WELCOME to the 19th annual benefit concert sing out for freedom: the sound of progress
Thank you for supporting the NYCLU and ACLU through watching Sing Out for Freedom and making a donation today. For 19 years, Sing Out for Freedom (previously Broadway Stands Up for Freedom) has brought together the best of New York’s performing arts community to celebrate and support the work of the NYCLU and the ACLU.
Sing Out for Freedom, a key source of support for our efforts, has grown steadily since its inception in 2002 when a group of aspiring musical theater performers and activists, including Liana Stampur and Erich Bergen, gathered to sing and raise money for the NYCLU. With executive producers Rachel Sussman and Cynthia J. Tong at the helm, this year’s event showcases our Artist Ambassadors and the deep ties between the arts and civil liberties communities. We are thrilled to honor Broadway for Racial Justice with the NYCLU’s annual Freedom Award, named for the late composer and Sing Out contributor Michael Friedman.
Read more below to learn about this year’s event and the NYCLU’s accomplishments made possible with your support.
Donna Lieberman
Executive Director
PRODUCTION STAFF
Honoring
Broadway for Racial Justice
Host
Peppermint
Directed by
Jess McLeod
Music Directed by
Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh
Executive Producers
Rachel Sussman and Cynthia J. Tong
Producer
Ari Conte
Award Presentation by
KO
Scenic and Props Design by
Riw Rakkulchon
Lighting Design by
KJ Hardy
Video and Projection Design by
Katherine Freer
Script by
Bess Levin and Wendy Shanker
Casting by
The Casting Collaborative Andrea Zee, Danica Rodriguez, & Jason Styres
Live Broadcast Production
Moritz Worldwide, Inc. Broadway Unlocked Corporation
Music Supervisor
Michael J. Moritz Jr.
Musical Arrangements by
Paul Johnson
Production Manager
Sydney Steele
Movement Coordinator
Preston Nation
Associate Director
Kelsey Baehrens
Production Stage Manager
Jhanaë Bonnick
Assistant Stage Manager
Jereme Kyle Lewis
NYCLU Artist Ambassador Co-Chairs
Ari Afsar and Shaina Taub
Marketing Consulting by
Situation Interactive
Press Relations
Polk & Co.
COVID Compliance Supervisor
Isabel Schwartzberg
Accessibility Services
Invest in Access
Featuring
Arianna Afsar (she/her), Shaunice Alexander (she/her), Mikayla Bartholomew (she/her), Laura Benanti (she/her), Erich Bergen (he/him), Todd Buonopane (he/him), Maybe Burke (they/she), Ayodele Casel (she/her), November Christine (she/her), Layan Elwazani (she/her), Deon’te Goodman (he/him), Emmett Grosland (they/he), Somáh Haaland (they/them), Brooke Ishibashi (she/her), Nikki M. James (she/her), Jax Jackson (Jax), Celia Keenan-Bolger (she/her), KO (they/them), Judy Kuhn (she/her), Treya Lam (they/them), Arian Moayed (he/him), Lauren Molina (she/her), Brandon Michael Nase (he/him), Veronica Otim (she/her), Alba Ponce de León (she/her), Nikhil Saboo (he/him), Holly Sansom (they/them), Arya Shahi (he/him), Liana Stampur (she/her), Shaina Taub (she/her), Cindy Tsai (she/her), Alexandria Wailes (she/her), Kuhoo Verma (she/they), and Princess Sasha Victomé (she/her)
The NYCLU believes that performing arts should be accessible for all. In working toward that goal, American Sign Language Interpretation has been provided live this evening and Picture-in-Picture for guests who are watching our virtual broadcast.
With Musical Performances by
“Rhythm Nation”
Music and Lyrics by Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Performed by Ayodele Casel, Alysha Deslorieux, and Peppermint
With November Christine, Deon'te Goodman, Brandon Michael Nase, Nikhil Saboo and Princess Sasha Victomé
Pussy Riot's "Make America Great Again"
Music and Lyrics by Ricky Reed, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Tom Peyton
Performed by November Christine, Lauren Molina, Nikhil Saboo, and Princess Sasha Victomé
“Black Like Me”
Music and Lyrics by Mickey Guyton, Nathan Paul Chapman, Fraser James Eliot Churchill, and Emma Davidson-Dillon
Performed by Nikki M. James
With November Christine, Brandon Michael Nase, and Princess Sasha Victomé
“The Lucky One” and “The Afghan Girl”
Written and Performed by Arya Shahi
“You Don’t Own Me”
Music and Lyrics by John Madara and David Ernest White
Performed by Treya Lam, Shaina Taub, and Kuhoo Verma
With November Christine, Lauren Molina and Princess Sasha Victomé
“No One is Alone” from Into the Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Judy Kuhn and Alexandria Wailes
“Just Call”
Written and Performed by Liana Stampur
“The Chosen One”
Music and Lyrics by Kya Gina Moore and Adam Joseph
Performed by Peppermint
“Black Gold”
Music and Lyrics by Esperanza Spalding
Performed by Shaunice Alexander and Brandon Michael Nase
With Deon'te Goodman, Nikhil Saboo, Cindy Tsai and Princess Sasha Victomé
“We Won’t Sleep” from We Won’t Sleep
Music and Lyrics by Ari Afsar
Performed by KO
With November Christine, Nikhil Saboo, Cindy Tsai, and Princess Sasha Victomé
MUSICIANS
Associate Music Director
Abel Garriga
Bass
Paul Johnson
Guitar
Marc Malsegna
Drums
Dan Santiago
Trumpet
Raul Agraz
Violin
Yoojin Park
We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers’ Union SAG-AFTRA
for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program.
Musicians for this production perform under agreement with Local 802, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada
artist AMBASSADORS
Arianna Afsar
Saheem Ali
Preston Max Allen
Kelsey Angel Baehrens
Mikayla Bartholomew
Denée Benton
Erich Bergen
Cheyenne Brady
Maybe Burke
November Christine
Layan Elwazani
Shruti Ganguly
Lora Lee Gayer
Emmett Grosland
Somáh Haaland
Nikki M. James
C.A. Johnson
Maggie Keenan-Bolger
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Judy Kuhn
Michael Kushner
Treya Lam
Zhailon Levingston
Jess McLeod
Paola Mendoza
Arian Moayed
Lauren Molina
Jevares C. Myrick
Robb Nanus
Shakina Nayfack
Sam Pinkleton
Nikki Pitre
Alba Ponce de León
Eva Price
Zachary Prince
Geena Quintos
Nikhil Saboo
Holly Sansom
Justin Elizabeth Sayre
Arya Shahi
Leigh Silverman
Phillipa Soo
Liana Stampur
Ali Stroker
Rachel Sussman
Shaina Taub
Brandon Uranowitz
Princess Victome
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
Lead
Wendy E. Scripps Foundation
Producer
Anonymous
Kaily & Adam Westbrook
Marianne & Steven Mills
The Richenthal Foundation
Co-Producer/Partner
Barbara Whitman
Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS
Claudia Salomon & Jorn Ake
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, P.C.
Latham & Watkins LLP
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP
Shirley and Al Evenitsky Fund for Social Justice
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Guardian
1199 SEIU United Healthcare
Alera Group
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Outten & Golden
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Host Committee
Carlin Meyer
Corsair Capital Management
Edwin J. Lopez-Soto & Patricia A. Braus
Julie Ehrlich & Noam Elcott
Kevin Finnegan & Mrinal Vikram
Mary Hedahl & Doug Magee
Peter Graham and Heidi Drymer
To our pro bono partner firms and cooperating attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, Milbank LLP, Shearman & Sterling LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and Winston & Strawn LLP:
Thank you for your extraordinary work on our statewide Officer Accountability and Transparency Campaign and your steadfast commitment to social justice, fairness, transparency, and equity.
AND A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO
Donna Aceto
Abby Allender
Gabby Aossey
Nushin Bhimani
Hafeezah Bishi
Samantha Bussell
Ellen Callaghan
Carrie Chatterson
Ari Conte
Caroline Cotter
Laura Ellis
Justin Kipp
Keith Kole
Sebastian Krueger
Diana Lee
Donna Lieberman
Simon McCormack
Caroline Nagy
Ariel Naveh
Isabel Olson
Robby Olson
Pooj Padmaraj
Natalie Powers
Andy Pham
Wendy Sealey
Brigid Stegemoeller
Nancy Suppa
Jessica Weitz
James Winer
Annie Zegers
HONOREE
Broadway for Racial Justice is a BIPOC-led non-profit founded in June of 2020 with a mission to bring transformative change to the theatrical community at large. BFRJ fights for racial justice and equity by providing immediate resources, assistance, and amplification for BIPOC theatre artists. In doing so, BFRJ helps create safer spaces throughout the theatrical community for creativity and artistry to thrive. For more info on BFRJ and our initiatives, visit BFRJ.org.
HOST
Peppermint’s (Host) star has continued to rise since her smashing success as first runner up on Season 9 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She recently became the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway when she was cast as “Pythio” in the groundbreaking Broadway musical Head Over Heels. An established entertainer and recording artist, she regularly performs to sold out crowds around the world. Albums include Hardcore Glamour, Servin’ It Up, Sugar & Spiked and Black Pepper and are available on iTunes and Google Play.
DIRECTOR
Jess McLeod is a director & social justice advocate specializing in risky new work about America. She recently served as Resident Director for the three-year run of Hamilton Chicago and co-directed Hi, Are You Single? with Laura Savia (Woolly Mammoth). Regional credits include the world premieres of There’s Always the Hudson (Woolly Mammoth); Pride and Prejudice (Long Wharf); and Hype Man (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Chicago credits include Wolf Play, Hang Man (world premiere, The Gift); Venus (Steppenwolf); Earth to Kenzie (world premiere, Lyric Opera); Do You Feel Anger?, Fulfillment Center (A Red Orchid); Landladies (world premiere, Northlight); How We Got On (Haven), in a word (Strawdog); Short Shakes! Midsummer (CST) and Marry Me A Little (Porchlight). NY credits include work by Joyce Carol Oates and Rachel Axler and The Unauthorized Musicology of Ben Folds (NYMF). McLeod was the Goodman’s 2017 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow and a 2018 Artistic Fellow (now Resident Director) at Victory Gardens. She has developed operas with community groups (Lyric Opera), musicals with incarcerated teen Chicagoans through Storycatchers Theatre, musical walking tours for the National Public Housing Museum and now works closely with the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. M.F.A. Northwestern. Proud NYCLU Artist Ambassador. www.jess-mcleod.com.
ABOUT NYCLU
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 more than 160,000 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, with particular attention to the pervasive and persistent harms of racism.
About The Michael Friedman Freedom Award
The NYCLU inaugurated the Freedom Award in 2017 to recognize an individual(s) and/or organizations for exceptional contributions as a humanitarians, artists and activists. In 2019, the award was renamed the Michael Friedman Freedom Award in memory of the brilliant theater composer who was deeply committed to civil liberties and civil rights. Past recipients are Harry Belafonte, Alan Cumming, and Celia Keenan-Bolger.
About Town Hall
The Town Hall is a non-profit national historic landmark, created by suffragists in 1921, and home to America’s Town Meeting of the Air, 1935-1956.
The Hall has played an integral part in the electrifying cultural fabric of New York City for over 100 years with enriching, entertaining, and educational programs.
Home to civic discourse as well as musical milestones, The Town Hall’s programs have featured guests such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Langston Hughes and Richard Nixon, and artists such as Isaac Stern, Marian Anderson, Nina Simone and Bob Dylan, who all made their debuts at the hall.
Read more about its fabled history and ways to support its programs by visiting TheTownHall.org
Learn more about Town Hall BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF
