Dr. Chelsea Clinton and Julia Butterfly Hill Join Idina Menzel for REDWOOD Talkbacks
The event with Chelsea Clinton will take place on Thursday, May 15.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 07, 2025
Redwood will host two special post-show talkbacks ahead of the show’s final Broadway performance as follows:
On Thursday, May 15 following the 7 pm show, Dr. Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, will join Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, Commissioner of the New York State’s Office of Addiction Services and Support, and David Wilke, Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation for a post-show conversation on addiction and recovery, moderated by Sean Daniels, Founder of Recovery Arts Project. The Clinton Foundation's Overdose Response Network has worked since 2012 to fight the overdose crisis -- forging partnerships to bring lifesaving naloxone to first responders, health departments, and recovery organizations; convening diverse coalitions of faith leaders to build support networks in cities across the country; and equipping community leaders with the knowledge, skills, and resources to fight this epidemic.
On Saturday, May 17 following the 8 pm show, Redwood will welcome activist julia butterfly hill in conversation with Idina Menzel for a discussion about the healing power of nature, moderated by Jan Svensen Weiss, Head of Social Impact for Redwood. Like Menzel’s character Jesse, hill lived in the canopy of an ancient Redwood tree, and her story served as Menzel’s initial inspiration for the musical. For more than two years (December 1997 - December 1999), hill lived in a Redwood tree, Luna, in order to draw attention to the deforestation of our planet. Talkbacks will be available exclusively to audience members at the show for each evening.
“We know what solutions are helping reduce overdose deaths and getting more people into recovery. That includes reducing stigma and making resources like lifesaving naloxone more widely available,” said Dr. Chelsea Clinton. “We are grateful to partners like the Recovery Arts Project, which has committed to put naloxone in every Broadway house, and to shows like Redwood that shine a critical light on the stories of addiction and recovery.”
As previously announced, Redwood, written and directed by Tony Award-nominee Tina Landau, with music by Kate Diaz and lyrics by Diaz and Landau, will play its final performance on Sunday, May 18. The New York Times’ Critic’s Pick, which opened at the Nederlander Theatre opened on Broadway on February 13, 2025, stars Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel, who also co-conceived the musical with Landau.
