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Photo: Courtesy of the NYCLU
On July 20, Broadway stars will team up with the New York Civil Liberties Union for the 13th year in a row with their Broadway Stands Up for Freedom performance. This year the NYCLU is hosting the event at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, located at 566 LaGuardia Place, just below Washington Square Park and at the base of the NYU Kimmel Center for University Life.
The event features performances from a long list of Broadway talent, including a couple Tony Award winners.
The host of this star-studded concert is Susan Blackwell, who has been on Broadway, television and films. Her experience on the stage includes creating and playing a character based on herself in the Broadway production [title of show] and the Off Broadway musical NOW. HERE. THIS.
Blackwell is also the founder of Blackwell & Co, whose goal is to inspire creative expression and education.
The keynote speaker of the event is Jeanine Tesori, composer of Fun Home. The musical is based off of Alison Bechdel’s memoir published in 2006 and received the Tony Award for Best Musical this year. It is the emotional story of Alison’s life as she deals with her dysfunctional family. Michael Cerveris and Judy Kuhn, both performers from the musical, will also be featured in the concert.
There is a long list of performers partaking in Broadway Stands Up for Freedom, some coming from big name musicals such as The King and I and Hand to God. Here are the performers listed on the NYCLU website:
Celia Keenan-Bolger (The Glass Menagerie)
Andréa Burns (In the Heights)
Christina Bianco (Application Pending)
Steve Boyer (Hand to God)
Joseph Carroll (Cinderella)
Michael Cerveris (Fun Home) & Loose Cattle
Kate Ferber (Ghost Brothers of Darkland County)
Montego Glover (It Shoulda Been You)
Judy Kuhn (Fun Home)
Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould (Creators of Invisible Thread)
Malcolm Merriweather
Ruthie Ann Miles (The King and I)
Ashley Park (The King and I)
Sarah Stiles (Hand to God)
Shaina Taub (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812)
Grace McLean (Brooklynite)
Brandon Uranowitz (An American in Paris)
Rachel Resheff (Fish in the Dark)
Seth Rudetsky (Disaster!)
Liana Stampur (founding performer) and Clinton Curtis
However, there are more than just performers at this event. Director Peter Flynn and musical director Paul Staroba will also be present.
Among these big Broadway names will also be a few talented NYC students. These students are the winners of the NYCLU Freedom of Expression Contest, in which public school students express what they think are the most important civil liberty issues in their lives. These students can express their thoughts in a variety of media, making it different from a typical essay competition.
The NYCLU, which created this event with the help of Broadway stars, was founded in 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union and now have almost 50,000 members. The NYCLU works to protect the unalienable rights of citizens everywhere, including freedom of speech and expression. The organization has eight chapters thus far.
The Broadway Stands Up for Freedom event will last for about an hour and a half, and regular admission tickets are $60. However, NYU affiliates may purchase tickets for around $15.
There is also the option to purchase sponsorship and VIP tickets, beginning with Priority Seats at $100 each and continuing up to Benefactor at $10,000 with 12 priority seats, prominent recognition in the program, and a VIP reception with the stars after the show.
You decide how much you are willing to spend for the night and give to the NYCLU.
So whether you are a theatre enthusiast or a civil liberties supporter, this night has plenty to offer. Make sure to hurry and purchase tickets, because the event is fast approaching.
-by Laura Seaman