More of Broadway’s Finest to Headline NYCLU Benefit “Broadway Stands Up for Freedom”

The New York Civil Liberties Union announced today an updated, star-studded lineup for its annual benefit concert. “Broadway Stands Up for Freedom” will feature performances by some of Broadway’s best on Monday, July 18, at the NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place).

Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect), Benj Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen), Whitney Bashor (The Bridges of Madison County), Alex Grubbs and Grace McLean (Natasha Pierre) join the previously announced Erich Bergen (Madame Secretary), Jayne Houdyshell (The Humans), Jennifer Simard (Disaster!), Christina Bianco (The Marvelous Wondrettes), Todd Buonopane (Spelling Bee), Devin Trey Campbell (Kinky Boots), Crystal Monee Hall, Celisse Henderson (Godspell), Kristolyn Lloyd (Dear Evan Hansen), Ray Mercer (The Lion King), Zachary Prince (Honeymoon in Vegas), Liana Stampur and Clinton Curtis, Alexandria Suarez (On Your Feet!) and the Brooklyn Tech Lady Dragons Step Team. Susan Blackwell returns as host, with directors Peter Flynn and Daniel Goldstein, and musical director Lynn Shankel. Tony Award-nominee Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed) will be the keynote speaker, and Celia Keenan-Bolger and Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Tuck Everlasting) will produce and present a video.

“We are overjoyed that so many celebrated performers and artists will contribute their talents to support the civil rights and social justice issues of our day,” said NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman. “This inspiring evening, thanks to the support of the Broadway community, is especially important at a time when our country is reeling from recent attacks on sexual orientation, religion and race.”

In addition to some of Broadway’s hottest rising talent, the evening will feature one of the winners of the NYCLU’s Freedom of Expression contest, which invites New York City public school students to speak their minds on important civil liberties issues in their lives.

The day of the concert, July 18, is also Nelson Mandela day this year. The NYCLU will showcase its impact litigation and advocacy with performers reading personal testimonies from the NYCLU’s public defense reform and solitary confinement cases. The victories won in these cases and others honor Mandela’s legacy and his struggle for human rights and dignity.

Proceeds from the show will benefit the NYCLU’s mission of promoting and protecting the civil rights and liberties of all New Yorkers.

VIP tickets and sponsorship packages, now on sale for $100 and up, can be purchased here. Individual tickets for $60 can be purchased at http://nyuskirball.org/calendar/nyclu2016; by calling 212.352.3101; or in person at the Shagan Box Office located in the Center’s lobby at 566 LaGuardia Pl.

For more information about the show, visit www.nyclu.org/broadway.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation’s foremost defenders of civil liberties and civil rights. Founded in 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, we are a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with eight chapters and regional offices and 60,000 members across the state. Our mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law for all New Yorkers.

The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. The programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU’s mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center’s mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.nyuskirball.org.