Casts of A STRANGE LOOP and 1776 & More Set for SING OUT FOR FREEDOM 2022 Concert

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) have announced the initial line up of performers and presenters of the 20th Annual Sing Out For Freedom benefit concert. The event will take place on Monday, October 24th at 7:30pm. Sing Out For Freedom will feature performances and appearances by legendary singer/songwriter Desmond Child (Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, Aerosmith), Academy Award nominee Siedah Garrett (Michael Jackson, Dreamgirls), among others, and a special performance by Rock N' Roll Hall of Famer, National Book Award-winning author, poet, and music icon Patti Smith, who is also one of the evenings honorees.

The Sing Out For Freedom benefit concert was established to shine a light on social injustices and civil rights issues through unforgettable, curated nights, featuring song, spoken word, and other performing arts. Other performers and presenters set for the evening include comedian Alex Edelman (Just For Us), 2022 Tony-Nominee Shoshana Bean, comedian Roy Wood Jr. (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah), Tony-nominated actor Ato Blankson-Wood (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Slave Play), performer and founder of Broadway For Racial Justice Brandon Michael Nase, Kayla Davion (TINA: The Tina Turner Musical), singer and co-founder of the Sing Out For Freedom concert Liana Stampur, actor/writer/advocate Maybe Burke, actor Tomás Matos (Fire Island), and America's Got Talent choir sensation Sing Harlem.

The evening will also feature special performances from the cast of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony winning Broadway Musical, A Strange Loop, and Roundabout Theatre Company's current Broadway revival of 1776. Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly.

This 20th Anniversary event will honor Emmy-nominated food expert, television host, executive producer and The New York Times best-selling author, Padma Lakshmi (Taste the Nation, Top Chef, and Tomatoes for Neela); singer, composer, and musician Shaina Taub; and music icon Patti Smith. Writer and performer Sarah Jones will join the previously announced Busy Philipps as co-host of the festivities. This year's Sing Out for Freedom will look back at the past 20 years of historic wins for the ACLU and NYCLU; it will reflect on progress made; and the 20th annual celebration will strategize for the road ahead.

Tickets are now available via www.singoutforfreedom.com and Ticketmaster.

The Sing Out For Freedom concert event was created to highlight social injustices and civil rights issues through song, spoken word, and other performing arts. Each year, artists illuminate the NYCLU and the ACLU's wins for civil rights and liberties and the struggles that must continue. Past participants have included Celia Keenan-Bolger, Tony Kushner, Laura Benanti, Kelli O'Hara, Phillipa Soo, Michael Friedman, Ben Platt, Tonya Pinkins, Lindsey Mendez, Lena Hall, Gavin Creel, Ruthie Ann Miles, Erich Bergen, and Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner Benj Pasek.

Sing Out For Freedom, was co-founded by Liana Stampur and Erich Bergen along with NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the work of the NYCLU and the ACLU to promote and protect civil rights and liberties in New York and across the country. For more information, visit www.singoutforfreedom.com.

The 20th Annual Sing Out for Freedom benefit concert will be produced by Erich Bergen, Michael J. Moritz Jr. and Ari Conte, with Direction by Erich Bergen.

About the New York Civil Liberties Union and Sing Out For Freedom

The New York Civil Liberties Union 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, the NYCLU is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization with nine offices, including seven regional offices and 155,000 members across the state. We work to ensure that the core values and principles of equality, liberty and due process are more fully and consistently realized in the lives of all New Yorkers. In pursuit of these principles we fight for the dignity of all people, with particular attention to the pervasive and persistent harms of racism.