Patti LuPone, Billy Porter, Cast of WICKED and More Set for Tonight's UPRISING OF LOVE Benefit

Executive Producers Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin) and Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Milk, Silver Linings Playbook) welcome an all-star lineup for Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality tonight, September 15th at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre (222 West 51st Street).

Tony Award winner Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) will appear, along with film star and comedienne Kathy Najimy (Sister Act, "King Of The Hill"), MSNBC and NBC News anchor Thomas Roberts, Executive Director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice J. Bob Alotta, Ugandan LGBTI activist Long Jones, and Kenyan LGBTI activist and co-founder of the The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Njeri Gateru.

In addition, Tony Award nominee Stephanie J. Block (Mystery of Edwin Drood, Wicked) will give a special performance with the cast of Broadway's Wicked.

They all join the previously announced roster of appearances and performances by 16-time Grammy Award-winner Sting, two-time Tony Award and two-time Grammy Award-winner Patti LuPone, Tony Award winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots), country superstar Chely Wright, Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis, Bollywood star and UN Equality Champion Celina Jaitly, and Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews, and the cast of WITNESS UGANDA, the cast of Broadway's WICKED, the cast of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical ONCE, and the cast of I AM HARVEY MILK.

In strategic partnership with the United Nations Foundation, Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality strives to support the efforts of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN's Free & Equal campaign in calling for equal rights globally for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals, and to raise significant funding for grassroots organizations and activists working toward that goal around the world.

The net proceeds of this event will go directly to Fueling the Frontlines, a three-year, $20 million campaign for global LGBTI rights led by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Astraea is the only philanthropic organization in the United States solely dedicated to advancing LGBTI rights globally.

The Arcus Foundation will serve as Presenting Sponsor of Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality. Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the Arcus Foundation is a private grantmaking institution dedicated to the idea that people can live in harmony with one another and the natural world. Arcus' work is based on the belief that respect for diversity among peoples and in nature is essential to a positive future for our planet and all of its inhabitants.

Gregory Maguire and the Elphaba Fund will serve as Vice Chair of the evening, with support from The Palm in New York City.

Tickets range from $50 - $250 and are on sale at www.uprisingoflove.org/benefitconcert. The event begins at 8pm.

The event will be entertaining and inspiring, weaving together stories and performances by activists and artists from around the world, with a script by Academy Award-winner and Uprising of Love co-founder Dustin Lance Black (Milk). The concert will be directed by Schele Williams and produced by Jayson Raitt, with musical direction by Alex Lacamoire.

Uprising of Love is a global movement to support the safety and dignity of LGBTI people around the world. Co-founded by Melissa Etheridge, Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Cohen, and dozens of prominent individuals in entertainment, sports, business, and politics, the campaign was initially launched leading up to the Sochi Winter Olympics to shine a light on Russia's anti-gay laws. Uprising of Love is now focused on raising awareness and funds for activists making a difference on the ground in every part of the globe where LGBTI safety and dignity is compromised.