Valarie Pettiford Lends Her Voice To A Friend In Need April 30

On Saturday, April 30 at 7:00pm, members of the Bay Area Cabaret & Theatrical communities join forces to raise funds for, and honor the work of, cabaret columnist and award-winning director Mike Ward, facing the final months of terminal, inoperable liver cancer. Produced by Victoria Molina and cabaret sensation Carly Ozard, the 2-1/2 hour event ($25 donation, cash at door or through Brown Paper Tickets) features a multitude of cabaret and theatre stars at Most Holy Redeemer Church's Ellard Hall, 100 Diamond Street (near 18th Street), SF. Beverages are available (no-host bar) and a raffle for door prizes will be held. Ward and some of the artists are available for interviews.

This exciting musical extravaganza will help offset Ward's healthcare expenses as well as provide essentials in his last few months. In addition, the artists and producers honor Ward's tireless work on behalf of Bay Area cabaret and theatre. "Mike stands for a lot of different things to singers and actors, and so having all these different artists performing a great variety of songs to pay tribute to him seems the best way to embody his outlook," says co-producer and cabaret star Carly Ozard.

Artist line-up features Ozard, Tony-nominee Valarie Pettiford (Fosse), Tammy Hall, Amanda King, Barry Lloyd, Russ Lorenson, and recording artist Professor RJ Ross; With Alan Choy, Candace Forest, Suzanne Garamone (Those Darned Accordions), Molly Gazay (The Gilded), Brendan Getzell, Kelly Ground (Fantine-Les Miserables), Dave Gursom, Lua Hadar, Alexandra Kaprielian (Aspects of Love), Linda Kosut, world-renowned cellist Emil Miland, Sasha Motalygo (Hedwig & the Angry Inch), Jacquie de Muro (The Drowsy Chaperone), Stephen Randolph, Jonathan Reisfeld (Jerry Springer, the Opera), Ray Renati (Ragtime), Tom Shaw, Danielle Thys (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), Eric Ward, Joe Wicht (Dirty Little Showtunes), and others. (Line-up subject to change)

Ward recently received the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle's Gene Price Award, given to an artist embodying superlative professionalism and passion for Bay Area theatre. Nominated for the prestigious Ockrent Fellowship for Broadway Theatre, Ward is an alumnus of both Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab (NYC) and the West Coast Directors Lab (Pasadena Playhouse). He worked on and developed projects with Pulitzer and Tony-winner Edward Albee; Tony-winner George Furth; Grammy winner Doug Katsaros; comic legend Elaine May; Oscar and Grammy winner Stephen Schwartz; and many more. He has been involved in projects at the American Conservatory of Theater, California Musical Theatre, Isis Arts Collective (Founding Artistic Director), Killing My Lobster, Magic Theatre (Associate Artist), Music Circus (Sacramento), New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, theatreQ, TheatreWorks (over a dozen productions), as well as the first national sit-down production of the Tony-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

As Columnist and Arts Feature Writer for the SF Bay Times, Ward interviewed Oleta Adams, Cheryl Bentyne, Betty Buckley, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Marvin Hamlisch, Florence Henderson, Jennifer Holliday, Moises Kaufman, Cloris Leachman, Amanda McBroom, Varla Jean Merman, Maria Muldaur, Valarie Pettiford, Anika Noni Rose, Chita Rivera, Ruben Studdard, Rufus Wainwright, John Waters and more.

Ward serves on the Advisory Board of the SF Playwrights Center, Studio NPG and Aurora Nightclub, and was interim Board President of Immune Enhancement Project. As a patient advocate, he's performed peer counseling for others going through many of the medical procedures he's experienced.

"Mike was planning a trip, his final voyage with his partner, as his doctor urged him to plan any travel immediately because of his failing health," said event co-promoter, Victoria Molina. "As he described scraping funds together for his final trip, I thought, ‘why can't we do something to help this wonderful man who has done so much for others?'" Event-promoter Victoria Molina handles publicity and promotions for both SF Recovery Theatre's Night at the Blackhawk series and for Countess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy. Cabaret artist and co-promoter Carly Ozard won the 2009 Martuni's Cabaret Showcase Showdown and Best New Cabaret Artist 2009. Ozard, along with Ward, created her critically-acclaimed New York incarnation of Somebody to Love - My Tribute to Freddie Mercury at Don't Tell Mama, NYC.

Please join the Bay Area Cabaret community for a night of music, love and laughter to raise funds for (and honor the work of) cabaret columnist and award-winning director Mike Ward.

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