A Life of Service in the Arts: Tom Viola’s Remarkable Journey
Friday 8/23/24, at 5:00pm ET
Community Gathering on Zoom - register with the bright red reservation box to receive the Zoom link. These gatherings are a service for the theater community and are offered free for TRU members; we ask that non-members help keep us running by buying a ticket, making a donation or joining as a member.
In the room: Tom Viola, executive director of BroadwayCares/Equity Fights AIDS since 1996, and part of the organization since its inception in 1988. And now planning a well-earned retirement after 36 years of service to the community. He moved to New York from Pittsburgh to be an actor. How did his life take such a ... well ... dramatic turn? How did the scourge of AIDS and the friendship of legendary actress Colleen Dewhurst come together to redirect his life? Did he ever imagine he had the skills to run a huge not-for-profit organization, and where did he find the courage and resources to helm such an immensely important organization that has changed thousands of lives? Does he ever think about acting or his second love, writing? What are his plans for the future? And most importantly, how has a life of service satisfied his innately creative self?
