Wicked and Brooklyn star Eden Espinosa and Newsies star Dan DeLuca have joined the cast of Raise Your Voice: A Cabaret For A Cure, produced and created by NYU student and lymphoma survivor Rob Morean. The second annual concert will be held October 16 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts and benefits The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The 8 PM concert will also feature performances by Tony nominee Max von Essen (American in Paris, Evita), Tony nominee Michael McElroy (Rent, Big River) and the Broadway Inspirational Voices, Derek Klena (Anastasia, Dogfight, Wicked), Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture, Les Misérables), Claybourne Elder (Bonnie and Clyde), singer-songwriter Joey Contreras and more.
The event was conceived after Morean was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma in October 2014. He was forced to take a semester off from studying musical theatre at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to return home and undergo chemotherapy. After three months of treatment, Morean entered remission January 15, 2015, and returned to NYU that following semester.
The first Raise Your Voice raised over $13,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Following last year’s success, Morean will be joined by more Broadway performers and emerging artists from NYU Tisch’s New Studio on Broadway to continue raising money for LLS and their life-saving mission.
The evening will be hosted by Zuzanna Szadkowski (Gossip Girl). Executive producer Morean will serve as artistic director and will be joined by producers Brian Swinney, Amanda Pinto and Jake Nathanson.
Raise Your Voice features music direction by Mark Evans and choreography by Barry McNabb (Phantom of the Opera), Billy Griffin (Young Frankenstein, Marry Poppins, White Christmas), Phil Colgan (Paper Mill’s A Bronx Tale and West Side Story) and Amanda Pinto. Lighting design is by Kelley Shih with sound design by Neal Goleta and costume design by James Nguyen (Something Rotten!, Aladdin, Tuck Everlasting).
The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place. Tickets start at $30. VIP tickets are available for $250 and include a pre-show reception, cast meet-and-greet, photos and sponsorship in the program. There will be other donation opportunities throughout the evening, including a silent auction. For tickets, visit RaiseYourVoiceCabaret.com. Those who cannot attend the event can make a tax-deductible donation here.
(Updated October 5, 2016)
