CASTING: ROLE OF A LIFELINE Bone Marrow Drive and Info Fair is Coming to the Museum of Broadway

Organizations including Broadway Serves, DKMS, Entertainment Community Fund, The Lion King, The Museum of Broadway, and Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. have joined forces to produce Casting: Role of a Lifeline, a bone marrow drive and information fair, Wednesday, January 28, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Museum of Broadway.

The event seeks to increase understanding of the bone marrow donation process and encourage members of the theater community to register as potential donors, who may then be matched with patients in need, taking on a literal “role of a lifeline.” Motivated by personal experience and a shared commitment to collective care, the partners aim to harness the Broadway community’s culture of mutual support for those facing blood cancers and related illnesses.

“At Broadway Serves, we endeavor to cultivate a community of people who want to give back, and we do our best to answer the call when we are invited to collaborate on a passion project for a worthy cause,” said Broadway Serves Co-Founder Kimberly Marable. “Cancer is something that touches many of our lives, and we hope that with this event, people are inspired to learn more about bone marrow donation, and how they can be a lifeline.”

“My mom has a rare form of leukemia and received a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor, an experience that profoundly shaped my life,” said Kyle Christopher, Associate General Manager at RCI Theatricals, who initiated the drive. “Working in the Broadway community for many years, I know how passionate this industry is about helping their own, and I wanted to create an opportunity for that generosity to directly save lives.”

Casting: Role of a Lifeline begins at 11:30 a.m. with remarks from artists including L. Steven Taylor, a performer in The Lion King who has played the role of Mufasa for over 20 years. Taylor worked with Shannon Skye Tavarez, the child actor whose struggle to find a matching donor highlighted the lack of people of color registered in the national bone marrow registry and inspired the founding of Shannon’s S.H.A.R.E. “Cancer has impacted almost everyone in some way, most recently for me with the loss of my uncle a few months ago,” said L. Steven. “Events like Casting: Role of A Lifeline will hopefully inspire all of us to get early and regular cancer screenings and provide an opportunity to become lifelines for vulnerable community members. I’m excited to help continue to honor Shannon’s legacy through this event!” Chondra Profit, a former cast member of The Lion King who shared the stage with Tavarez and later had the opportunity to be a bone marrow donor herself, will also share her story. DKMS, the nonprofit bone marrow donor organization, will supply registration kits and educational materials.

Casting: Role of a Lifeline is open to the general public, with a particular focus on the Broadway community.