Jamie McG's Spot -

 

THE SECRET GARDEN

The Third Annual World AIDS Day Benefit Concert
Book and Lyrics by MARSHA NORMAN
Music by LUCY SIMON
Based on the novel by FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT
Original Broadway Production Produced by Heidi Landesman, Rick Steiner, Frederic H. Mayerson,
Elizabeth Williams, Jujamcyn Theaters/TV ASAHI and Dodger Productions
Originally Produced by the Virginia Stage Company, Charles Towers, Artistic Director
Directed by STAFFORD ARIMA
Musical Direction by MICHAEL KOSARIN
Orchestrations by WILLIAM DAVID BROHN
ONE NIGHT ONLY! MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2005
AT MANHATTAN CENTER STUDIOS
PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE JOEY DIPAOLO AIDS FOUNDATION
AND CAMP TLC (TEENS LIVING WITH A CHALLENGE)

Artistic Producer Jamie McGonnigal and producers Brad Bauner, Adam Caldwell, Josh
Fiedler, Ryan Hill and Erica Lynne Schwartz, in association with The Storm Theatre,
are pleased to present a star-studded one-night-only benefit concert production of the acclaimed Broadway musical THE SECRET GARDEN, on Monday, December 5, 2005 (7 p.m.) at Manhattan Center Studios Grand Ballroom (311 West 34th Street). Directed by Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz), THE SECRET GARDEN is presented as the Third Annual World AIDS Day Benefit Concert.

THE SECRET GARDEN stars Michael Arden (Big River, Bare) as Dickon, Laura Benanti
(Into the Woods, Swing!) as Lily, Celia Keenan Bolger (...Spelling Bee) as Martha, David
Canary (“All My Children”) as Ben, Sara Gettelfinger (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Nine) as
Rose, Terrence Mann (Lennon, The Rocky Horror Show) as Neville Craven and Max Von
Essen (Dance of the Vampires) as Albert. Additional casting to be announced.

THE SECRET GARDEN opened at the St. James Theatre in April 1991, playing 709
performances before closing in January 1993. The musical, based on the famed novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, features a book and lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon. The original Broadway cast featured Mandy Patinkin, Alison Fraser, Howard
McGillin, Rebecca Luker, Robert Westenberg, John Cameron Mitchell and Daisy
Eagan, who won a Tony Award for her performance as Mary Lennox.

The creative team for the benefit concert includes musical direction by Michael Kosarin (Little Shop of Horrors), orchestrations by William David Brohn (Wicked, Ragtime), set consultation by Lauren Helpern (Underneath the Lentil) and lighting design by Traci Klainer
(MTC’s Four). Stephen DeAngelis is the casting director. Proceeds from the concert presentation of THE SECRET GARDEN will benefit The Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation and Camp TLC (Teens Living with a Challenge).

Tickets are scaled from $50-$150 and are now available by calling TicketCentral.com at 212-279-4200, or in-person at the Ticket Central offices, located at 416 West 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets are available daily between noon and 8 p.m.

To inquire about special donor seating (Prime and Rear Orchestra seats for donations of
$1,000.00 and $500.00 respectively), please call 212-769-7930. A production team member will contact you shortly to confirm and review your order. Tickets purchased at the $500 and $1000 levels will include passes to the exclusive post-show party with the cast and creative team. For information concerning available corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Josh Fiedler or Erica Schwartz at 212-769-7930.

All ticket holders are invited to attend a Pre-show Silent Auction. The auction will begin at
6:30pm in the Grand Ballroom. If you are interested in providing an item to be auctioned, please contact Erica Lynn Schwartz at erischwa@gmail.com.

WORLD AIDS DAY CONCERTS
The World AIDS Day Concerts were founded in 2003 by Kate Shindle and Jamie
McGonnigal to help raise awareness of the health holiday and to celebrate the lives of
those lost and those still fighting the ever-present disease. Through the creation and
instillment of community, while fighting for a common cause, The World AIDS Day
Concerts have successfully grown from idea to fruition. The inaugural concert, the New
York Professional Premiere of Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden, sold-out the majestic
Riverside Cathedral on Manhattan's Upper West Side. 2004's sold-out concert
presentation of Pippin featured performances from Rosie O'Donnell, and a return to his
Tony-Award Winning role by Ben Vereen. For more information, please visit
http://www.worldaidsdayconcert.org/.

THE JOEY DIPAOLO AIDS FOUNDATION
This year, the proceeds will benefit The Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation. When Joey
was four (1984) he was infected with the HIV virus from a blood transfusion during openheart
surgery. Empowered and motivated by his experience, Joey and his mother Carol,
began public speaking in 1990, bringing AIDS education to parents, faculty, and students
throughout the country. After becoming National AIDS spokespersons for several AIDS
organizations, Carol and Joey decided to establish The Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation
(JDAF). This foundation is motivated by compassion and hope for young people who are
living with HIV/AIDS. The centers for Disease Control reports that 51% of all new HIV
infections in the U.S. occur in young people under 25. With that statistic in mind, both
mother and son wanted to give other HIV positive adolescents/teens empowering
opportunities through a special AIDS related summer camp program, thus Camp TLC
(Teens Living with a Challenge) was born. Camp TLC was created to help adolescents
between the ages of 13-19, make the transition from childhood to adulthood and to address
the many challenges of making this transition while living with HIV/AIDS. For more
information, please visit http://www.jdaf.org/.

THE STORM THEATRE
The co-presenter of the event is The Storm Theatre. Founded in 1997 as a non-profit
theatre company, The Storm has been producing new and classic works that offer
audiences compelling documentation of what it means to be human. While struggling after
the effects of 9/11, they are just beginning to re-emerge as one of New York’s most exciting
success stories. http://www.stormtheatre.com/.
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