Laura Osnes, Kerry Butler and More to Headline 2012 TRU Love Benefit Tonight, 11/11

Back to the Article

by BWW News Desk

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), now celebrating its 21st year as a not-for-profit service organization, has announced a lineup of Broadway stars performing at their annual TRU Love Benefit, Making the Impossible Possible!. The previously announced honorees include producer Van Dean of The Broadway Consortium; director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell for his work with Broadway Bares; and legendary downtown entrepreneur Edith O'Hara and the 13th Street Repertory Company. The event will take place tonight, November 11th at the brand new midtown Lucky Cheng's at 240 W. 52nd Street, with generous sponsorship support from Peroni Beer, The Players Theatre, Pure Audio Systems and open captioning for people with hearing loss provided by C2 Caption Coalition. The festivities begin at noon with wine, drinks and appetizers served as only the Lucky Cheng's girls can serve them, followed by a luncheon at 1pm and the awards ceremony and performances at 2pm.

Hosted by the comedy twins The Stone Brothers, the event features a star-studded Broadway cast headed by Andrea McArdle (Annie, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, State Fair), as well as an array of talent that has appeared - or is appearing - in Dean and Mitchell productions: Laura Osnes (Bonnie and Clyde, Cinderella) will sing a song from Dean-produced Bonnie & Clyde as well as the upcoming first ever Broadway production of Rodger and Hammerstein's classic Cinderella; Kerry Butler (Xanadu, The Best Man) will be featured in her star turn solo from Catch Me If You Can, which Dean produced and Mitchell choreographed; Celina Carvajal (Disney's Tarzan) will be singing a song with composer Paul Scott Goodman from his musical Rooms: A Rock Romance, Dean's first off-Broadway venture before forming The Broadway Consortium; Tanesha Ross (Hair) and Darren Ritchie (Wonderland) will sing a duet from Saint Heaven, Dean's very first musical production which he found through the TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series; and young Isabela Moner (Evita) will be previewing a song from another incoming Broadway musical. A few added surprises are in store as well.

TRU will recognize one of their own by presenting the 2012 TRU Spirit of Theater Award to Van Dean in recognition of his remarkable rise from first-time producer in the TRU Voices reading series in 2005 (Saint Heaven) to a current Tony Award winner (Porgy & Bess) and prolific Broadway producer and creator of The Broadway Consortium, a new investment model that has helped bring Bonnie & Clyde, Chinglish, revivals of Evita and The Best Man and more to the Broadway stage; as well as for his ongoing generosity as an active contributor to TRU's programs and his avid outreach on TRU's behalf. TRU will present their annual TRU Humanitarian Award to Broadway director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde and the upcoming Cyndi Lauper musical Kinky Boots) for his selfless work and passionate, generous spirit as the creator of Broadway Bares, raising money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year's TRU Entrepreneur Award will be given to Edith O'Hara in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the 13th Street Repertory Company, and which for four decades has provided a valuable first home for so many people who move to New York to pursue theater.