The Victoria Bailey Impact Award goes to the New York City Council for its ongoing support of the autism-friendly program.

Where Is the Rainbow Room?

It is on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It opened in 1934 with a revolving dance floor, and its interior became a city landmark in 2012, according to its Wikipedia entry. It now works as a private event space rather than a public restaurant.

Wallace K. Harrison designed it with interior designer Elena Bachman Schmidt. It closed during World War II, reopened in 1950, closed again in 2009 and came back in 2014 under Tishman Speyer.

What to Know Before You Go

The program starts at 8 a.m. Doors, ticket prices and table packages were not listed in the sources we read. TDF's homepage links to the event page.

For another Broadway benefit with a famous host, see our story on Bernadette Peters at the Fetch Pet Gala.

The Rainbow Room was built for dancing after dark. On Wednesday it pours coffee instead, for the people who keep the house lights low and kind for everyone else.