The next generation of Broadway performers is ready to shine in The Broadway Potluck, a showcase of Broadway hopefuls set to premiere on Sunday, October 18 at 7pm (EDT) on the Broadway Cares YouTube channel. The streaming concert is the brainchild of Kayla Rutner, a high school junior at the Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas, and features young singers from across the country who were chosen from online submissions.
The concert, which will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will also include inspirational messages from Broadway stars including Tony Award-winners
Joel Grey (Cabaret, George M!, Chicago, Wicked, Anything Goes),
Joanna Gleason (Into the Woods, I Love My Wife, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), and
Tonya Pinkins (Play On!, The Wild Party, Jelly's Last Jam, Caroline, or Change); Tony Award nominees
Liz Callaway (Baby, Cats, Miss Saigon),
Kevin Chamberlin (Dirty Blonde, Triumph of Love, Seussical, The Addams Family), and
Adam Pascal (Rent, Aida, Memphis). Also scheduled to appear are celebrated Broadway actors
Ann Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella),
Jonah Platt (Wicked),
Donna Vivino (Les Misérables, Hairspray,
Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me), and
Rachel York (City of Angels, Victor/Victoria, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). A short preview of the event is currently online at
Broadway Potluck Teaser.
With COVID-19 destroying any hopes for summer theatre, Kayla Rutner decided to create an opportunity for young performers to be seen and heard. She sought the guidance and collaboration of her friend and mentor, Los Angeles-based film producer and former Broadway company manager
Todd Shotz. [For more on Shotz, go to
t42entertainment.com.] About her inspiration for the project, Rutner said, "I wanted to find a meaningful way for young performers like me to have an opportunity to share their talents while still following quarantine restrictions. It was also important to me that our efforts impact the lives of anyone in need, and that is why this showcase will raise money for a charity that is close to the heart of every performer."
Donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS help provide healthy meals, lifesaving medication, and emergency assistance to millions of people affected by HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other life-threatening illnesses. Broadway Cares is also the single largest financial supporter of The Actors Fund, providing a safety net of services for everyone in entertainment, whether they are on stage, on camera, or behind the scenes. To donate, go to
www.broadwaycares.org/broadwaypotluck.
For more information, go to
www.broadwaypotluck.com. Kayla Rutner can be reached directly at
kaylabeth03@gmail.com.
