Ferguson, Chalfant, Bean Join 'Bway Stands Up for Freedom'

Drama Desk-winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Spelling Bee), Kathleen Chalfant (Wit) and Shoshana Bean (Wicked) join the already starry group of performers taking part in "Broadway Stands Up for Freedom!," a benefit concert to support the youth programs of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The concert will take place on Monday, July 16th at 7:30 pm at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 La Guardia Place, Washington Square South)

As previously announced, Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner will host theevent with NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. Nina Lannan and Jordan Roth co-chair.

Other performers scheduled to appear include Tony Award winners LaChanze (The Color Purple), Harriet Harris (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Denis O'Hare (Take Me Out, Assassins), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent, Les Miserables), Celia Keenan-Bolger (Spelling Bee, Les Miserables), Jenn Collela (High Fidelity), Julie Halston (Gypsy, Twentieth Century), Todd Buonopane (Spelling Bee), the cast of [title of show] - Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, Academy Award winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), and founding performers Erich Bergen (Jersey Boys National Tour) and Liana Stampur, with Clinton Curtis and Colin McAdoo.

Emmy Award-winning Seth Rudetsky ("Seth's Broadway Chatterbox") will be musical director, and Daniel Goldstein (Papermill's Godspell, But I'm a Cheerleader: The Musical) will direct.

The New York Civil Liberties Union has been at the forefront of challenges to recent abuses of power, from torture to government secrecy to spying on innocent Americans. The NYCLU is also currently working to oppose overly-aggressive policing in city public schools, abusive military recruitment tactics, as well as training thousands of peer educators through the Teen Health Initiative to understand and advocate for their right to confidential reproductive health care. As part of that campaign the organization is evaluating scores of entries—poetry, artwork, music and essays—that young people have submitted to the organization's annual Student Expression contest, about these and other issues. The winning entries will be read and/or performed by special guestsas part ofthe evening.

"Broadway Stands Up for Freedom!" is now in its fifth year. It was founded by performers Liana Stampur and Erich Bergen as a way to put into action their personal dedication to reproductive rights and other civil liberties issues relevant to them as young people.

Regular tickets are $60, and priority seats will sell for $100. Sponsorship packages start at $250. There are also $12 discount tickets for students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased through Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 (www.ticketcentral.org). For sponsorship packages, contact Jaclyn Stoll at 212-607-3343 or jstoll@nyclu.org.

Photo of Shoshana Bean by Mark Rupp