Rory O'Malley, Jane Monheit, Julia Murney & More to Headline 4th Annual NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS, 6/16

The fourth annual "Night Of A Thousand Judys" - presented by The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - has announced that the initial talent lineup, which will include Jane Monheit (Grammy Award nominated jazz star), Sarah Dash (R&B/Disco legend of LaBelle), Rory O'Malley (Tony Award nominee, The Book of Mormon,) Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party), Erin McKeown (folk-rock singer/songwriter) and Gabrielle Stravelli (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra). Additional special guests will be announced soon. The Monday, June 16 Pride concert to benefit The Ali Forney Center will take place at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center (129 West 67th Street in Manhattan). Called "a rambunctious, uproarious, unpredictable all-star concert" by The Wall Street Journal, "Night Of A Thousand Judys" will honor the iconic Judy Garland with special skits, tributes and songs from her legendary career as movie star, recording artist and stage performer. This show will also help celebrate the landmark 75th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. There will be a pre-show VIP reception at 6:30 PM and the performance at 8:00 PM. The evening is written and hosted by Justin Sayre, and directed and choreographed by Jason Wise. For more information, visit www.aliforneycenter.org/judys.

The first three sold-out annual concerts featured the talents of Martha Wash, Carolee Carmello, Justin Vivian Bond, Madeleine Peyroux, Tonya Pinkins, Nellie McKay, Telly Leung, Karen Mason, Bridget Everett, Michael Musto, Jackie Hoffman, Howard McGillin, Jessica Molaskey & John Pizzarelli, Ashley Brown, Daniel Reichard, Karen Akers, Paul Iacono, Daisy Eagan, Frank DeCaro among many others.

"Night Of A Thousand Judys" is a special presentation of The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show known for a signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between. The Meeting* is currently enjoying a successful monthly run at Joe's Pub, which hosted of the first "Night of a Thousand Judys" in 2011. The Meeting* has been hailed as "delicious and delightfully droll" by The New York Post and "hilarious and sardonic" by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening "so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight." Justin Sayre and The Meeting* were named among the Top nightclub shows of 2013 by Time Out New York, and received the 2012 Bistro Award for "Comedy Artistry" and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance. Each month, the I.O.S gathers to honor an artist or a cultural work that is iconic to the gay community. Justin Sayre, the show's creator, writer and host, serves as the Chairman of the Board of the International Order of Sodomites and brings his singular wit to essential business of the day through such regular features such as "Letters to the Chairman" and "New Rulings from the Board." www.InternationalOrderofSodomites.com

The Ali Forney Center is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. AFC's goal is to provide them with the support and services they need to escape the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives. For more information on The Ali Forney Center, visit www.aliforneycenter.org

"Just like Judy we always come back," says Justin. "Every year, the love we have for this show and the tremendous work of The Ali Forney Center only gets deeper and deeper. It's the privilege of my whole year to work with our Judy's Family which every year gets bigger and bigger. For 2014, expect a lot of great music brought to you by some of the most exciting performers in New York and the world, all paying homage to the great lady herself, but also giving their time and talents to the brave young people at AFC. There's No Place Like Home, and we want that to be true for everyone. We work with the AFC to make that a reality."

JUSTIN SAYRE was described by Michael Musto in The Village Voice as "Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg." In a recent story for Edge New York, Steve Weinstein said "Comedian, raconteur, performing artist, gay rights activist and sexual outlaw: I'm not sure Justin Sayre is classifiable. The veteran performer is on his way to becoming a Downtown Manhattan institution along the lines of Charles Ludlum or Charles Busch." Justin is a child of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania who demonstrated a supernatural instinct for "camp" at an early age. With a voice straight out the MGM finishing school for girls, he moved to New York believing it was still 1947. He was terribly misinformed. As an actor, he has worked and studied with some of the finest professionals in the city. As a comedian, Sayre is regular guest at Homo-Comicus at the Gotham Comedy Club and contributing writer to "Murray Hill's ShowBiz" on MTVX. As a gay, Justin has excelled at scarf placement, devilish quips, and a healthy but firm love of the American musical. An evening of his short plays, Justin Sayre Is Alive and Well... Writing - called one of the "Top 10 Events on the New York Stage" by the New York Daily News - sold out two shows at Ars Nova in 2012. Sayre's play, The Click of the Lock, was a finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Conference and debuted at The Cherry Lane Theatre starring Randy Harrison. Sayre is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and Flavorwire, as well offering playful and witty love advice at The Date Report. He is currently writing a young adult novel, which will be released by Penguin Books in 2015.

JASON WISE, who served as Choreographer for "Night of A Thousand Judys" in 2012 and 2013, has established himself as one of New York's most exciting young director/choreographers. Recent credits include the National Tour of "4 Girls 4," starring Andrea McArdle, Donna McKechnie, Faith Prince, Leslie Uggams & Maureen McGovern (Associate Choreographer); Bayside! The Saved By The Bell Musical, currently running off-Broadway at Theater 80 featuring Dennis Haskins (Choreographer & Associate Director); Michael John LaChiusa's See What I Wanna See at The Producers Club (Director / Choreographer) and the original East Village production and Midtown Off-Broadway transfer of Showgirls: The Musical! starring Rena Riffel (Choreographer & Associate Director). His work has also been seen at special events such as the 2013 Rutgers Gala at New York Live Arts (starring Paige Davis), and Ali Forney Center's Broadway Beauty Pageant featuring Michael Urie, Andrea Martin and Billy Porter (Assistant Choreographer). Jason is the Resident Choreographer and Creative Consultant at Ellen's Stardust Diner, home of New York's world-famous singing wait staff. Upcoming project include Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party (Director). As a performer, his roles include National Tours of both Disney's Beauty & The Beast (Carpet) and Cats (Tumblebrutus), which was also seen in Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela. Film and television credits include The Normal Heart (HBO), The Wolf of Wall Street (directed by Martin Scorsese), The Amazing Spider-Man 2, "Smash" (NBC), "Pan Am" (ABC) and a music video by The Ruse ("Collide"). He was the choreographer for The Meeting* Christmas Spectacular at 54 Below in December 2013.

"Night Of A Thousand Judys" - a special presentation of The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - will take place at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, located at 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023, on Monday, June 16. Tickets, which go on sale Monday, March 3, are $30, $70 and $100 (which includes a VIP pre-show reception at 6:30 PM and a deluxe gift bag). Tickets For more information, visit www.aliforneycenter.org/judys. "Night Of A Thousand Judys" is produced by Dan Fortune and Adam J. Rosen.

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