The benefit concert is being presented as a fundraiser for the South African premiere of Ruined, co-sponsored by the Intiman, which will play the Market Theatre in Johannesburg later this season. Following its Seattle debut, Ruined will play the Geffen Playhouse in September. Breaker (Shrek, Passing Strange) will host and perform as part of the 7 PM event that will also feature Ruined cast members Condola Rashad, David St. Louis, Stephen Tyrone Williams, as well as musicians Simon Shabantu Kashama and Ron McBee, and company member Victoire Charles.
Originally presented by the Goodman Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Club, Ruined opened Off-Broadway in 2009, where it extended eight times. Nottage's play earned unanimous praise in the press and garnered the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Set in a whorehouse in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the civil war, the drama centers on Mama Nadi, the women who work for her, and a haunted young siren named Sophie.
Tickets, priced $50, are available by phoning (206) 269-1900 or by visiting Intiman.org.