Walnut Street Theatre Presents One-Night Only Concert To Raise Money For Education Department

The Walnut Street Theatre will host an exclusive one-night-only concert as this year's annual Gala. The concert, America Sings!, features several Walnut favorites performing over 20 American and Broadway standards. The concert will take place on the Walnut's mainstage on Friday, May 4 at 7:00PM.

All proceeds from the Gala benefit the Walnut Street Theatre's award-winning Education and Outreach programming, which has grown to reach over 172,000 students, teachers and families annually in the Delaware Valley. One of these programs is the Professional Apprenticeship Program which offers 32 seasonal apprenticeship opportunities for recent graduates. This season's Acting Apprentices Hallie Hargus, Daniel Ison, Sarah Owens, and Daniel Wisniewski will join in the Gala performances on stage to showcase their talents.

Philadelphia favorite Fran Prisco returns to direct and host the evening, as well as perform one of the closing numbers, I Don't Want to Get Well. He is joined by an array of Philadelphia's most cherished stars singing America's musical favorites and patriotic numbers. The concert will also feature many Irving Berlin numbers, paying homage to "America's Songwriter" before next season's opening production of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn.

The evening will begin with a rendition of Freedom from the musical Shenandoah, sung by the four acting apprentices. They will be followed by current Tell Me On A Sunday star Julia Udine singing Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, a song that she performed hundreds of times while playing the role of Christine in Phantom of the Opera. Throughout the rest of the evening, audience members will be treated to well-known patriotic songs including This Land is Your Land, America the Beautiful, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and popular show tune standards like Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (Oklahoma), Dear Theodosia (Hamilton), Summer in Ohio (The Last Five Years), and Wheels of a Dream (Ragtime).

Performers include several cast members of the Walnut's upcoming production of Mamma Mia!: Schyler Conaway, Christopher deProphetis, Billy D. Hart, Jesse Jones, Kathryn Miller, Owen Pelesh, Lyn Philistine, and Christopher Sutton.

They will be joined by Ben Dibble and Mary Martello, fresh off their performances as Garry Lejune and Dotty Ottley in Noises Off; Jennie Eisenhower (The Humans, Forum), Nichalas L. Parker (Forum, Wizard of Oz), Ellie Mooney (Forum, Wizard of Oz), Nick Williams (A Christmas Story), Jacob Wilner (A Christmas Story, Wizard of Oz), Jessica Johnson (It's A Wonderful Life), Cary Michele Miller (Annie), Joliet Harris (How to Succeed, Streetcar Named Desire), and Melissa Joy Hart (Annie). Lexi Gwyn, last seen as Linda in Saturday Night Fever will sing Chuck Berry's Route 66 while accompanied by her father, Frank Gwynn on Bass.

The Gala Concert, America Sings! will take place on Walnut Street Theatre's Mainstage at 7:00PM on Friday, May 4. Following the concert, attendees who support at the VIP level will attend an afterparty in the Jefferson Alumni Hall Atrium on the Thomas Jefferson University Campus (1020 Locust Street, between 10th and 11th Streets).

The Gala is held annually and includes recognition of a member of the business and artistic communities with the Edwin Forrest Award for their contributions to American Theatre. This year the Walnut celebrates the contributions of Walnut Street Theatre Trustee Ronald Bowlan. The award was created in 1990 in honor of the leading American actor of the nineteenth century, Edwin Forrest. Forrest is a Philadelphia native who made his debut at the Walnut in 1820 and performed in several Shakespearean productions at the theatre.

The Walnut will also be celebrating House Manager Angelia Evans for her 25 years of committed service to the theatre. To celebrate this milestone, the theatre is offering $25 tickets to the America Sings concert with the goal of raising $5,000 for the Education Department in her honor.

The Gala Committee Co-Chairs are Walnut Street Theatre Donors Ramona Gwynn (Malvern, PA) and Jocelyn Williams (Moorestown, NJ).