Ben Platt, Whitney Bashor & More Join NYCLU's Annual BROADWAY STANDS UP FOR FREEDOM Benefit Lineup

The New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York State affiliate of the ACLU, announced today a star-studded lineup of performers for its annual benefit concert. "Broadway Stands Up for Freedom" will boast performances by some of Broadway's finest on Monday, July 18, at the NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place). Tickets are now on sale at http://nyuskirball.org/calendar/nyclu2016.

Ben Platt, Benj Pasek, Whitney Bashor, Alex Grubbs, and Grace McLean join the previously announced Erich Bergen, Jayne Houdyshell, Jennifer Simard, Christina Bianco, Todd Buonopane, Devin Trey Campbell, Crystal Monee Hall, Celisse Henderson, Kristolyn Lloyd, Ray Mercer, Zachary Prince, Liana Stampur and Clinton Curtis, Alexandria Suarez, Liesl Tommy and the Brooklyn Tech Lady Dragons Step Team. Susan Blackwell returns as host with directors Peter Flynn and Daniel Goldstein and musical director Lynn Shankel. Tony Award-nominee Liesl Tommy will be the keynote speaker, and Celia Keenan-Bolger and Andrew Keenan-Bolger will produce and present a video.

In addition to some of Broadway's hottest rising talent, the evening will feature one of the teenage winners of the NYCLU's Freedom of Expression contest, which invites New York City public school students to speak their minds on important civil liberties issues in their lives. This year, July 18th is also Nelson Mandela day. The NYCLU will showcase its impact litigation and advocacy with performers reading personal testimonies from public defense reform and solitary confinement cases. The victories for human rights and dignity won in these cases create meaningful and effective change statewide and often set nationwide precedent, furthering the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

Proceeds from the show will benefit NYCLU's mission of promoting and protecting the civil rights and liberties of all New Yorkers.

VIP tickets and sponsorship packages, now on sale for $100 and up, can be purchased here. Individual tickets, $60, can be purchased at http://nyuskirball.org/calendar/nyclu2016; by calling 212.352.3101; or in person at the Shagan Box Office located in the Center's lobby at 566 LaGuardia Pl.

For more information about the show, visit www.nyclu.org/broadway.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation's foremost defenders of civil liberties and civil rights. Founded in 1951 as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, we are a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with eight chapters and regional offices and 60,000 members across the state. Its mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law for all New Yorkers.

The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. The programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. www.nyuskirball.org.

Photo by Jennifer Broski