Hennepin Theatre Trust Announces Livestreaming Concert Series Featuring Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti & Vanessa Williams

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that it is one of a select group of nonprofit arts organizations participating in a three-part virtual concert series, Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway. The series features two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone on Saturday, Oct. 24, Tony Award winner Laura Benanti on Saturday, Nov. 14 and critically acclaimed actress and singer Vanessa Williams on Saturday, Dec. 5. All shows are performed at 7 p.m. CT.

Three-show subscription packages and single tickets will be available for Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway. Subscription packages are $75 and include access to all three livestream events. Single tickets are $30 for each livestream event. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

Patti LuPone/Saturday, Oct. 24/ 7 p.m. CT/ Livestream online/ $30 per household

Laura Benanti/Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. CT/ Livestream online/ $30 per household

Vanessa Williams/ Saturday, Dec. 5/ 7 p.m. CT/ Livestream online/ $30 per household

A three-show package is also available for $75 per household

All tickets include access to each livestream performance, plus an additional 72 hours of on-demand viewing of a video recording of the livestream, available beginning one hour after each live broadcast ends. Proceeds from ticket sales will help the Trust continue its non-profit mission of creating positive change through its lineup of Broadway shows and concerts, educational programs and community collaborations.

Each show, transmitted live in HD with professional sound mixing, will feature a mix of Broadway showtunes, pop songs, and personal stories from the life of each headliner. Performances will take place at The Shubert Virtual Studios on Manhattan's West Side. At-home audience members will be invited to email in questions to be answered during the livestream.

"As the Hennepin Theatre District remains dark, we continue to look for new ways to bring the excitement and joy of live entertainment to our audiences," said Mark Nerenhausen, president and CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust. "Broadway and concerts have been an enduring driver of cultural vibrancy in the District. However, with social distancing and health concerns, we can't offer those in-person shared experiences in our theatres." Nerenhausen is optimistic that alternatives such as livestreaming concerts and events, combined with world-class artists, will help fill the void of live entertainment during this time of change.

The livestreams, which are a co-production of Dallas Summer Musicals and Entertainment Benefits Group, are being shared by more than 20 nonprofit arts presenters around the country.

About Patti LuPone

Patti LuPone can currently be seen on Netflix as Avis Amberg in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series Hollywood and recently won the Olivier and What's OnStage awards for her performance as Joanne in Marianne Elliott's production of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical Company in London's West End.

Her recent NY stage appearances include the Scott Frankel-Michael Korie-Douglas Wright-Michael Grief musical War Paint (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical); Douglas Carter Beane's new play Shows For Days, directed by Jerry Zaks at Lincoln Center Theater; her debut with the New York City Ballet as Anna 1 in their new production of The Seven Deadly Sins; Joanne in the New York Philharmonic's production of Company; David Mamet's The Anarchist; and Lincoln Center Theater's production of the musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, for which she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Winner of the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance of the Season for her performance as Madame Rose in the most recent Broadway production of Gypsy, her other stage credits include appearances with the Los Angeles Opera in their new production of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles and Weill-Brecht's Mahagonny (debut); the world premiere of Jake Heggie's opera To Hell and Back with San Francisco's Baroque Philharmonia Orchestra; Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's production of Sweeney Todd (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations, Drama League Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre); the title role in Marc Blitzstein's Regina; a musical version of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes at the Kennedy Center; Fosca in a concert version of Passion, which was also broadcast on PBS' "Live From Lincoln Center,"; a multi-city tour of her theatrical concert Matters of the Heart; the City Center Encores! productions of Can-Can and Pal Joey; the NY Philharmonic's productions of Candide and Sweeney Todd (NY Phil debut); and performances on Broadway Michael Frayn's Noises Off; David Mamet's The Old Neighborhood; Terrence McNally's Master Class; with her dear friend Mandy in An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin; and in her own concert Patti LuPone On Broadway.

A graduate of the first class of the Drama Division of New York's Juilliard School and a founding member of John Houseman's The Acting Company in which she toured the country for four years, her subsequent New York credits include Dario Fo's Accidental Death of An Anarchist; David Mamet's The Water Engine, Edmond and The Woods; and Israel Horovitz' Stage Directions and performances in the musicals Anything Goes (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk Award); The Cradle Will Rock; Oliver!; Evita (Tony and Drama Desk Awards- Best Actress in a Musical); Working; and The Robber Bridegroom.

Since 2000 she's appeared regularly at the Ravinia Festival. First in its Sondheim series when she starred as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Desiree in A Little Night Music, Fosca in Passion, Cora Hooper in Anyone Can Whistle, Madame Rose in Gypsy and in two different roles in Sunday in the Park with George. Her subsequent appearances there include a reprise of her performance in Heggie's To Hell and Back, a concert performance of Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins and starring in the title role in a concert production of Annie Get Your Gun.

In London, she won the Olivier Award for her performances as Fantine in the original production of Les Miserables and in The Acting Company production of The Cradle Will Rock. She also created the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award, and recreated her Broadway performance of Maria Callas in Master Class.

Film: Cliffs of Freedom; The Comedian; Union Square; Parker; City by the Sea, David Mamet's Heist, State and Main; Just Looking; Summer of Sam; The 24 Hour Woman; Family Prayers; Driving Miss Daisy; Witness.

Television: Hollywood; Pose; Mom; The Simpsons; Vampirina; Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; Penny Dreadful (Critics Choice nomination); Girls; American Horror Story: Coven; Law & Order: SVU; Glee; 30 Rock; PBS Great Performances' The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Grammy Award for the broadcast's recording); Ugly Betty; Will & Grace (as herself); PBS Great Performances' Candide; Oz; the TNT film Monday Night Mayhem; PBS Evening At The Pops with John Williams and Yo Yo Ma; Falcone; Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (Showtime); Frasier (1998 Emmy nomination); Law & Order; An Evening with Patti LuPone (PBS); the NBC movie Her Last Chance; Showtime's ACE Award and Emmy nominated The Song Spinner (Daytime Emmy nomination, Best Actress); The Water Engine; L.B.J.; AMC's Remember WENN; and ABC's Life Goes On.

Recordings include: Don't Monkey with Broadway; Far Away Places; Patti LuPone at Les Mouches; The Lady with the Torch; and many original cast recordings including, most recently: the London production of Company; War Paint; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown; Gypsy; and Sweeney Todd (both the 2006 Broadway revival cast recording and 2000 live performance recording on NY Philharmonic's Special Editions Label).

She is the author of The New York Times bestseller Patti LuPone: A Memoir. Visit www.pattilupone.net.

About Laura Benanti

In the midst of an illustrious career spanning Broadway, film, and television, Tony® Award-winning actress, singer, author, and activist Laura Benanti now brings a longstanding dream to life as she gears up to release new solo music with Sony Music Masterworks.

With Broadway credits ranging from the My Fair Lady revival and Steve Martin's Meteor Shower to She Loves Me, Laura garnered a Tony® Award in the category of "Best Featured Actress in a Musical" for the 2008 production of Gypsy-among five career nominations to date. Meanwhile, her performance in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown would be honored with the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for "Best Featured Actress in a Musical." Simultaneously, she enchanted audiences on the small screen, appearing on Younger, Supergirl, Nashville, The Good Wife, Nurse Jackie, and more in addition to films including WORTH and the upcoming Here Today. Laura recently released a book for moms entitled M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom's ABCs, available now on Amazon.

Early this spring, she created an empowering campaign titled #SunshineSongs, which invited students whose school musical productions were canceled this year due to the pandemic to share videos of the performances they were not able to give, on social platforms. As chronicled by Good Morning America, she generated 4 million impressions and received over 10,000 submissions, attracting celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jennifer Garner to join the campaign. Additionally, she invited students to contribute songs to her free "Sunshine Concerts" for senior living communities and children's hospitals. The campaign's success further grabbed the attention of HBO Max who recently partnered with Benanti to release a musical documentary special featuring students from across the country entitled Homeschool Musical: Class Of 2020, set to release this fall.

About Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today. Having sold millions of records worldwide, Vanessa has also achieved numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts: Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary, Holiday, Latin, Gospel and Jazz.

Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate including 4 Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, 3 SAG award nominations, 7 NAACP Image Awards and 3 Satellite Awards. Her platinum single "Colors of the Wind," from the Disney's Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Vanessa is a strong advocate for equal rights, especially concerning the LGBTQ+ community and minorities. She was honored with the Human Rights Campaign "Ally for Equality" Award for her humanitarian contributions. Vanessa also achieved a career pinnacle with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.

Vanessa's autobiography, "You Have No Idea," co-written with her mother Helen Williams, was a New York Times Best Seller in 2012. Her recent Broadway credits include co-starring with Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful, (the #1 play of the 2013 season), After Midnight (2014), and a special limited engagement in Hey, Look Me Over at New York City Center in 2018. Vanessa was recently in previews for Josie Rourke's City of Angels in London's West End, when production was suddenly forced to pause due to COVID19.

Vanessa is the mother of four - Melanie, Jillian, Devin and Sasha. Her charitable endeavors are many and varied, embracing and supporting such organizations as Concerts for America, Special Olympics and several others as well as the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation.

Vanessa is one of the world's most accomplished concert artists, appearing regularly with the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world, most recently with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center.

Vanessa is exclusively managed by the Sterling Winters Company (SWC) / Kathy Ireland® Worldwide.

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