American Theatre Wing

[2] It also presented benefit performances to raise money, including some held in a temporary "Liberty Theater" built outside the New York Public Library.

[5][6][7] They began fundraising and organizing clothing donations to send overseas to the British people and to provide relief for European refugees in America.

[5] Others, encompassing both women and men, soon joined the ATW, including Tallulah Bankhead, Ray Bolger, Clare Boothe, Ilka Chase, Lynn Fontanne, Helen Hayes, Burgess Meredith, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and Clifton Webb.

[9] Under the leadership of Perry, Heims Beck, and Crothers, the Wing opened the Stage Door Canteen to entertain American servicemen in New York.

[6][10] The first canteen was in the basement of the 44th Street Theatre, and similar entertainment and dining venues were established in Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Cleveland, Newark, and San Francisco, as well as abroad in London and Paris.

[9] Lauren Bacall worked as a hostess in the New York Stage Door Canteen, and later recalled seeing Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne washing dishes and serving coffee there.

[13] Angela Lansbury currently serves as honorary chairman and Heather A. Hitchens is president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing.