Mark Stuart Dance Theatre’s 10th anniversary gala will be held September 16 at 5 PM at New York Live Arts Theater, 219 W. 19th St.
The gala will include a performance of the dance company's When Change Comes: A Movement Forward, which is playing a limited tour this month. The evening will also include performances from Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, All the Fine Boys), American Idol alum Jerome Bell, and singer-songwriter Matt Cusson (John Lennon Songwriting Award winner).
A portion of the proceeds from the gala will benefit March for Our Lives.
“We need to reach a point in our nation where we are willing to have these difficult conversations in order to move forward,” said Brendan Duff, co-founder of March For Our Lives. “Time and time again the arts have mirrored the struggles we face every day, offering both outlets and solutions in search of progress. The March For Our Lives movement has showed us that the only way to achieve the change we seek is through understanding and common ground. When Change Comes brings light to these intense issues that, by seeing each other as people rather than polarizing ideas, we can overcome.”
When Change Comes is a dance musical that asks, “Can the act of ’seeing’ each other without judgment or fear break the cycle of intolerance?” Performances are September 7–8 at Madison Theatre at Molloy College (1000 Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Centre, New York) and September 13-16 at New York Live Arts Theater.
Conceived by Stuart and Jaime Verazin, When Change Comes is directed by Stuart with associate choreography by Alessandra Marconi, music direction by Nate Hopkins, and lighting design by Julie Duro. The cast features Verazin (Bandstand, Finding Neverland), Marc Heitzman (Bandstand, Cats), and Voltaire Wade-Greene (Hamilton), with Brian Golub, Samantha Farrow, Jacob Melvin, Mary Page Nance, Connor Schwantes, Nick Silverio, and Robyn Williams.
Philadelphia tour dates have also been added for When Change Comes at the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Suzanne Roberts Theatre from September 20 through September 30.
Tickets for the gala are $150 each and are available by visiting newyorklivearts.org.
