Bryce Pinkham, Brandon Victor Dixon, Josh Radnor and More Set for Zara Aina's 'BIG OL' FANCY PANTS' Benefit

Bryce Pinkham (Benny & Joon, Holiday Inn, Gentleman's Guide) and Lucas Caleb Rooney (Red Speedo) will co-host Zara Aina's 5th Annual Big Ol' Fancy Pants Benefit on Monday, December 4, 2017.

The organization, founded by Mr. Pinkham and Mr. Rooney, helps at-risk children in Madagascar and the United States harness the transformative power of theatrical storytelling and performance to expand their capacity for achievement, invest in their sense of possibility, and recognize their potential.

The one-night-only concert will take place at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street) at 7:00 PM.

The evening will feature performances by Bryce Pinkham, Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton, Shuffle Along, The Color Purple), Hannah Elless (Benny & Joon, Bright Star, Godspell), and Andrew Samonsky (Benny & Joon, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, South Pacific) and BeMaeva with special appearances by Oskar Eustis (Artistic Director of The Public Theater), Jake Lacy (Carol, Girls, I'm Dying Up Here), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother, Rise, The Babylon Line), Tracee Chimo (Bad Jews, People of Earth), and more.

There will be a VIP Reception at 6:00 PM and doors for the performance will open at 6:45 PM.

Tickets are $100 (performance) or $250 (performance and VIP Dinner) and are available via Joe's Pub website: www.publictheater.org/reserve/index.aspx?performanceNumber=35739. All proceeds will benefit Zara Aina. Donors can also make tax-deductible donations to Zara Aina through www.zaraaina.org.

In Madagascar, Zara Aina invites children prone to panhandling and homelessness from the poorest neighborhoods of the capital city, Antananarivo, to join the Youth Company. Youth Company members spend the year working through our theater curriculum, from the basics of movement, dance and play in the first year; to character-building in the second; to creating a full-length show in the third; all while receiving English and French instruction. The Fourth Year provides test prep, vocational training, and internships. In the summer, American theater artists join the Youth Company to work on their shows and tour them around the country.

In the United States, Zara Aina brings its signature creative storytelling model to American schools, recreation centers, shelters, and community-based organizations who have expressed an interest in using our theater workshops to strengthen important educational and social skills such as creative thinking, collaboration, effective reasoning, communication, and following ideas from beginning to end.

Established in 2012 with headquarters in New York, Zara Aina is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose name in Malagasy means share life. Please visit www.zaraaina.org for more information.

Photo Credit: Charlie Kaye