Sara Bareilles, composer of the Broadway hit Waitress, will be honored May 22 with the Beacon of Hope Award for her advocacy on behalf of young people, many of them homeless.
Bareilles will be recognized for her work “inspiring millions of girls, young women and LGBTQ youth to be proud, strong, brave and resilient.”
The charity will bestow the award at A Night of Broadway Stars, a concert hosted by Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, and featuring performances by a host of contemporary Broadway stars including original Waitress lead Jessie Mueller, Stephanie J. Block (Falsettos), Ana Villafane (On Your Feet!), Gavin Creel (Hello, Dolly!), Capathia Jenkins (Newsies), Killian Donnelly (Kinky Boots), Luca Padovan (School of Rock), Caissie Levy (Frozen), and ensemble members from On Your Feet, Beautiful and Kinky Boots.
The concert will take place starting at 8 PM at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The event also functions as a fundraiser for Covenant House, a network of shelters for homeless and trafficked youth in 30 cities across six countries in North and Central America. Nominated for six Grammy Awards a Tony and a Grammy, Bareilles is currently making her Broadway acting debut as the lead in Waitress through June 11.
“Sara is a powerful voice and an inspiration for our young people at Covenant House,” said CH President Kevin Ryan. “Sara’s song ‘Brave’ is an anthem to many of them, and perfectly describes so many kids, each one rising up in love. She has used her gifts to empower and inspire a generation of young people, to light a path to home for the tens of thousands of youth Covenant House reaches each year.”
Jazz at Lincoln Center is located at Broadway and 60th Street in Manhattan, two blocks south of the main campus of Lincoln Center.
The concert will be directed by veteran director, choreographer, and Covenant House Board member Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) and hosted by Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (Shuffle Along, Ragtime).
Previous Beacon of Hope Award recipients include First Lady Laura Bush, rock star Jon Bon Jovi, film director James Cameron, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and Broadway actor Rita Harvey.
The evening will also honor Julio Portalatin, a member of the Covenant House board of directors and chief executive officer of the Mercer company. For ticket information, contact Rachelle Albach at [email protected] or (212) 727-4934. Tickets can be purchased here.
Brian Stokes Mitchell has been a special guest performer on three of Playbill’s Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Playbill’s inaugural river cruise along the Rhône River May 21–28 is sold out, but cabins are available for the Rhine River cruise in August 2017, featuring Seth Rudetsky, Andréa Burns, Faith Prince, Terrence Mann, Charlotte d’Amboise, and Santino Fontana. Playbill Travel is now also booking Broadway on the Danube River for November 2017, with celebrity guests to be announced. Visit PlaybillTravel.com for booking and information.
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