Honorary Chairs...
David Binder
Alan Cumming
Billy Crudup
Harvey Fierstein
Bill Irwin
Tom Kitt
Tony Kushner
Susan Sarandon
Tom Schumacher
Stephen Schwartz
Marc Shaiman

Save the date for Broadway Stands Up for Freedom, our annual star-studded concert to support the youth programs of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Click here to view our sponsorship packages.

Performers Include...
(click on the performer’s name to see their bio and website)

• Tony Winner Beth Leavel (Baby it’s You!, The Drowsy Chaperone)
• Tony Winner Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon)
• Tony Nominee Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon)
• Tony Nominee Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project, Bengal Tiger)
• Tony Nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger
• Tony Nominee Gavin Creel (Hair)
• Tony Nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent)
• Tony Nominee John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, Shrek)
• Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Wire, Nurse Jackie)
• Nellie McKay (Get Away From Me)
• Krysta Rodriguez (Addams Family)
• Lindsay Mendez (Everyday Rapture, Grease)
• Carly Rose Sonenclar (Wonderland, Les Miserables)
• Erich Bergen (Jersey Boys)
• Christina Sajous (Baby It's You!)
• Liana Stampur
• Clinton Curtis
• The Bengsons
• Gray Reindhard
• Kate Ferber
• Marcelo Arias
• Justin Goldner

Check back for performer updates!

Even if you can’t attend, you can still make a donation to support the NYCLU!

For more information contact Cassie at 212.607.3374 or cvalentin@nyclu.org

 
Find out why Seth Rudetsky thinks you should go!

SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES

Benefactor @ $10,000 – 12 Priority seats; Prominent full page in program*
Champion @ $7,500 – 10 Priority seats; Prominent full page in program*
Guardian @ $5,000 –8 Priority seats; full page in program*
Promoter @ $2,500 – 6 Priority seats; half page in program*
Mentor @ $1,500 – 4 Priority seats; quarter page in program*
Friend @ $500 – 4 Priority seats
Supporter @ $250 – 2 Priority seats

*Sponsorship packages include a VIP reception with the stars immediately following the show – click here to purchase your package now.*

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS

Priority Seating @ $100 per seat
General Admission @ $60 per seat

To purchase general admission tickets and view a detailed seating chart please visit the Skirball Center’s website.

Performers Bios

SETH RUDETSKY (Musical Director) As a pianist, Seth has played for more than a dozen Broadway shows including Ragtime, Les Miz and Phantom. He was the Artistic Producer/Music Director for the first five annual Actors Fund Fall Concerts including Dreamgirls with Audra MacDonald (recorded on Nonesuch Records), Chess with Josh Groban (directed by Peter Flynn) and Hair with Jennifer Hudson (recorded on Ghostlight Records, Grammy Nomination). As a comic, he won the title “Funniest Gay Male in NY” at Stand-Up NY, had a long-running show at Caroline’s Comedy Club and spent two years as a comedy writer on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” (three Emmy nominations). As an actor, he played Jeff in [title of show] at the George Street Playhouse last year as well as starring opposite Sutton Foster in the Actors Fund benefit of They're Playing Our Song and performing the role of Sheldon in The Ritz on Broadway. As an author, he's written the books THE Q GUIDE TO BROADWAY and BROADWAY NIGHTS which has also been released as an audio book on Audible.com featuring Jonathan Groff and Kristin Chenoweth. Currently he writes a weekly column on Playbill.com and is constantly uploading his video deconstructions on www.sethrudetsky.com. His first young adult book, "My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan" will come out in the spring on the Random House label.

BETH LEAVEL Beth received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her current role as Florence Greenberg in Baby it’s You! and her 2006 performance in The Drowsy Chaperone. Broadway: Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (revival), Tess in the original company of Crazy for You, Mrs. Bixby in the original company of The Civil War, Ellie in Hal Prince’s Show Boat, Anytime Annie in 42nd Street. Other New York/Off-Broadway: Mrs. Ford in Lone Star Love, Mary in The Jazz Singer, Beth in An Unfinished Song. Regional: Miss Hannigan in Annie, Countess in A Little Night Music, Vera in Mame. TV: Ryan’s Hope, Nickelodeon, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and numerous commercials. Family: husband John Milne and sons T.J. and Sam. Thanks Lynn and Ruby. Member of Actors’ Equity since 1981. www.bethleavel.com

NIKKI M. JAMES Broadway: The Book of Mormon (Nabalungi) 2011 Tony Award for Featured Actress, All Shook Up (Lorraine), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Other Theatre: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Caesar and Cleopatra (Cleopatra opposite Christopher Plummer) at Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Dorothy in The Wiz (Craig Noel Award) La Jolla Playhouse, Adela in Bernarda Alba (Lincoln Center Theater), Otillie in House of Flowersr (City Center Encores!) Walmartopia (Off Broadway), Workshops: Lizzi in Baby (Papermill/NJPAC), Beehive on Broadway TV: 30 Rock, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch, The Jury. Holds a BFA in Drama from NYU. www.imdb.com/name/nm1446972

ANDREW RANNELLS Broadway: Link Larkin in Hairspray.  National Tour: Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys. Regional: Chris in Miss Saigon, Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Billy in The 60's Project, Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  Andrew has provided voices for characters in numerous animated series and commercials. Andrew Rannells moved to New York in 1997 to pursue his acting career.  He first landed a role working on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment and DIC.  He then went on to be in the Broadway musical Hairspray.  Mr. Rannells is also records voice-overs for commercials and audio books. www.imdb.com/name/nm0710330

MOISÉS KAUFMAN Moisés Kaufman is a Tony and Emmy nominated director and playwright. His most recent play, 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for 5 Tony awards (including Best Play). Mr.Kaufman directed, the Pulitzer prize finalist, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, currently running on Broadway starring, Robin Williams. Currently, he is directing his adaptation of Tennessee Williams' screenplay One Arm which opens Off Broadway in June 2011. Recently Moisés directed the opera, El Gato con Botas, which received rave reviews. Previous to that, Mr. Kaufman directed the
Pulitzer and Tony award-winning play I Am My Own Wife, earning him an Obie award for his direction as well as Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel nominations. His plays Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Laramie Project have been among the most performed plays in America over the last decade.

Mr. Kaufman also directed the film adaptation of The Laramie Project for HBO, which was the opening night selection at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and won the National Board of Review Award, the Humanitas Prize and a Special Mention for Best First Film at the Berlin Film Festival. The film also earned Mr. Kaufman two Emmy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writer. He is the Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project and a Guggenheim Fellow in Playwriting.

Other recent credits include Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo (Kirk Douglas Theatre; Mark Taper Forum); Macbeth with Liev Schreiber (Public Theater); This Is How It Goes (Donmar Warehouse); One Arm by Tennessee Williams (Steppenwolf Theater Company); Master Class with Rita Moreno (Berkeley Repertory Theater); and Lady Windermere's Fan (Williamstown Theater Festival) www.imdb.com/name/nm0442229

CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER is thrilled to be back for her fourth year of Broadway Stands Up For Freedom. Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Tony Award Nomination, Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble, Theatre World Award) and Les Miserables (Drama Desk Nomination). Off Broadway: Peter And The Starcatcher (NYTW, Drama Desk nom.), A Small Fire (Playwrights Horizons), Bachelorette (2econd Stage), Saved (Playwrights Horizons), Juno (City Center Encores), and Little Fish (Second Stage). Favorite regional credits include Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration), Emily in Our Town (Intiman Theatre), Clara in The Light in the Piazza (Goodman Theatre). Concerts: The Secret Garden (World AIDS Day Benefit), American Songbook Series with Adam Guettel (Lincoln Center), Bill Finn's Elegies (Canon Theatre), An Evening With Audra McDonald (Michigan Theatre) TV: Law & Order, Heartland, The Education Of Max Bickford. Film: Mariachi Gringo. Celia is a graduate of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department. www.imdb.com/name/nm2623219

JOHN TARTAGLIA is a Tony Award (Avenue Q) nominee and Emmy Award (Johnny and the Sprites) nominated actor, producer, puppeteer, and writer. Tartaglia was also seen on Broadway in the roles of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast; and the role of Pinocchio in Shrek the Musical. His extensive off-Broadway credits include Carnival at City Center's Encores!; Children of Eden and Pippin at the Manhattan Center for a World AIDS Day benefit concert; and dozens of performances from the Manhattan Theater Club and Storm Theater to Merkin Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall. His television credits include creating, executive producing and starring in the popular Disney Channel musical series Johnny and the Sprites, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. John Tartaglia is the creative force behind the current Drama Desk Award-nominated, Off-Broadway hit John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean which opened March 2010. www.imdb.com/name/nm1437776

GBENGA AKINNAGBE Born in Washington, D.C., actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, a first-generation Nigerian immigrant, attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship, where he dual-majored in English and political science, then accepted a position with a government agency but left early on to pursue his interest in drama. He began with various stage assignments in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas, then transitioned to film work in 2002, when HBO tapped him for the recurring role of Chris Partlow in its NARC-themed drama series The Wire; Showtime followed suit, giving Akinnagbe one of the leads in its 2005 sitcom Barbershop; unfortunately, that program failed to catch fire with the public. Akinnagbe took one of his first big-screen assignments with a supporting role in Tamara_Jenkins' family-themed ensemble seriocomedy The_Savages (2007). http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1782153

NELLIE MCKAY Nellie McKay has done Brecht on Broadway, opened for Patti Smith at Carnegie Hall, sung Woody Allen movie songs at the Hollywood Bowl, performed on A Prairie Home Companion, duetted with Eartha Kitt and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, played Hilary Swank’s sister in P.S. I Love You, recorded a tribute to Doris Day, and released four albums of wildly acclaimed original music. Her music is as tuneful and clever as the best of the Great American Songbook - part cabaret, part sparkly pop. But beneath the charming melodic surface is a wit that cuts, and a sharply tuned social conscience. “McKay is funny and touching, ceaselessly clever and scarily talented,” writes the New Yorker. She currently appears opposite violin prodigy Philippe Quint in the independent film Downtown Express and has recently contributed to the soundtrack for the Martin Scorsese HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Ms. McKay is an outspoken and fierce advocate for feminism, civil rights and other deeply felt progressive ideals.www.nelliemckay.com

DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA Ms. Rubin-Vega is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi ("RENT") and Conchita ("Anna in the Tropics"), both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which she was nominated for the Tony award. Film credits include detective Gloria Perez in "Wild Things", starring Kevin Bacon and Matt Dillon (Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actress), Tia ("Flawless", opposite Robert De Niro), and most recently, reprising the role of Lucy in the film version of "Jack Goes Boating", Phillip Seymour Hoffman's film directorial debut. Daphne has contributed to various musical projects, including her notorious version of "Feliz Navidad" for Broadway Cares and her club smash cover of "Rocketman". In 2005, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Kean University. "Dr." Rubin-Vega was born in Panama and raised in New York City where she lives with her husband and son. www.daphnerubin-vega.com

GAVIN CREEL Gavin Creel is a member of the actors equity association. He has done some musicals and written a bunch of songs. He wants to move to Brooklyn, dreams of owning a horse, and is proud to be a New Yorker where his little gay ass can finally get legally hitched. GO NY.

KRYSTA RODRIGUEZ Krysta Rodriguez most recently appeared on Broadway playing Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family Musical, a role which she originated alongside Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. She was also in the original casts of In The Heights, Spring Awakening and Good Vibrations as well as playing the role of Bebe in the revival of A Chorus Line. She was privileged to tour around the country in the musical The Boy Friend directed by Julie Andrews and was the title role in the world premiere of Gidget The Musical written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. You can also catch her on reruns of Gossip Girl. www.imdb.com/name/nm3106253

LINDSAY MENDEZ was seen last season on Broadway in Roundabout’s Tony-Nominated production of Everyday Rapture, directed by Michael Mayer. She made her Broadway debut as Jan in the 2007 revival of Grease, directed by Kathleen Marshall. Off-Broadway: Everyday Rapture (2nd Stage Theater), The Marvelous Wonderettes (West Side Theater). Other credits include: Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (TRTC), Unknown Soldier (The O’Neill), 35MM (Urban Stages, directed by Daisy Prince), The Trouble With Doug (NAMT, directed by Victoria Clark), Band Geeks! (NAMT), Rated RSO (The Kennedy Center, NYMF), Footloose (Sacramento Music Circus, Kansas City Starlight), Princesses (NAMT, Goodspeed Opera House, 5th Avenue Theater), Call Me Madam (Reprise!). Lindsay can be seen and heard all over New York City singing jazz and contemporary music with her collaborator, jazz pianist Marco Paguia. She is a member of The League of Broadway Super Friends…a five person band singing to benefit organizations in need. www.LindsayMendez.net

CARLY ROSE SONENCLAR Carly, who is 12 years old, started singing at the age of two, and has not stopped since! She began her professional career in 2006 in The Night of the Hunter in which she played the lead role of Pearl. Carly made her Broadway debut at the age of seven in Les Miserables as Young Cosette and understudying Gavroche. Most recently Carly originated the principal role of Chloe in Wonderland, and is a featured soloist on the cast CD. Carly appeared in the national tour of Little House on the Prairie The Musical, originating the principal role of Carrie. Other big screen credits include Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and The Nanny Diaries. Carly recently made her television debut as Gilda Flip in Season Three of The Electric Company, currently airing on PBS.Vocal appearances include singing the National Anthem for the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and being selected to sing at the US Open Tennis Tournament. Carly is an avid softball pitcher, adores her 17-year-old brother Russell, and is going into seventh grade in Westchester, NY. For more information, visit www.carlyrosesonenclar.com.

ERICH BERGEN Erich Bergen is best known to audiences for his portrayal of Bob Gaudio in the Grammy and Tony Winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys. As part of the original National Tour, Los Angeles and Las Vegas casts, Erich racked up over 1,000 performances of the musical, including appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “America's Got Talent.” Other recent theatrical credits include A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum at Reprise, Venice at Center Theater Group, and The Temperamentals at The Blank Theatre Company. Television credits include a recurring role on Gossip Girl and recently, opposite Felicity Huffman on Desperate Housewives. As a singer/songwriter, Erich released his debut album, The Vegas Sessions in late 2009, where it instantly landed in the #1 spot on Digstation.com. Erich is a proud member of the NYCLU and founding performer of Broadway Stands Up For Freedom. For more info, visit erichbergen.com and follow Erich on Twitter: @erichbergen

CHRISTINA SOUJOUS Christina Sajous currently plays the lead singer, Shirley of the Shirelles, in the new broadway musical Baby It's You. Last year, she made her broadway debut in Green Day's American Idiot as the Extraordinary Girl. Christina's previous theatre credits include King Lear, Aida, Rent, and The Who's Tommy. Her television credits include One Life to Live and The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. She has BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=486243

LIANA STAMPUR is a singer/songwriter and the proud founding performer of NYCLU's "Broadway Stand Up For Freedom!" benefit concert. Liana is also a proud founder of ArtStrides a not-for-profit which provides at-risk families with an avenue for growth through arts-based programming that fosters social, emotional, and cognitive development and promotes community connections by encouraging participation by all. Liana is also a Music Together teacher.  Thanks to DL and all the wonderful people who have used their voices to stand up for freedom. lianastampur.bandcamp.com

CLINTON CURTIS New York Songwriter and Musician, Clinton Curtis, grew up between the islands of Jamaica and Key West, the son of musicians and reggaehall owners. He gave up classical piano training early, and began performing on sidewalks, in bar rooms, and night clubs. He has worked as a pianist, guitarist, bassist, harmonicaist, organist, percussionist, classical singer and theater actor. In recent time he has been a native of everywhere, on the road in 46 or so states. He has performed in vaudeville houses, Carnegie Hall, outdoor beach shows, and The Vatican. Currently, he is a fixture in the downtown New York Club Scene, where he plays with one of the greatest bands in the city.  http://www.myspace.com/clintoncurtis

THE BENGSONS Husband-and-wife led band, THE BENGSONS, blend rousing, all-join-hands group choruses with spry vocal melodies and rich instrumentation that incorporates everything from accordion to classical harp to church organ. Described by The New York Times as possessing "not only a tremendous musical talent, but [possess] a raw honesty, a sincere righteousness”, they have appeared to acclaim across the US and around the world, including such venues as The Market Theater (Johannesburg, South Africa), Joe's Pub (NYC), and The Daryl Roth 2 Theater (NYC). They are currently developing their new mixed-media folk opera, THE PROOF, with Seattle's Satori Group in preparation for it's debut at San Francisco's Z Space. www.bengsons.com

Kate Ferber is the recipient of the 2010 ASCAP Foundation Desmond Child Anthem Award, which is given to one promising songwriter per year. Recently seen in The Daughters by Shaina Taub at CAP21, One Child Born:The Music of Laura Nyro, her original one-woman show co-written with Louis Greenstein (Joe's Pub and Downstairs @ World Cafe Live), King of Ghosts (Philadelphia Fringe Festival) Sometimes in Prague (The Tank), performing a song from The Daughters at NAMT's Songwriter Showcase, Deep Cover (NYMF), Factory Girls at NAMT/ Joe's Pub/Birdland, Songs of a Night Owl by Niko Tsakalakos (Ars Nova's ANT Fest). Hear Kate's original music and keep in touch at
kateferber.com
 

JUSTIN GOLDNER At a relative young age, Justin Goldner‘s musical explorations have taken him from coast to coast to 16 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia as a bassist, guitarist, producer, arranger and bandleader. He has been privileged to make music with the likes of household names Frankie Avalon, Paul Shaffer and Lenny Pickett to jazz and classical virtuosi John Scofield, Chris Potter, Wayne Krantz, Richard Bona and Mark O’Connor to Broadway stars Nellie McKay, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, J. Bobby Spencer and an ever-increasing host of others; as well as his mentor, Meshell Ndegeocello. Continuously seeking out the unfamiliar, Justin harbors a deep passion for groove and culture.

MARCELO ARIAS a self-taught musician who started playing guitar within the context of family get togethers immersed in music. While living in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Cochabamba, Bolivia, he began interpreting songs from Latin American popular music. In 2003, he and Mauricio Canedo founded Quimbando, a musical project that brings together the music of both composers. They have recorded three CD's with original compositions: Cantos y Desencantos (2003), El último refugio (2005) and Apaguen la luz (2010). He is also part of Colectivo Katari - a collective of artists in Cochabamba, Bolivia whose participants specialize in various expressions of the arts: puppetry, theatre, radio, fine arts, music and arts education workshops. Katari works with children and adolescents in marginalized urban neighborhoods, and also travels with artistic productions to indigenous communities in rural regions. In collaboration with Liana Stampur and Clinton Curtis, and with the participation of all of the members of the collective, he directed the recording of the first official children's CD in Bolivia (Desde los sueños - 2011). This CD is currently being distributed in all parts of the country as well as here in New York City. For more information, visit www.títereselwaky.blogspot.com and www.quimbando.blogspot.com.

GRAY REINHARD is a Jersey born keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist, composer and studio engineer residing in Hoboken, NJ. Gray began competing as a classical pianist at age 11, and performed at Carnegie Hall by the age of 13. Since graduating Princeton University in 2006, Gray has worked as a studio/live musician in both the New York and Los Angeles areas. Currently, Gray spends most of his time performing and/or recording with the Blaire Reinhard Band, Clinton Curtis, the Metermaids, Trophy Scars, Barry Jay Music, and 27Sounds, and is composing/producing as co-founder of Hearsay Productions.