Broadway Sings For Jenna's Dreams Benefit Held At Yorktown Stage

Craig Schulman, a Yorktown resident, is the only actor to have starred in three of the most extraordinary musicals ever written - Jekyll & Hyde, The Phantom of the Opera, and Les Misérables, with more than 2,000 performances of Jean Valjean on Broadway and around the world. Craig and his friends will sing the hits from a wide range of musicals, including the Broadway shows that made them the stars they are today.

All proceeds of the event will benefit the Jenna's Dream scholarship program, which provides opportunities for at risk children to attend summer theatre arts camp and for high school seniors to continue their education in the performing arts.

A special raffle drawing will be held during the evening performance and someone
WILL win $10,000!
[Only 300 tickets will be sold in this $100 per ticket fundraising raffle.]
For details, visit www.jennasdream.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Craig Schulman, is the only actor in the world to have portrayed three of the most extraordinary musical theatre roles ever written: Jekyll & Hyde, The Phantom of the Opera, and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, with a world record of nearly 2,000 performances of Valjean on Broadway and around the world. Mr. Schulman is also the producer and creator of the Broadway Nights Concert series, Three Phantoms in Concert as well as solo concert programs entitled "Craig Schulman on Broadway" and "Heroes, Monsters and Madmen".

Ted Keegan is a versatile performer and has the distinction of being the actor who has sung the title role of Phantom in front of the largest audience ever, when he made a spectacular flying entrance from the dome of Madison Square Garden during the half-time show of the NBA All-Star game. His Broadway credits also include Freddy in My Fair Lady and Herman in Most Happy Fella.

Rita Harvey, soprano, made her Broadway debut performing the role of Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera after two years performing the role with the second national tour. She starred as Hodel in the recent Broadway revival of Fiddler On The Roof and Lady Edith in the Off-Broadway musical The Prince and the Pauper at the Lamb's Theater. Regional and stock productions include Laurey in Oklahoma!; Johanna in Sweeney Todd (both at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theater); Julie Jordan in Carousel; Christine in Maury Yeston's Phantom, Amalia in She Loves Me, Fiona in Brigadoon, Ann Collier in 1940's Radio Hour, and Katrin in the play I Remember Mama.

Philip Hernandez, baritone, is the only man in Broadway history to have played both Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert in Les Misérables. He made his Broadway debut in the Original Cast of the Tony Award-winning Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by the legendary Harold Prince. In Kiss, he created the role of Esteban and later went on to play the impassioned revolutionary Valentin in London's West End and on Broadway. Philip also created the role of the Reverend Gonzalez opposite Marc Anthony, Ruben Blades and Ednita Nazario in the Original Cast of Paul Simon's The Capeman. He starred as Don Quixote in the acclaimed Paper Mill Playhouse revival of Man of La Mancha and as Rico (yes, he wore a diamond) in the National Tour of Barry Manilow's Copacabana.

Soara-Joye Ross is a native New Yorker and a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Her Broadway credits include Les Misérables the Revival and Dance of the Vampires. Soara-Joye just received The New York Musical Theater Festival' "Best of Fest" award for Outstanding Individual Performance for her portrayal of Mama Lila in the new show Cross That River. Her Off-Broadway credits include Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall, Dessa Rose at Lincoln Center where she originated the role of Annabel (Original Cast Recording) and The Tin Pan Alley Rag with The Roundabout Theatre Company, the highly acclaimed 2 woman comedy Single Black Female at The Duke on 42nd and Playwrights Horizons. International credits include Smokey Joe's Café, Ain't Misbehavin' and the popular European show Palazzo Colombino.

Tamra Hayden is a professional actress and singer/songwriter who has performed on Broadway in Les Misérables and Cabaret; and Off-Broadway in Jacques Brel. Hayden has also toured throughout the US in Broadway Tours of Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and Fiddler on the Roof. A versatile singer, Tamra has performed Broadway Pops with The Nashville Symphony, Palm Beach Pops, and Charlotte Symphony to name a few.

Art Halperin is the award-winning, song writing, singing, and inspired lead guitar player of New York's 'WORK of ART' , an ever-changing band playing uniquely styled pop, reggae, good-feeling-music. Art has toured throughout the US., Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, sharing the stage and opening up for acts such as Eric Clapton, Santana, Jerry Garcia, Third World, Jimmy Cliff, and The Police. As a composer, he has written for other artists who have appeared on Billboard's R&B, Pop, and even Classical charts. Art has also written and recorded on many national and international albums, TV, and radio commercials. Along with his band, he has been featured on screen in the John Sayles movie "Baby it's You."

ABOUT JENNA'S DREAM
The aim of Jenna's Dream is to provide scholarships to at-risk youth to attend summer arts camp programs, and to provide scholarship money to outstanding local high school seniors planning to attend college in a performing arts program. To date, Jenna's Dream has awarded more than $100,000 in college and summer arts camp scholarships.

Jenna's Dream is named for Broadway star, recording and concert artist Craig Schulman's late 6 year-old daughter. While starring in the Yorktown Stage production of "Fiddler on the Roof"; in March of 2001, Craig shared the story of the loss of his daughter in 1998. Moved by this devastating tragedy, the cast and crew of "Fiddler" dedicated their final performance to the memory of Jenna. Using money donated by the performers and crew, members of the company pledged to start a performing arts fund in Jenna's name.

Jenna's Dream Inc. is legally incorporated according to IRS determination as an IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All donations, including tickets for fundraising events are tax deductible.

JENNA'S BIOGRAPHY
Jenna was the daughter of Craig Schulman and Monica Robinson Schulman, and sister of Matthew and Eric. Jenna loved music and dance. She studied tap, ballet and jazz at a local school of dance in Yorktown and loved to sing. By the age of three, she knew all the words to the musical "Annie". She loved to attend musical theatre, and especially watching her Dad perform the title role in "The Phantom of the Opera". Jenna loved Fire Island and Grandma and Grandpa's cottage in Wisconsin. Along with her family, she traveled across the United States, Canada and Singapore. She attended kindergarten at French Hill School.

Born with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, Jenna had hydrocephalous, commonly known as 'water on the brain'. As an infant of 5 months, Jenna had a shunt permanently implanted to drain fluid from her head. In late August of 1998, Jenna suffered a failure of the shunt apparatus, complications from which resulted in her death in October 1998.

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