Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and More Set for MTC's AN INTIMATE NIGHT Benefit Tonight

Manhattan Theatre Club will present its annual Winter Benefit, an evening of cocktails and dinner followed by a special one-night-only cabaret-style show featuring Broadway's brightest stars tonight, January 28, 2013 at The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Fredrick P. Rose Hall (Broadway & 60th Street).

This year's Winter Benefit will be directed by MTC's award-winning Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and will feature performances by Tony Award nominee Jonathan Groff ("Glee"), Lindsay Mendez (Dogfight), Tony Award nominee Sherie Rene Scott (Everyday Rapture), Tony Award nominee Will Swenson (Murder Ballad at MTC), and Betsy Wolfe (The Mystery of Edwin Drood).

Elizabeth Litt, Sharon Sullivan, and Lisa Towbin are co-chairs of the event.

The evening's creative team will include: John Lee Beatty (Set), Anthony Pearson (Lighting), and Dan Gerhard (Sound).

The Winter Benefit begins with cocktails at 7 PM followed by dinner at 8 PM with the performance beginning at approximately 9:15 PM. All proceeds from this annual event will support MTC's mission as a leading non-profit theatre company producing contemporary plays on and off-Broadway.

Individual tickets for MTC's Winter Benefit start at $150 and include pre-cabaret cocktails and performance seating. $2,500 and $1,500 tickets include cocktails, dinner, and priority performance seating. Tables of ten are also available for $25,000, $20,000, and $15,000. Tickets can be purchased at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com/WinterBenefit or for more information, call (212) 399-3000, ext. 4145.

Lynne Meadow (Director/Artistic Director, Manhattan Theatre Club). As Artistic Director, Lynne has been the artistic visionary and leader of MTC since 1972, creating work that has put the company at the forefront of the American theatre. She has accepted every major theatre award on behalf of MTC. Directing credits include Margaret Edson's Wit (Tony nominated); Donald Margulies' Collected Stories (Tony nominated), The Loman Family Picnic, Charles Busch's The Tale of the Allergist's Wife (Tony nominated), David Greig's The American Pilot, Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias (MTC, ALLIANCE THEATRE), Leslie Ayvazian's Nine Armenians (Drama Desk nomination, Best Director), Alan Ayckbourn's Woman in Mind (Drama Desk nomination, Best Director) and A Small Family Business (Broadway), David Rudkin's Ashes (The Public, Obie Award). American premieres by Marsha Norman, Simon Gray, Howard Brenton, etc. Graduate of Bryn Mawr College, attended Yale School of Drama. Recipient of numerous awards including the Mr. Abbott Award, Margo Jones Award, Lucile Lortel Lifetime Achievement, Louis Auchincloss Prize etc. Teaching: Yale, Fordham, NYU, Circle in the Square etc.

Jonathan Groff. Equally versatile on stage and screen, Groff is steadily emerging as one of the most exciting talents in the industry. A young veteran of the theater, Groff originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the Tony Award-winning musical, Spring Awakening, which earned him a 2007 Theatre World Award, in addition to Tony, Drama Desk, and Drama League Award nominations. Most recently, Groff starred onstage alongside Alfred Molina in the west coast premiere of John Logan's Red at the Mark Taper Forum. Among Groff's other theatrical credits include notable roles in The Submission (MCC Theater), the recent West End revival of Ira Levin's Deathtrap (Noel Coward Theatre), The Bacchae (The Public Theater), Craig Lucas' The Singing Forest, and Prayer for My Enemy (Obie Award), and The Public Theater's heralded revival of Hair. Perhaps best known to audiences as Jesse St. James in Fox's hit musical comedy series, "Glee," Groff recently starred alongside Kelsey Grammer in the critically-acclaimed Starz drama series, "Boss." On the big screen, Groff made his film acting debut in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock. Jonathan next stars in the independent feature, C.O.G., based on the short story by David Sedaris, which recently premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and he will also soon lend his vocal talents to the role of Kristoff in Disney's upcoming animated feature, Frozen. Among Groff's other film credits include roles in Robert Redford's The Conspirator and the independent drama, Twelve-Thirty.

Lindsay Mendez most recently starred as Rose Fenny in the World Premiere musical Dogfight at Second Stage Theatre Company, directed by Joe Mantello. Broadway: "Bless The Lord" in the 2011 revival of Godspell, Everyday Rapture (Roundabout), Grease. Off-Broadway: Everyday Rapture (Second Stage Theatre Company), The Marvelous Wonderettes (West Side Theatre). Other Credits: Love's Labour's Lost (directed by Alex Timbers), Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (TRTC), Unknown Soldier (O'Neill), Ryan Scott Oliver's 35MM (Galapagos Art Space), The Trouble With Doug (NAMT, directed by Victoria Clark), Princesses (NAMT, Goodspeed, 5th Avenue Theatre). Mendez can be heard in NYC singing jazz and contemporary music with her collaborator, jazz pianist Marco Paguia (www.LMandMP.com). Together, they will make their Lincoln Center debut with the American Songbook series in the Kaplan Penthouse on March 29, 2013. She is also a member of the League of Broadway Super Friends, a five-person band singing to benefit organizations in need. www.LindsayMendez.net

Sherie Rene Scott. Actor, singer, and writer known for her work in numerous theatrical productions including: Everyday Rapture, written by Dick Scanlan and Scott, directed by Michael Mayer. Everyday Rapture received Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Book. In addition, the show received Best Musical nominations from the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel Awards. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Drama Desk nomination), Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid (Outer Critics Circle nomination), John Guare's Landscape of the Body directed by Michael Greif (Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels directed by Jack O'Brien (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida (Derwent Award), Tommy (OBC), Rent, The Last Five Years directed by Daisy Prince (Drama Desk nomination), Debbie Does Dallas, Randy Newman's Faust, and Kander & Ebb's Over and Over (Helen Hayes nomination). With Kurt Deutsch, she founded both Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records, producing over 120 albums, garnering several Grammy nominations and Grammy Awards, most recently for the cast album of The Book of Mormon. Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records also received a 2006 Drama Desk Award for dedication to the preservation of musical theatre through cast recordings. www.sh-k-boom.com and www.ghostlightrecords.coM. Scott may be heard on several Grammy Award-winning or nominated cast albums, a single with jazz great Bill Charlap, a Billboard hit single with Elton John, as well as her own self-produced critically acclaimed recordings, "Sherie Rene...Men I've Had" and "Everyday Rapture." Scott premiered a new work in New York City this fall entitled, Piece of Meat, with musical direction and arrangements by Todd Almond, at 54Below. Her extensive training includes graduating from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City, and at least nine months selling shoes on Columbus Avenue.

Will Swenson most recently was seen in the MTC hit Murder Ballad. Before that he was seen on Broadway starring in the hit musical Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. Prior to that Swenson received a Tony and a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance as Berger in the Broadway revival of Hair. He also played the role on London's West End. Other Broadway credits include: 110 in the Shade, Lestat, and Brooklyn: the Musical. Off-Broadway: Rock of Ages, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Adrift in Macao, The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island, Camelot with the New York Philharmonic. Tours include Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, and Fame! Film and television credits: "Gods Behaving Badly," "The Switch," "The Singles Ward," "The Good Wife," "Law & Order," "6 Degrees." Swenson is also a film maker. His first film Sons of Provo about a clueless Mormon boy band, which he directed, co-wrote, and starred in, won several film festivals. He will soon be directing the new feature Facing East.

Betsy Wolfe is currently playing Rosa Bud/Dierdre Peregrine in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Next month she heads to Second Stage to play Cathy in the revival of The Last 5 Years. Other NYC credits include Everyday Rapture, 110 in the Shade on Broadway, and Merrily We Roll Along at Encores! Regionally, she created the role of Mary Ann Singleton in Tales of the City at American Conservatory Theatre. Other regional roles include Mrs. Walker in Tommy at DTC and Evelyn Nesbitt in Ragtime at Paper Mill. She also appeared in the San Francisco and Boston productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She has appeared as a soloist for more than 25 symphony and pop orchestras across the U.S. and internationally, appearing at Carnegie Hall and the London Coliseum, among others. At 23 she made her concert debut at Carnegie Hall as a headliner with the Cincinnati Pops under Maestro Erich Kunzel. Wolfe was a guest soloist for the New York City Ballet where she performed at Lincoln Center and at The Coliseum in London. She holds a BFA in musical theatre from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM).

For more information on MTC, visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.