Incredible Women gala dinner, LA

Parties that celebrate Hollywood’s high achievers are not exactly a rarity in LA, which explains why this particular event, which took an entirely different approach – regaling the A-list audience not with speeches of thanks, but readings of meaningful letters written by the great and the good, a concept pioneered by literary champions Letters Live and performed by Brie Larson, Melanie Griffith and Mary J. Blige – had such a captivating effect. Director James Gunn kick-started proceedings at the Estée Lauder-sponsored event by reading a letter from Danny DeVito’s mother to Kirk Douglas, thanking him for casting her son and assuring him she would promote the movie by putting up posters in her beauty salon. Elizabeth Banks brought tears of laughter as she performed Caitlin Moran’s note to her teenage daughter, while Mary J. Blige gave a powerful reading of Eleanor Roosevelt’s letter to the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939, resigning her position after they refused to let a woman of color performat a concert in racially segregated Washington.

Ten letters in all ensured the audience experienced the full gamut of emotions and helped to raise awareness of The Vital Voices Global Partnership, a non-profit organization championed by Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley, who is a global mentor for the project, and actress Charlize Theron. Promoting the advancement of women in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Vital Voices partners with world business leaders to introduce economic opportunity, increase political and public leadership, and end violence against women. Find out more about its work at vitalvoices.org.

See the full story in PORTER’s Spring 2018 issue, on sale now