Damon Daunno, Amber Gray, and More Will Perform LOVE THE STRUGGLE Concert at Joe's Pub

Rehearsals began this week for an upcoming benefit concert at Joe's Pub of song highlights from Love The Struggle, an original musical in development co-written by Stacy Kray and Yair Evnine inspired by Simone de Beauvoir's and Jean-Paul Sartre's writings and legendary life-long love affair.  

The concert will be directed by Ellie Heyman (Space Dogs, Fuzzy) and features Damon Daunno (Oklahoma!; currently in The Seat Of Our Pants at The Public Theatre; Hadestown; The Lucky Ones), Grace McLean (Suffs, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; In The Green), Amber Gray (Macbeth, Hadestown, Natasha, Pierre &The Great Comet of 1812),  and Margo Seibert (Octet, Rocky, In Transit), with actor Neal Bledsoe (Othello) narrating the evening.

Given the creative support the show's writers have found at the Pub over the years, they plan to donate ticket proceeds back to The Public Theater (which owns the Pub).

Evnine, a cellist/guitarist who also co-orchestrated Waitress, and I & You (which recently completed a run at the McCarter Theatre) frequently takes the Joe's Pub stage as a collaborator for beloved regulars including Taylor Mac, Rizo, Justin Vivian Bond and Bridget Everett.  Evnine's work (with Rizo) also has been supported by The Public Theatre's New York Voices Program.  “Joe's Pub was one of the first venues I played after moving here and it still feels like home, where artists of all stripes congregate for inspiration and community.”

“I love directing at the Pub.  It's one of the last remaining NYC gems where you never know what will happen,” said Heyman, who has directed dozens of shows there over the years.

Kray, who serves on the Joe's Pub Advisory Council, added, “When I need to find my creative fire, I head straight for the Pub.  It's the perfect way to plunge immediately into the artistic milieu that makes New York what it is.”