Texas Performing Arts To Offer Virtual Benefit Concert CHRISTOPHER JACKSON: LIVE FROM THE WEST SIDE

Texas Performing Arts announced today that it is one of a select group of nonprofit arts organizations participating in a livestream concert event, Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side on Saturday, August 15 at 7 p.m. CST.

Jackson is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning songwriter/composer and a Tony Award nominated actor best known for originating the role of George Washington in the cultural phenomenon Hamilton. Tickets for Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side will go on sale Tuesday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m. CST.

Tickets for Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side are $40 per household and are available at Texasperformingarts.org. Tickets include access to the livestream performance plus an additional 72 hours of on-demand viewing of a video recording of the livestream, available beginning one hour after the live broadcast ends. Proceeds from ticket sales will support Texas Performing Arts' reopening and recovey efforts.

Accompanied by a live band, Jackson will be performing songs from his favorite musicals, pop standards, and some of his original material, and will share stories from his time affiliated with two of the most important musicals of the last decade In The Heights and Hamilton. Audience members will also be invited to text in questions, some of which will be answered during the live event.

"We're happy to bring Austin's Broadway fans this unique opportunity to experience a great performer live on screen from New York" noted Texas Performing Arts Executive Director Bob Bursey. "While we can't experience the power of performance together in person, an interactive live concert specifically for Austin and selected other communities around the country is the next best thing."

"Nonprofit arts presenters are the lifeblood of the performing arts industry and a pipeline for young talent. Without them there is no Broadway," said Jackson. "While everything is shutdown during this terrible pandemic, I am delighted to be able to help spread some joy and help raise some much needed support for these deserving organizations."

The livestream, which is a co-production of Dallas Summer Musicals and Entertainment Benefits Group, is being shared by a number of nonprofit arts presenters around the country. The event will take place at New York's New World Stages, the off-Broadway venue that has housed productions of Jersey Boys, Avenue Q and many others.

Texas Performing Arts is the performing arts presenting program of The University of Texas at Austin and operates campus venues including Bass Concert Hall and McCullough Theatre. It is the home of the Lexus Broadway in Austin series. In calendar year 2019 Bass Concert Hall had the highest number of tickets sold of any theater in Austin, was #2 in the State of Texas and #22 in the world, according to industry publication Pollstar. Following a national search, Tony Award-winning producer Bob Bursey was appointed Executive Director in January, 2020.

Christopher Jackson is a Tony Award nominated actor as well as a Grammy and Emmy Award winning songwriter/composer best known for starring as George Washington in the critically acclaimed, award-winning musical, Hamilton, on Broadway. He can currently be seen starring in the hit CBS drama "Bull" and has recently finished Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway for a limited run. He also starred in Ava DuVernay's Netflix mini-series When They See Us with Michael K. Wiliams, Vera Farmiga and John Leguizamo.

In December 2018, "One Last Time (44 Remix)" was released as a part of the Hamildrop series which featured Chris alongside President Obama and BeBe Winans.

His Broadway credits include Holler if Ya Hear Me, After Midnight, The Bronx Bombers (Derek Jeter), In The Heights (Benny), Memphis (Delray Farrell) and The Lion King (Simba). Off Broadway includes Bronx Bombers (Primary Stages), The Jammer (Atlantic Theater Co.), Lonely, I'm Not (Second Stage), In the Heights (37 Arts), and Cotton Club Parade (ENCORES at City Center).

In film and TV, he has appeared in Freestyle Love Supreme (Pivot Network) Person of Interest, A Gifted Man, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Tracers, and Afterlife.

Christopher recorded an original song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the Disney film Moana and was also the Composer/Songwriter for Sesame Street (6 Emmy nominations and 1 win), and co-Music Supervisor and Writer for The Electric Company (PBS).

Chris won an Emmy Award for his song with Will.I.Am, "What I Am". In 2010 he released his first solo album titled, IN THE NAME OF LOVE with Yellow Sound Lab Records and is currently working on his 2nd album. Recently, Chris performed at Kennedy Centers Honors Gala celebrating Lin-Manuel Miranda. He also has several musical projects in development for the musical stage and has sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center.

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