Roberto Muñiz
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse (Christopher J. Bailey, Scott Goldman, and Laiona Michelle, Artistic Producing Triumvirate; Edgar Herrera, Executive Director) announced that their 2026 Gala Benefit will honor Roberto Muñiz, President and CEO of Parker Health Group, with the prestigious Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award.
The 2026 Gala Benefit will take place on Wednesday, May 6 beginning with a champagne reception and dinner at Stage Left/Catherine Lombardi followed by a cabaret and awards presentation at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available now at georgestreetplayhouse.org.
The Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award honors an individual whose leadership and commitment have strengthened the role of the arts in civic life and championed their impact on community well-being. Through his visionary leadership at Parker Health Group, Roberto Muñiz has demonstrated an unwavering belief that the arts are essential to building healthier, more connected communities.
Under Muñiz’s guidance, Parker Health Group has been a steadfast supporter of George Street Playhouse and other cultural institutions throughout New Jersey. His advocacy reflects a deep understanding of how artistic engagement enriches the lives of older adults and families, a philosophy rooted in both professional experience and personal conviction.
“George Street Playhouse is a vital cultural anchor for New Brunswick and the region,” said Roberto Muñiz. “At Parker, we have proudly supported GSP and local theaters because the arts strengthen community and directly benefit the older adults and families we serve. Earlier in my career at the Actors Fund Home, I witnessed how caring for aging artists helps them sustain lifelong creative careers. When we support artists and local theaters, we build a more vibrant, compassionate community. I am deeply honored to receive the Thomas H. Kean Arts Advocacy Award from an institution my wife and I both love.”
George Street Playhouse Executive Director Edgar Herrera expressed deep gratitude for Parker’s longstanding partnership and Muñiz’s leadership. “Roberto’s leadership has transformed not only Parker, but the broader conversation around aging and community care in New Jersey and beyond,” said Herrera. “We are profoundly grateful for Parker Health Group’s partnership and for Roberto’s personal commitment to the arts. His belief that cultural institutions are essential to community well-being aligns perfectly with our mission. It is a privilege to honor him during this meaningful moment in his remarkable career.”
Muñiz recently announced that he will retire at the end of 2026 after nearly three decades of transformative leadership at Parker. Since joining the organization in 1998, he has guided its evolution from two small nursing homes into a nationally recognized, fully integrated system of care serving more than 16,000 older adults and families annually. Under his leadership, Parker pioneered New Jersey’s first small-home model of nursing home care, expanded home and community-based services, and strengthened strategic partnerships advancing innovation in senior health statewide.
His influence extends nationally as well. Muñiz recently completed a two-year term as Board Chair of LeadingAge, the national association representing more than 5,400 nonprofit aging services providers and continues to mentor future leaders as a Senior Health Fellow and Instructor at Rutgers University.
As previously announced, the Gala will also celebrate Emily Mann, recipient of the Arthur Laurents Award for Distinguished Artistic Achievement, honoring her extraordinary career as a playwright, director, and transformative artistic leader whose work has reshaped the American theatre for more than five decades.
The 2026 Gala Benefit will bring together artists, patrons, and civic leaders in celebration of George Street Playhouse’s artistic excellence and its vital role in New Jersey’s cultural life, while raising critical support for the theatre’s productions, education programs, and community engagement initiatives. The evening will also include a dinner reception and cabaret performances. An additional recipient of the Kean Award will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for the 2026 Gala Benefit, including dinner and cabaret performance, begin at $600. To purchase, visit georgestreetplayhouse.org.
For more than 50 years, George Street Playhouse has produced groundbreaking new works, inspiring productions of the classics, and hit Broadway plays and musicals that speak to the heart and mind, with an unwavering commitment to producing new work. As New Brunswick’s first producing theatre, George Street Playhouse became the cornerstone of the revitalization of the City’s arts and cultural landscape. Entering its 52nd season, the organization has a rich history of producing nationally renowned theatre.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint (1997-2025) the Playhouse filled a unique theatre and arts education role in the city, state, and greater metropolitan region. George Street Playhouse announced the appointment of Edgar Herrera as Managing Director, effective June 1, 2023. Effective January 1, 2025, Herrera became Executive Director.
Beginning with the 2019-20 Season, George Street Playhouse moved to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in downtown New Brunswick. Featuring two state-of-the-art theatres—The Arthur Laurents Theater with 253 seats and The Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater which seats 465—and myriad amenities, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center marks a new era in the esteemed history of George Street Playhouse. Founded by Eric Krebs, George Street Playhouse, originally located in an abandoned supermarket on the corner of George and Albany Streets, was the first professional theatre in New Brunswick. In 1984, the Playhouse moved to a renovated YMCA on Livingston Avenue, and in 2017 took temporary residence in the former Agricultural Museum at Rutgers University during construction of its new home.
The Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway. In 2018, George Street Playhouse was represented on Broadway with Gettin’ the Band Back Together which premiered on the Playhouse mainstage in 2013. American Son, produced by George Street Playhouse in 2017, opened on Broadway in 2018 starring Kerry Washington and Stephen Pasquale, and was seen on Netflix. Other productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger. In 2015, It Shoulda Been You opened on Broadway and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies opened off-Broadway. Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. Other productions include the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League Award-nominated production of The Spitfire Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at the Playhouse during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays.
George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
