Tag: BC/EFA

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Broadway: Don’t miss the 27th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction

 Be a part of the biggest day of the year for Broadway fans at the 27th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction.

Find one-of-a-kind showbiz treasures, meet your favorite cast members and bid on exclusive backstage experiences.

Free and open to the public, the annual event takes place September 22nd from 10 AM-7 PM in the heart of the theatre district along West 44th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue) and in Shubert Alley.

In addition to memorabilia and other items to purchase, theatre fans have the opportunity to get autographs and pose for pictures with their favorite stars from Broadway and Off-Broadway in exchange for donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS – a charity near and dear to my heart.

Broadway stars scheduled to appear include Len Cariou, Harriet Harris, Shuler Hensley, Cherry Jones, Aaron Lazar, Judith Light, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Billy Porter, Faith Prince, Alice Ripley, Laura Benanti, Robert Cuccioli, Jeremy Jordan, Jan Maxwell, Julia Murney, Rory O’Malley, Laura Osnes, Christopher Sieber, Matthew James Thomas, Patrick Wilson and more.

You never know who’ll show up or what you’ll find. For an up-to-date list, visit broadwaycares.org.

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Excerpts from 20th Anniversary gala of “The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me”

Excerpts from the 20th Anniversary gala performance of David Drake’s ground-breaking play The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me.

The sold-out benefit performance on May 20, 2013, raised a $66,025 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Sero Project.

The re-imagined work was transformed from a one-man show into one featuring an all-star ensemble cast.

Actor and activist David Drake wrote The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me in the early 1990s. After joining the activist group ACT UP, Drake began writing autobiographical monologues about the AIDS crisis that eventually became the one-man show about this critical point in American history.

The one-night-only benefit performance featured an ensemble of talented actors, including Drake, Brandon Cordeiro, two-time Tony Award nominee Robin De Jesús, two-time Tony nominee André De Shields, Claybourne Elder, Tony nominee Rory O’Malley, Anthony Rapp, Chad Ryan, Donald C. Shorter, Jr., Wesley Taylor, Aaron Tone and Tony winner BD Wong. Tony nominee Robert La Fosse directed.

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The Candi & Randy Show welcomes Tom Viola of BC/EFA

Listen to internet radio with CandiXRandy on BlogTalkRadio
Candi and Randy welcome the Executive Director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Tom Viola.

Tom has been at the forefront of HIV/AIDS advocacy for decades, working with the Broadway & theatre community to raise needed funds for a multitude of charities.

In addition, Tom was one of the original producers of the Obie Award winning play “The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me,” written and starring David Drake.

Among many rave reviews, the New York Times called the play “rivetingly angry, intense, frenetic, frank and touching.”

Tonight, at the Gerard Lynch Theater at John Jay College, David Drake returns to a one night only celebration of his ground-breaking play. He has rewritten the play to include an all-star cast of openly gay theatre actors including Tony Award nominees Robin De Jesús, André De Shields, Rory O’Malley, RENT’s Anthony Rapp, and Tony winner BD Wong.

We talk to Tom about the birth of the play, it’s impact on the LGBT community, it’s relevance two decades later plus other efforts by BC/EFA.

For info about the event tonight, go to BroadwayCares.org

UPDATE: The 20th anniversary performance of David Drake’s solo show raised $66,025 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Sero Project. Bravo!

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2013 Broadway Backwards highlights

Broadway Backwards features show tune standards performed by the opposite gender for whom they were written. From the producers:

Broadway Backwards, the once-a-year celebration of the LGBT community, brought down the house March 18, 2013, while raising a record-setting $347,060 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

The sold-out show left the audience cheering after unforgettable performances by an array of Broadway’s best, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Karen Ziemba, Josh Young, Stephanie J. Block, Anthony Warlow and Tituss Burgess, who delivered a stirring recreation from Dreamgirls.

Look for this year and previous year’s events on DVD at this link. EAch of the DVDs feature fab and fun performances through the years from different events. (I participated in the 2010 Gypsy of the Year edition).

All funds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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Ricky Martin drops his pants for charity

Ricky Martin naked for charity - Ricky auctions off his pants for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Ricky Martin posted a pic on his WhoSay page showing him in nothing but a T-shirt, his skivvies and shoes, and looking quite shocked.

No worries – all for a good cause.

The 40-year-old will be auctioning off his trousers for charity to help benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the nonprofit that’s actively raised funds to help AIDS-related causes for more than two decades now.

“We even ended up auctioning my pants WTF!!! LOL Terminamos subastando hasta mis pantalones jajaja @

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The 26th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction

Great, great event that supports Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Don’t miss it NYC! Find showbiz treasures, meet the stars and bid on once-in-a-lifetime items and experiences at the 26th Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction.

Make your plans now to spend Sunday, September 23 with Broadway Cares and thousands of other theatre fans in Times Square, Shubert Alley and along West 44th Street searching for those one-of-a-kind keepsakes. This not-to-be-missed event for any serious Broadway theatergoer is free and open to the public and has been called one of the “Best Once-a-Year Markets” in New York City.

From photos with your favorite Broadway star to buying that lost cast recording, signed show posters and Playbills, rare costume sketches or that special gift for a theatre-lover you can’t find anywhere else – this year’s Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction promises to offer something for everyone.

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Heart of Broadway – the ensemble behind Broadway Cares

Heart of Broadway goes inside Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for an in‐depth look at the organization, which, by drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 has raised more than $195 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

The special takes viewers backstage and behind the scenes for conversations with key players who reveal what makes this one of the most influential organizations in the world. Featured celebrities, who’ve repeatedly and graciously donated their time and talents to Broadway Cares, include Denis O’Hare, Marc Kudisch, Jerry Mitchell, Tom Viola, Judith Light, Jen Cody, Terrence McNally, Lillias White, Kathleen Chalfant, Billy Porter, and Ann Harada.

More about this inspiring TV experience at HERE.tv