Beginning March 16, Playbill correspondent and SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and producer James Wesley will produce a daily live streamed concert series, Stars in the House, to promote support for The Actors Fund and its services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stars in the House kicks off with Tony Award winner Kelli O'Hara at 8 PM ET on The Actors Fund's website as well as on Playbill. (Watch in the video above.)
New shows will air daily at 2 PM ET and 8PM ET, featuring performances by stars of stage and screen and conversations with Rudetsky between each tune. Rudetsky will encourage live viewers to donate, and Wesley will give updates from The Fund as well as shout-outs to people donating in real time.
The March 17 shows will feature Judy Kuhn (2 PM) and Tony winner Lindsay Mendez (8 PM).
“Our main concern is raising spirits and helping The Fund help those who are suffering,” Rudetsky said. “We’re hoping that everyone watching will not only enjoy the amazing singing and the inside Broadway stories, but also donate to the Actors Fund. And, because social distancing is so important right now, every star will be singing from his or her own home!”
READ: How to Help Unemployed Theatre Industry Professionals During the Coronavirus Shutdown
In addition to O'Hara, Luhn, and Mendez, the following stars have already confirmed appearances as part of the initiative: Iain Armitage, Shoshana Bean, Laura Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Wayne Brady, Betty Buckley, Laura Bell Bundy, Andréa Burns, Kerry Butler, Norbert Leo Butz, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, Kristin Chenoweth, Gavin Creel, Melissa Errico, Raul Esparza, Christopher Fitzgerald, Ana Gasteyer, Mandy Gonzalez, Justin Guarini, Debbie Gravitte, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeremy Jordan, Marc Kudish, Anika Larsen, Linda Lavin, Beth Leavel, Telly Leung, Beth Malone, Melissa Manchester, Idina Menzel, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Rosie O’Donnell, Alice Ripley, Adam Pascal, Faith Prince, Keala Settle, Marc Shaiman, Kate Shindle, Jennifer Simard, Elizabeth Stanley, Patrick Wilson, Marissa Jaret Winokur with many more to be announced!
Plus, as is the case for husband-and-husband duo Rudetsky and Wesley, many stars live together. Stars in the House has confirmed celebrity couples Sebastian Arcelus and Stephanie J. Block, Will Chase and Ingrid Michaelson, Jen Cody and Hunter Foster, Jenn Colella and Chilina Kennedy, Colin Donnell and Patti Murrin, Santino and Jessica Fontana, Andy Karl and Orfeh, Liz Larsen and Sal Viviano, Audra McDonald and Will Swenson, and Steven Pasquale and Phillipa Soo.
“Now more than ever, people in our community are depending on The Fund’s vital services,” said Fund Chairman Brian Stokes Mitchell. “It’s critical that we be there for those in need, in particular our seniors and the immuno-compromised individuals who need our help, as well as those in financial distress.”
Stars in the House will stream daily until Broadway re-opens.
As the situation surrounding the coronavirus outbreak continues to evolve, The Actors Fund will provide services online and via phone. These services include: Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, The Career Center, Housing Resources, Addiction & Recovery, HIV/AIDS and Senior Services, Counseling and Emergency Financial Assistance, as well as The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
To make a tax-deductible donation to The Actors Fund, visit ActorsFund.org/Donate.
