'Songs for Darfur' Benefit, with Jackson, Etc., Plays 3/26

An array of Broadway stars will take part in "Songs for Darfur: The Water Project," a one-night-only benefit concert at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (West End Avenue and 86th Street) on Monday, March 26 at 7 P.M.  Proceeds will benefit The United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR Sudan) and The Darfur People's Association Of New York

Proceeds from the event will benefit UMCOR Sudan to improve access to water and sanitation and increase food security for displaced people living in camps in Darfur and the surrounding communities of Adilla and Al Daein. Proceeds will also go to The Darfur People's Association of New York, to help raise funds for school supplies to be sent to refugee camps in Darfur and Chad.

The benefit will feature performances by co-hosts Victoria Clark, Cheyenne Jackson, and Jane Kelly Williams, and appearances by celebrated Broadway stars including Maureen McGovern (Little Women), Kelli O'Hara (The Light in the Piazza), Everett Bradley (Swing), Malcolm Gets (A New Brain), Elizabeth Stanley (Company), Marilyn Torres (The Agony and the Agony), and world-renowned opera singer Marvis Martin. Musicians Ted Sperling and Dave Richards as well as BJ Karpen, Melanie Baker, Amy McAdams, Luke Fleming, Jackie Mullen and Jon Deak will perform.

Rev. Paul Dirdak, Former Head of UMCOR, and Motasim Adam, President of the Darfur People's Association of New York (DPANY), will be present to discuss the crisis in Darfur and their organizations' efforts to provide humanitarian aid for the people of Darfur.

"Nearly half a million people have been killed in Darfur over the past three years, and more than two million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and are living in displaced person camps in Sudan or refugee camps in neighboring Chad," observes Clark. "More than 3.5 million men, women, and children are totally dependent on international aid for their survival, and the water and sanitation projects UMCOR operates in Darfur will provide potable water to hundreds of thousands of people in the region. By joining forces -- and hearts -- with my friends in the New York theater community to raise funds for this very important cause, I hope we can help relieve the suffering of people in Darfur and help them begin their healing process."

Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for students, seniors, and individuals with limited income. Patron tickets, priced at $100, include a pre-concert reception with the performers at 6 p.m. and special reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at the door (cash or check only), in advance at the Church between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or by calling (212) 362-3179. Checks should be made payable to Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, with "Darfur" written in the memo line.

Photo of Cheyenne Jackson by Linda Lenzi