Star Roster to Join Sting, LuPone for September 15 Equality Benefit
By: Ellis Nassour
Tickets onsale at www.uprisingoflove.org/benefitconcert
An eclectic variety of celebrities including Tony winners along with the casts of two Broadway Musicals are among the first to join headliners Sting and Patti LuPone as performers, speakers, and presenters for Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality on September 15 at 8 P.M. at the Gershwin Theatre. The concert is presented in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.
Executive producers Stephen Schwartz and Bruce Cohen have announced that joining two-time Tony, four-time Drama Desk, and two-time Grammy winner LuPone and 16-time Grammy winner Sting [his The Last Ship begins performances in late October] are Emmy nominee Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black); Emmy winner Jane Lynch: to Tony and Drama Desk winner Billy Porter; Stephen Schwartz; country superstar Chely Wright; five-time Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist, best-selli
ng author, and activist Greg Louganis; Indian beauty queen, mega Bollywood film star, and U.N. Equality Champion Celina Jaitly.
Also lending their upport will be the casts of I Am Harvey Milk, and two of Broadway’s Tony-winning Best Musicals, Once and WIcked: and Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews, and cast members of Cambridge’s A.R.T. production Witness Uganda.
Uprising of Love, co-founded by Cohen, Melissa Etheridge, Dustin Lance Black, and individuals in entertainment, sports, business, and politics, is a global movement to support the safety and dignity of LGBTI people.
The benefit will support U. N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N.’s Free & Equal campaign in calling for equal rights globally for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals, and worldwide organizations and activists working toward that goal.
"This unique event will be entertaining and inspiring," says Schwartz. "We’re thrilled to have Sting and Patti as headliners to help focus on the worthy global goals of Uprising of Love."
"In one amazing, memorable evening," adds Cohen, "it will weave together stories from around the world of the struggles of the LGBTI community."
Uprising of Love is being scripted by Oscar winner Black (Milk). The concert will be directed by Schele Williams and produced by Jayson Raitt, with musical direction by Alex Lacamoire.
Net proceeds will go to Fueling the Frontlines, a three-year, $20-million campaign for global LGBTI rights led by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, the only U.S. philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing LGBTI rights globally.
Uprising of Love tickets range from $50 – $250 and are on sale at www.uprisingoflove.org/benefitconcert.
