John Tartaglia Hosts QSAC Talent Benefit, 5/24; Jordan, Dr. Ruth et al. Judge

John Tartaglia, Tony and Emmy Award nominee and creator of the new family musical adventure, John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean, will host the Grand Finale of Got Talent?, a competition to benefit QSAC, a New York agency that serves children with Autism, to be held at the Times Square Arts Center (669 Eighth Avenue) on Monday, May 24, 2010 at 6:00pm. Tartaglia will serve as the master of ceremonies of the live Grand Finale to be judged by a celebrity panel including Emmy Award winning actor, Leslie Jordan and acclaimed sex educator, Dr. Ruth along with casting veteran Rachel Hoffman, Telsey & Company. Legendary singer and original Weather Girls member, Martha Wash will also appear for a special performance.

Got Talent? Host, John Tartaglia, earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance of Rod/Princeton in the original cast of Avenue Q on Broadway and was most recently seen as Pinocchio in Shrek the Musical. Known to children worldwide for his Emmy Award nominated children's show, Disney's Johnny and the Sprites which he created and executive produced, Tartaglia has recently spread his creative "fins" to create and write his first musical project, John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean, an original glow-in-the-dark undersea family musical now in performances at New World Stages.

The Grand Finale judges panel includes Emmy Award winning actor (Will & Grace), Lesley Jordan, who is currently performing in his one-man Off Broadway show, My Trip Down The Pink Carpet, based on his book by the same name, now in performances at Midtown Theater; Dr. Ruth Westheimer, cultural icon and sex therapist, known for her bubbly personality and frank advice about sex; and Rachel Hoffman, casting director with Bernard Telsey & Company casting.

Entertainment at the event will feature a special music performance by the legendary "Queen of Clubland" Martha Wash. An original member of the classic disco group, The Weather Girls, who received a Grammy Nomination for their classic hit, "It's Raining Men", Wash went on to have a successful singing career as a much sought after session singer, recording for Seduction and C+C Music Factory.

The QSAC "Got Talent?" Grand Finale is the final stage in the talent competition to benefit QSAC - Quality Services for the Autism Community. Twelve finalists, who have passed through a series of on line voting and industry professional judging panels, will perform live at the Grand Finale. In addition, each finalist has a web page to collect votes that will help raise funds for Autism with each vote costing $1. Tickets for the QSAC "Got Talent" Grand Finale are $25 to $150 and are available at www.qsac.com/talent/tickets/html.

QSAC, one of the largest agencies dedicated specifically to autism and an award-winning organization, provides comprehensive services and programs to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families in New York City and Long Island. Founded in 1978, QSAC today has 21 facilities in Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, and Nassau County. Over 2,000 people benefit yearly from its programs, including about 890 individuals who receive direct services. Many of QSAC's participants represent challenging cases referred to QSAC by the Boards of Education and New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. All of QSAC services are geared towards providing people with autism with the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to lead a more independent, productive and fulfilled life.

For more information on 'Got Talent', visit www.qsac.com/talent. 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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