Jesse L. Martin, Fredi Walker-Browne and Kristen Lee Kelly Join RENT 25th Anniversary Gala

New York Theatre Workshop announced today additional performers and presenters for the NYTW 2021 Annual Gala celebrating the Tony Award & Pulitzer Prize-winning musical RENT. The Gala will be held virtually on Tuesday March 2, 2021 at 8PM EST and will remain available to stream through March 6, 2021 at 8PM EST.

Joining the previously announced performers will be original NYTW cast members Kristen Lee Kelly, Jesse L. Martin & Fredi Walker-Browne. They join previously announced original cast members Gilles Chiasson, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rodney Hicks, Idina Menzel, Aiko Nakasone, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega & Byron Utley.

The evening will also feature a special segment with over 130 RENT alums from productions around the world, including Jordan Fisher, Josh Grisetti, Brennin Hunt, Amber Iman, Amy Spanger, Taylor Trensch, Mike Wartella & many more, as well as an original composition by Pasek and Paul.

A quarter century ago, Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking musical, RENT, opened at New York Theatre Workshop. From its humble beginnings at NYTW, this rock musical went on to shape a generation. What began in the East Village traveled to Broadway, across the nation and around the world.

On March 2, 2021, join NYTW for their biggest fundraising event of the year! This virtual celebration of RENT and its impact on the collective cultural consciousness will feature a selection of iconic songs by some of today's most beloved recording and theatre artists, exclusive content uncovering how RENT came to life, and reflections on the driving force of Jonathan's legacy in the American theatre.

The evening will also feature Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Martha Banta, Adam Chanler-Berat, Linda Chapman, Nicholas Christopher, Paul Clay, Wilson Cruz, Brandon Victor Dixon, Wendy Ettinger, Stephen Graham, Michael Greif, Janet Harckham, Jeremy O. Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, Victoria Leacock Hoffman, Joe Iconis, Christopher Jackson, Marcus Paul James, Mariko Kojima, Julie Larson, Tamika Lawrence, The Lazours, Telly Leung, Kamilah Marshall, Kevin McCollum, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anaïs Mitchell, Shakina Nayfack, James C. Nicola, Eva Noblezada, Dael Orlandersmith, Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Councilmember Carlina Rivera, Jai Rodriguez, Jeffrey Seller, Rona Siddiqui, Leigh Silverman, Ali Stroker, Ephraim Sykes, Bernie Telsey, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Tracie Thoms, Ivo van Hove, Tom Viola, Tim Weil, Angela Wendt, Marlies Yearby and more.

The evening's program will be directed by Andy Señor Jr. (RENT, Holiday Inn) and feature musical supervision by Stephen Oremus (Frozen, Kinky Boots) and musical direction by Will Van Dyke (Pretty Woman, Fly). The event is produced in association with Heredia Vision with platinum sponsorship from Select Equity, Signature Bank, Stephen Graham and TodayTix.

The NYTW Annual Gala raises nearly 10% of the Off-Broadway company's annual budget. While NYTW's stage is dark this season, the energy that connects visionary artists and adventurous audiences is still pulsing through a range of programming. This year, funds raised at this one-night-only event help NYTW to support 27 extraordinary Artistic Instigators who are creating work in new and imaginative ways that has already reached more than 60,000 audience members. Proceeds will also support NYTW's Virtual Programming, free and open to the public, which has connected more artists and more than 7,000 audience members over the course of the pandemic, and Education and Engagement initiatives including Learning Workshop residencies with public school partners across the city and our new Youth Artistic Instigator program that will engage more than 500 participants by the end of the season.

Tickets, beginning at $25, and packages and sponsorships, beginning at $1000, can be purchased at www.nytw.org or by calling 212-460-5475. A limited number of free tickets will be available through an exclusive lottery on TodayTix. The lottery is now open for entries on the TodayTix app. Winners will be notified 1 week prior to the event on February 23rd at 12PM EST and will have 1 hour to claim their ticket on the TodayTix platform

Please note that the schedule and talent for the evening is subject to change.