Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews Add Second Show Of WITNESS UGANDA On 9/18

Due to popular demand, Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews have added a second 9:30pm show to their Friday night Witness Uganda benefit. The proceeds of Witness Uganda will aid in the education of 10 Ugandan orphans. Tituss Burgess (Guys and Dolls) and Jessica Dickey (The Amish Project) lead a cast that includes Masi Asare (Sympathy Jones), Chinasa Ogbuagu, Mattilyn Rochester, Mathanee Treco, Diana Merek, Hubert Point-Dujour, Asha Rhode, Dana Thomas, Nia Austin-Edwards, Khori Rogers, and Yauri Kelly Dalencor. The 30-minute music-theatre-dance spectacle is based on Griffin Matthews experience as a volunteer in Uganda and the subsequent non-profit, Be The Change (Uganda), he founded to educate parentless teens there.

In the summer of 2005, Griffin Matthews journeyed to Uganda to volunteer at a village orphanage. Six weeks later, he returned home to the US with a story unlike any other...His non-profit organization Be the Change (Uganda) sponsors the educations of 10 students living in Kampala, Uganda; half of them orphans before the age of 17. Using personal journal entries, letters, and interviews Witness Uganda tackles the complexities of operating a grass roots non-profit organization.

There will also be an Art Installation by NYC art teacher Kelly Finlaw. www.bethechangeuganda.com to purchase $5 tickets. (tickets are limited, please purchase early)

EVENT INFORMATION:
Friday, September 18th @ 8pm, 9:30pm
The Tank, 354 W.45th, NYC

TICKET INFORMATION:
Advanced ticket sales are available online at www.bethechangeuganda.com for $5, with the option to donate. Once purchased, please pick up at the box offIce The night of the performance. *There are a limited number of tickets.

$5 ticket price covers the cost of the venue, additional donations are welcome and are tax deductible.

CAST:
Tituss Burgess (Guys and Dolls)

Jessica Dickey (The Amish Project)
Sophia Thomas (Mama Mia)

Masi Asare (Sympathy Jones)
Chinasa Ogbuagu
Mattilyn Rochester
JamAl Lee Harris

Diana Merek

Hubert Point-Dujour

Asha Rhodes
Dana Thomas
Nia Austin-Edwards
Khori Rogers
Yauri Kelly Dalencor

CREATIVE:
Matt Gould was commissioned this year to write for Broadway in South Africa at Symphony Space and was a composing fellow in the New Dramatists' composer-librettist workshop. While completing a commission from Jason Alexander to write the book and direct the original musical Free Style for REPRISE Theatre Company in Los Angeles, Matt and Billy Porter were producing Matt's original musical, Twilight in Manchego in the NYMF. Twilight also won the Jonathan Larson Foundation Award in 2007. In the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, West Africa, Matt translated, adapted, and directed that country's national tour of Romeo and Juliet, in Pulaar (a native African dialect), with an all female cast. He's performed in film and TV and recently won a residency with the Blue Barn Arts Center in Pennsylvania. www.mattgouldinc.com.

Griffin Matthews was most recently seen as the Courier in Paper Mill Playhouse's production of 1776. He hosted and wrote for two seasons on People Magazines Website I Heart DWTS. He also recurred on ABC'S Cashmere Mafia with Lucy Liu. He has appeared Off-Broadway in Best of Both Worlds and numerous regional productions. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Music Theater.

Shannan Smith and Meredith A. Moore: choreography

Kelly Finlaw: art installation
ABOUT BE.THE.CHANGE (UGANDA): Be.the.Change (Uganda) is a nonprofit organization that provides education, mentoring, and basic needs for the lives of children in Uganda. BTC offers housing, medical care, and monthly allowances for food and transportation. The organization currently sponsors ten students living in Ndejje Village outside of Kampala; many of whom have lost one or both parents to the AIDS epidemic. The goal of BTC is to holistically care for these students by offering a family environment for those who are orphaned in the hopes that it can create a sense of responsibility for themselves and their community. By doing this, BTC hopes to secure their futures and help raise up the next generation of leaders who will help cultivate a better Uganda.