Laura Benanti, Julie Benko, and Liam Pearce to Perform at TDF Broadway Breakfast

TDF has announced that Broadway actors Julie Benko and Liam Pearce have joined the lineup as performers at its annual fall fundraiser Broadway Breakfast. Tony winner Laura Benanti, previously announced to host the event, will also perform.

Set for Wednesday, October 28 at 8 a.m. at the iconic Rainbow Room (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th floor), the Broadway Breakfast will celebrate 15 seasons of TDF Autism Friendly Performances. At the event, Christopher and Veronica Jackson will be honored with the Christina Trivigno Advocate Award for their steadfast advocacy within the performing arts community for people with autism. The TDF Founders Award will be presented to the Adult Access Initiative, a collective of Broadway producers, including Mara Isaacs, Thomas M. Neff, and Craig Balsam, that seeks to make theatrical experiences accessible for people of all ages with autism. The New York City Council will be honored with the Victoria Bailey Impact Award for their ongoing support of the TDF Autism Friendly Performances program.

The 15th season of TDF Autism Friendly Performances (AFP) kicked off this summer with the first-ever AFP of Lincoln Center Theater's acclaimed, Tony-winning revival of Ragtime on Sunday, July 26, followed by Hadestown on Sunday, August 23, and The Great Gatsby on Sunday, September 27, 2026, and will also feature returning shows Maybe Happy Ending on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the Belasco Theatre, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. at Radio City Music Hall, and The Lion King on Sunday, January 31, 2027 at 1 p.m. at the Minskoff Theatre.

With these six productions confirmed through January 2027 and more to come next spring, TDF's 15th season of AFP features the most offerings yet.

TDF Autism Friendly Performances launched in 2011 with a performance of Disney's The Lion King on Broadway. Since then, there have been AFP of Broadway's & Juliet, Aladdin, Buena Vista Social Club, Cats, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, Come From Away, Elf: The Musical, Hamilton, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell's Kitchen, How to Dance in Ohio, JOB, Just In Time, Kinky Boots, Mary Poppins, Matilda The Musical, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ The Musical, My Fair Lady, New York City Ballet's production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Our Town, SIX, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Great Gatsby, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.

The program operates under the umbrella of TDF Accessibility Programs. To create an autism-friendly setting, the shows are performed in a welcoming, supportive environment for individuals diagnosed with autism; sensory and communication disorders; and intellectual, cognitive or developmental disabilities; along with their family and friends. Slight adjustments are made to the productions where possible, including the reduction of jarring sounds and strobe lights focused into the audience. In the theatre lobby, there are staffed break areas in case audience members need to leave their seats during the performance. Downloadable resources, including a Visual Narrative with pictures of the theatre and the production, are available in advance on the TDF website. For AFP, TDF purchases every seat in the theatre and makes the tickets available at discount prices exclusively to families, groups, schools, etc. whose members include individuals who have autism or are neurodivergent.

The funds raised at the TDF Broadway Breakfast will provide vital support for the not-for-profit's wide range of Accessibility, Education, and Community Programs that ensure the performing arts are accessible to all.

TDF Trustee Jane Shin Park and Tony-winning producer Tom Kirdahy are the benefit co-chairs. Tables start at $7,500, and single tickets are available for $750. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit tdf.org/breakfast.

Laura Benanti

Tony Award winner and five-time Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. She currently stars as Cindy on Paramount+'s Mayor of Kingstown and has appeared in The Gilded Age, Life & Beth, Younger, Elsbeth, Nashville, and the films No Hard Feelings and Worth, among many others. On Broadway, Benanti has starred in 11 productions, including The Sound of Music, Into the Woods, Nine, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and Gypsy, for which she won the Tony Award. She also created, wrote, and stars in the acclaimed solo comedy show Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, which has played sold-out engagements in New York, Edinburgh, London, and Chicago, and is currently touring across the US. Dates can be found at www.nobodycaresisacomedy.com.

Julie Benko

Julie Benko became a Broadway sensation as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, earning Theatre World's Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater, a New York Times "Breakout Star" nod, a spot on Variety's 10 Broadway Stars to Watch, and even a shout-out on The Simpsons. She recently returned to Broadway as Emma Goldman in the Tony-winning revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center, following Broadway appearances in Harmony, Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Misérables. Favorite regional credits include My Fair Lady, Jane Eyre, Once, Guys and Dolls, Our Town, and Rags. She has released four studio albums with her pianist-husband, Jason Yeager, including the award-winning Hand in Hand on Club44 Records. She's played sold-out shows at NYC's Café Carlyle, Birdland, and 54 Below, plus top venues around the US, and has performed as a guest soloist at Carnegie Hall and with orchestras nationwide. She holds an MFA in Acting from NYU-Tisch and spends much of her time chasing her rambunctious toddler Lulu around. For more, visit www.JulieBenko.com or follow her on Instagram @jujujuliebee.

Liam Pearce

Liam Pearce (he/him) most recently starred as Romeo in & Juliet on Broadway. Other Broadway credits include How to Dance in Ohio (Drama Desk nomination). Regional: Empire Records (world premiere,) Rent at Paper Mill Playhouse, and Legally Blonde at The Muny. He dedicates all he does to his real and chosen families across the country. @liam.pearce.

About TDF

Founded in 1968, TDF (Theatre Development Fund) is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to sharing the power of the performing arts with everyone. TDF's mission is to engage a broad and diverse audience by removing the financial, physical, and invisible barriers to participation in the performing arts. TDF's initiatives include the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths; TDF Memberships; the TDF Costume Collection; and TDF Accessibility, Education, and Community Programs. Those Programs include open captioned, audio described, and ASL interpreted performances; Autism Friendly Performances; the Veterans Theatregoing Program; school programs serving more than 11,000 NYC public school students annually; and partnerships with over 150 NYC community organizations serving 18,000 people in the tristate area. TDF welcomes NYC's vibrant communities to the theatre because experiencing the performing arts improves mental health and social connections. Learn more about TDF at tdf.org.