Ars Nova Raises Over $400K During 24 Hour Telethon

This weekend, Ars Nova raised over $400,000 during the The Ars Nova Forever Telethon, a 24-hour livestream featuring more than 200 artists.

The free event celebrated Ars Nova's past and present, while raising funds to support the company's artistic programs throughout the unconventional 2020-2021 season. Limited on-demand viewing is now available at https://telethon.arsnovanyc.com/ until 6pm EST on December 8. The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation is matching all gifts made during the on-demand viewing period, and every additional dollar raised will further Ars Nova's support of emerging artists throughout the pandemic.

Ars Nova's Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan commented, "Our theaters and rehearsal rooms may be dark but this digital event has been a resounding statement on how active and buoyant our community remains. The generosity of spirit and talent from every single Telethon participant, the staff and the Ars Nova community at large has made this massive undertaking a great success! We're deeply grateful for the financial generosity of everyone who has given so far, contributing to our resilience as we look toward brighter days together."

Taking inspiration from classic TV marathons, The Ars Nova Forever Telethon featured 12 two-hour blocks of programming spotlighting some of Ars Nova's most beloved shows, artists, alums and friends. Elisabeth Vincentelli in The New York Times said this "ambitious online project might well be one of the virtual events you'll brag about seeing in 10 years."

Participants include Tina Fey, Billy Eichner, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ashley Park, Freestyle Love Supreme, Robin Lord Taylor, Kyra Sedgwick, Brooke Shields, Lea DeLaria, Bridget Everett, Phillipa Soo, John Early, Ben Sinclair, James Monroe Iglehart, Joe Iconis, Betty Gilpin, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Matt Rogers, Amber Gray, Lilli Cooper, Heather Christian, Jason Tam, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Rachel Chavkin, Sakina Jaffrey, Dave Malloy, Isaac Oliver, The Bengsons, Larry Owens, and Natalie Walker, to name a few.

On-demand viewing has been organized by two-hour programming blocks. A complete list of participants includes:

The Kickoff with hosts Ashley Pérez Flanagan & Grace McLean

Ars Nova's family of artists, past and present, come together to help us launch this 24-hour extravaganza. Featuring César Alvarez, The Bengsons, Starr Busby, Laura Galindo, Khiyon Hursey, Joe Iconis, Michael R. Jackson, and James Monaco with appearances by Kyra Sedgwick and Beau Willimon.

The Comet Comes Home with hosts Rachel Chavkin & Dave Malloy

The cast and creative team of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 reunite to tell their story from Ars Nova to Broadway through performances, conversations and tributes. Featuring Brittain Ashford, Courtney Bassett, Gelsey Bell, Nick Belton, Denée Benton, Brian Bogin, Josh Canfield, Kennedy Caughell, Manik Choksi, Claudia Chopek, Blake DeLong, Erica Dorfler, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Nick Gaswirth, Alex Gibson, Amber Gray, Billy Kiessling, Bradley King, Blaine Krauss, Mimi Lien, Andrew Mayer, Grace McLean, Karyn Meek, Mary Page Nance, Shoba Narayan, Kenny Nuñez, Pearl Rhein, Phil Romano, Celia Mei Rubin, Scott Stangland, Cathryn Wake, Charity Wicks, Katrina Yaukey, Paloma Young, and Lauren Zakrin with appearances by Billy Eichner, Jennifer Kidwell, Scott R. Sheppard, and Robin Lord Taylor.

Showgasm. with hosts Matt Rogers & Shalewa Sharpe

An all-star lineup joins hosts Matt Rogers (co-host of Las Culturistas) and Shalewa Sharpe (HBO's 2 Dope Queens) for a special double-header edition of Ars Nova's variety-show-meets-party. Featuring Nick Chambers, Sarah Dooley, Kenice Mobley, Zilla Vodnas, and Sydnee Washington with special appearances by John Early, Cole Escola, Bridget Everett, and Murray Hill.

Isaac Oliver's Lonely Quarantine

Isaac Oliver, author of Intimacy Idiot, returns to Ars Nova for a late night romp with special guests, games and brand-new stories. Featuring Katja Blichfeld, Naomi Ekperigin, Ryan O'Connell, and Ben Sinclair with special appearances by Betty Gilpin, Chris Lowell, and Ashley Park.

The Witching Hour with The Neon Coven

Experience weird and witchy dance party vibes from wherever you are with The Neon Coven, the performance collective behind the hit nightclub experience OSCAR AT THE CROWN. Featuring Brandon Alberto, Fena Barbitall, Grace Calio, Tony Clements, Andrew Barret Cox, Tony D'Alelio, Kerri George, Brendan Henderson, Kim Hudman, Hannah Jewel Kohn, Sarah Lewandowski, Princess Lockerooo, Brandon Looney, Mark Mauriello, Michelle Martinelli, Kelly McIntyre, Olivia Miller, Chris Murphy, Deon Shotwell, Bessie D. Smith, Jada Temple, Tweet, Zofia Weretka, and Karoline Xu with special appearances by Stephanie Hsu, Leigh Silverman, and Jason "SweetTooth" Williams.

Cartoon Camp with hosts Mahayla Laurence & Matt Gehring

Oh... you're still up? Let's get f#*$ing weird! Favorite comedians provide live commentary for a very different kind of Saturday morning cartoons. Featuring: Josh Nasser, Mike Poole, and Caroline Reedy.

Ars Nova Rewind: Vintage Videos

Ars Nova opens the VHS vault and shares some of their favorite moments from the past 18 years.

Morning Meditations with host Sakina Jaffrey

Inspired by Ars Nova's world premiere of Small Mouth Sounds, this in-home retreat starts your weekend off right by slowing things down for some deep breathing, reflection and relaxation. Featuring Jaclyn Backhaus, Catherine Brookman, Nikki Calonge, Heather Christian, and Erik Ehn with special appearances by Rachel Bonds, Babak Tafti, and Bess Wohl.

Boom Crunch Zoom Brunch: A Celebration of Theatrical Choices with hosts Larry Owens & Natalie Walker

Culture aficionados Larry & Natalie host a midmorning cabaret celebrating some of history's most iconic performances on stage, screen and beyond. Featuring Demi Adejuyigbe, Michael Breslin, Ayo Edebiri, Patrick Foley, Meg Stalter, Patrick Vaill, Kuhoo Verma, and Sydnee Washington with special appearances by Gavin Creel, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Alex Timbers.

So You Think You Can KPOP with host Jason Tam

Party with cast members from the Ars Nova production of KPOP as they celebrate the Broadway-bound, game-changing music theater phenomenon. Featuring Julia Abueva, Cathy Ang, Teddy Bergman, Joomin Hwang, Jinwoo Jung, Helen Park, Jennifer Weber, and John Yi with special appearances by César Alvarez, Jason Kim, and Ashley Park.

Thon-Tha-Thon-Thon-Thon with Freestyle Love Supreme

Hip-hop improv masters Freestyle Love Supreme are ready to share the junk in their trunk during a celebration of their long road from Ars Nova to Broadway. Featuring James Monroe Iglehart, Arthur Lewis, Kaila Mullady, Chris "Shockwave" Sullivan, and Anthony Veneziale with special appearances by Lila Neugebauer and Brooke Shields.

The Finale for The Future with hosts Lilli Cooper & Joél Pérez

The Ars Nova family of artists come together to bring it all home, celebrating the daring work that will define Ars Nova's future. Featuring John Behlmann, Michael Breslin, Andrew R. Butler, Manik Choksi, Bridget Everett, Patrick Foley, Deepali Gupta, Kyle Jarrow, Jo Lampert, Sammy Miller, Onyie Nwachukwu, Rona Siddiqui, Lauren Worsham, and Zack Zadek with special appearances by Lea DeLaria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Stephen Karam.

The Ars Nova Forever will also feature appearances by Frankie Alvarez, Hannah Bos, Salty Brine, Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Karen Chee, Guadalís Del Carmen, Sonia Denis, Vinny DePonto, Dickie DiBella, Tina Fey, Peter Friedman, Mitra Jouhari, Jenny Koons, Kameron Neal, Emily Oliveira, Tessa Skara, Peter Smith, Tansy, Stephanie Wright Thompson, and more.

Please visit https://telethon.arsnovanyc.com/ for more information including performance times and sponsorship opportunities.