Debra Monk to Celebrate Birthday with Concert Benefitting BC/EFA on 2/24

Beloved stage and screen star Debra Monk will be "totally hot and a little dirty" as she celebrates her 65th birthday February 24, 2014, in a free-wheeling rock 'n' roll concert produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Debra Monk Birthday Bash (#debrabday) will feature the Tony Award winner and some of her most talented friends rollicking through a collection of their favorite rock and pop hits. Among those scheduled to join Monk are two-time Tony nominee Charlotte D'Amboise, six-time Tony nominee Scott Ellis, four-time Tony nominee and six-time Emmy nominee Victor Garber, two-time Tony and Emmy Award winner Andrea Martin and Tony and Emmy nominee Ron Rifkin.

Tickets go on sale today for the benefit, which will be held at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre at John Jay College, 524 West 59th Street in New York City. VIP tickets start at $175 and include access to an exclusive post-performance reception with Monk and the cast; performance-only tickets are $95. Tickets can be purchased at broadwaycares.org/debramonk or by calling 212.840.0770, ext. 268.

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than throwing a big ol' party with great music, stories and a few dirty jokes thrown in along the way," Monk said. "I wouldn't do it, though, if it wasn't all to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an organization very near and dear to my heart."

Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, said: "Debra Monk is one of the most talented, delightful and versatile actors I know. Whether playing it for laughs or pathos, her heart is full and her spirit soars. 'Big Mama' is getting down for her birthday and that's a night you won't want to miss. We've fallen in love with Deb not just for her wonderful work on stage, television and in the movies, but also because of her unwavering commitment to helping those who need it most. Deb is a longtime and loyal friend of Broadway Cares and we're delighted to help her celebrate her birthday in this very special way."

Debra Monk Birthday Bash will be directed by JoAnn Hunter with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Additional special guests will be announced soon; all performers subject to change.

Monk, a fixture on stage and screen, has been nominated four times for the Tony Award, winning for Featured Actress in a Play for Redwood Curtain. She also was nominated for Picnic, Steel Pier, and Curtains. She's appeared in 11 Broadway shows, most recently as Big Mama in the 2013 revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She is co-author of the classic Tony-nominated musical Pump Boys and Dinettes. Monk has been featured in the television series "Grey's Anatomy," "Damages," "Glee," "White Collar," "Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!," "Brothers & Sisters," "Ghost Whisperer," "The Closer," "Notes from the Underbelly," "Desperate Housewives," "Law & Order," "Frasier" and as Katie Sipowicz on "NYPD Blue." Her TV movie appearances include The Music Man, Eloise at the Plaza, Ellen Foster, and Redwood Curtain. Monk's film credits include One for the Money, The Other Woman, The Great Buck Howard, The Savages, The Producers, Center Stage, The Devil's Advocate, In & Out, Extreme Measures, The Bridges of Madison County, Jeffrey, Fearless, Reckless, Mrs. Winterbourne, and Bed of Roses.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $250 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide and is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic.

For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/BCEFA, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/BCEFA, watch us on YouTube at youtube.com/BCEFAtv, pin us on Pinterest at pinterest.com/BCEFA and tag us on Instagram at instagram.com/BCEFA.