TDF’s Fall Fundraiser, Broadway Breakfast, Celebrating 15 Seasons of Autism Friendly Performances, Set for Wednesday, October 28 at 8 a.m. at the Iconic NYC Venue the Rainbow Room
New York, NY – July 29, 2026 – TDF, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to sharing the power of the performing arts with everyone, is pleased to announce that its annual fall fundraiser Broadway Breakfast will be held at the iconic Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th floor) on Wednesday, October 28 at 8 a.m. Guests will enjoy a seated breakfast and the glamorous venue’s unparalleled NYC skyline views along with unforgettable performances by Broadway stars and inspiring stories that celebrate the magic of theatre and those who make it accessible for all of us.
The TDF Founders Award will be presented to the Adult Access Initiative. This newly formed collective is an effort from a group of many Broadway producers, including Mara Isaacs, Thomas M. Neff, and Craig Balsam, that seeks to make theatrical experiences accessible for people of all ages with autism, and to include the entire theatrical community in these efforts. The TDF Founders Award honors individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a deep commitment to TDF and its mission, and who embody the organization’s vision of a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible, and inspirational. The Adult Access Initiative has partnered with TDF since 2023, helping to broaden TDF Autism Friendly Performances (AFP), including facilitating special performances of Hadestown, JOB, Just In Time, and Ragtime, and are providing key support for TDF’s 2026-2027 AFP season.
Christopher and Veronica Jackson will be honored with the Christina Trivigno Advocate Award for their steadfast advocacy within the performing arts community for people with autism. Two years ago, TDF lost a beloved friend and colleague, Christina Trivigno, after a protracted battle with cancer. Not only was Christina fearless in her advocacy for accessibility, but she was also a senior leader in our industry, representing a small number of wheelchair users who have reached the echelons of upper management in the American theatre, modeling for so many what is possible. To honor Christina’s contributions to TDF and to the field at large, the Christina Trivigno Advocate Award is granted each year to an extraordinary artist, activist, or creator in our community.
The 15th season of TDF Autism Friendly Performances (AFP) kicked off with the first-ever AFP of Lincoln Center Theater’s acclaimed, Tony®-winning revival of Ragtime on Sunday, July 26, 2026 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. The season, which expands to ten AFPs this year, will also feature the first-ever AFP of The Great Gatsby on Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the Broadway Theatre, as well as returning shows Hadestown on Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the Walter Kerr Theatre, Maybe Happy Ending on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the Belasco Theatre, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes®on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. at Radio City Music Hall, andThe Lion King on Sunday, January 31, 2027 at 1 p.m. at the Minskoff Theatre.
With these six productions confirmed through January 2027 and more to come next spring, TDF’s 15th season of AFP promises to bring the most offerings yet.
TDF Autism Friendly Performances launched in 2011 with a performance of Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. Since then, there have been AFP of Broadway’s & Juliet, Aladdin, Buena Vista Social Club, Cats, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes®, Come From Away, Elf: The Musical, Hamilton, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, How to Dance in Ohio, JOB, Just In Time, Kinky Boots, Mary Poppins, Matilda The Musical, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ The Musical, My Fair Lady, New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Our Town, SIX, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.
The program operates under the umbrella of TDF Accessibility Programs. To create an autism-friendly setting, the shows are performed in a welcoming, supportive environment for children and adults diagnosed with autism, sensory and communication disorders, or learning disabilities. Slight adjustments are made to the productions where possible, including the reduction of jarring sounds and strobe lights focused into the audience. In the theatre lobby, there are staffed break areas in case audience members need to leave their seats during the performance. Downloadable resources, including a Visual Narrative with pictures of the theatre and the production, are available in advance on the TDF website. For AFP, TDF purchases every seat in the theatre and makes the tickets available at discount prices exclusively to families, groups, schools, etc. whose members include individuals on the autism spectrum.
The funds raised at the TDF Broadway Breakfast will provide vital support for the not-for-profit’s wide range of Accessibility, Education, and Community Programs that ensure the performing arts are accessible to all. Additional honorees and performers will be announced at a later date.
Click here [link to come] for photos of the honorees.
TDF Trustee Jane Shin Park is the benefit co-chair. Tables start at $7,500. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit tdf.org/breakfast.
HONOREE BIOGRAPHIES
Christopher and Veronica Jackson
Christopher Jackson is a Tony-nominated actor, singer, and composer whose career has spanned more than two decades on Broadway and beyond. A veteran of The Lion King (Simba), In the Heights (Benny), Memphis, After Midnight, Bronx Bombers, and Holler If Ya Hear Me, Jackson originated the role of George Washington in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, earning a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. On screen, he starred as Chunk Palmer on CBS’s “Bull” and lent his voice to Chief Tui in Disney’s Moana. An Emmy® winner for his songwriting on “Sesame Street,” Jackson continues to compose, act, and perform across stage and screen.
Veronica Vazquez-Jackson is an American singer and stage actress whose work in dance music brought her acclaim in the 1990s before she continued performing on the New York stage. Jackson met Vazquez during an early reading of In the Heights, calling it “the only chemistry read I’ve ever done in my entire life,” where she played his love interest.
The two married in 2004 and have built a life together in New York with their two children, C.J. and Jadelyn. After their son’s autism diagnosis, Christopher and Veronica became devoted advocates for the autism community, partnering with organizations including Autism Speaks and KultureCity to support other families navigating similar journeys.
Mara Isaacs
Mara Isaacs is a Tony- and Grammy Award-winning creative producer who generates opportunity through the organizations she creates: Octopus Theatricals, to produce an expansive body of work—from experimental to commercial; Octoverse Media, a record label and multimedia company; Producer Hub, providing resources and community to producers and artists in the independent sector; and Arts Impact Collaborative, documenting the essential role the arts play in American communities. Select production credits: Hadestown (Broadway; Best Musical Tony and Grammy); Gypsy with Audra McDonald (Broadway). Upcoming: Goddess, A Beat of Our Own, Get Out Alive, The Queen’s Gambit. Mara is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Yale’s Cultural Innovation Lab.
Thomas M. Neff
Thomas M. Neff brings original and new voices to new audiences in theatre, music, and film. He is a proud co-producer of Hadestown (Broadway, North American tour), Ragtime (Broadway), the upcoming production of Paddington (Broadway), JOB (Broadway), Gypsy (Broadway), and a supporter of Theatre for One, Arts Impact Collaborative, The Inheritance, Dreaming Zenzile, Here We Are; Fiasco Theater’s Pericles, The Verge, and The Stand In; and more.
Craig Balsam
Producer credits include Hadestown, Liberation, JOB, Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen, Stereophonic, The Lehman Trilogy, Merrily We Roll Along, Dana H., Mexodus, Lost In Del Valle, and the upcoming Delirium at Irondale. As a community we should all make our best efforts to make the energy of live theatre accessible to all.
About TDF
Founded in 1968, TDF (Theatre Development Fund) is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to sharing the power of the performing arts with everyone. TDF’s mission is to engage a broad and diverse audience by removing the financial, physical, and invisible barriers to participation in the performing arts. TDF’s initiatives include the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths; TDF Memberships; the TDF Costume Collection; and TDF Accessibility, Education, and Community Programs. Those Programs include open captioned, audio described, and ASL interpreted performances; Autism Friendly Performances; the Veterans Theatregoing Program; school programs serving more than 11,000 NYC public school students annually; and partnerships with over 150 NYC community organizations serving 18,000 people in the tristate area. TDF welcomes NYC’s vibrant communities to the theatre because experiencing the performing arts improves mental health and social connections. Learn more about TDF at tdf.org.
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