Indian actress and UN Equality Champion Celina Jaitly will join 16-time Grammy Award-winner Sting and two-time Tony Award, two-time Grammy Award-winner Patti LuPone and an all-star cast for Uprising of Love – a special benefit concert for global equality at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre in New York City on 15 September 2014.
For her Broadway debut, Jaitly will perform her new version of the 1979 Bollywood classic, Uthe Sab Ke Kadam. The remixed track is featured in a hit Bollywood-style music video, “The Welcome,” created for the UN’s Free & Equal campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality and launched in Mumbai on 30 April 2014. “The Welcome”, which tells the story of a young man who brings his boyfriend home to meet his family, has rapidly become one of the most widely watched videos ever produced by the United Nations, garnering widespread attention and media coverage internationally.
The 15 September concert supports efforts by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN’s Free & Equal campaign in calling for equal rights globally for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex individuals. The event – an initiative of Uprising of Love in partnership with the United Nations Foundation – will weave together stories and performances by activists and artists from around the world. Net proceeds from ticket sales and other revenue will go directly to Fueling the Frontlines, a campaign led by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, to support grassroots organizations and activists working to uphold the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.
Executive producers are Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin) and Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Milk, Silver Linings Playbook). The concert will be directed by Schele Williams and produced by Jayson Raitt, with musical direction by Alex Lacamoire and a script by Academy Award-winner Dustin Lance Black (Milk).
Additional performers and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Background
Free & Equal aims to encourage greater respect globally for the rights of LGBT people. Led by the UN Human Rights Office, the campaign has strong backing from the UN Secretary-General the support of a several celebrity UN Equality Champions – including South African singer and “Princess of Africa” Yvonne Chaka Chaka, American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin, Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly, Brazilian singer Daniela Mercury, and members of the U.S. band fun.
Uprising of Love is a global movement to support the safety and dignity of LGBTI people around the world. Co-founded by Melissa Etheridge, Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Cohen, and dozens of prominent individuals in entertainment, sports, business, and politics. Uprising of Love is now focused on raising awareness and funds for activists making a difference on the ground in every part of the globe where LGBTI safety and dignity is compromised.
Net proceeds of the Uprising of Love concert will go directly to Fueling the Frontlines, a three-year, $20 million campaign for global LGBTI rights led by the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Astraea is the only philanthropic organization in the United States solely dedicated to advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons globally. Tickets range from $50-$250 are on sale at www.uprisingoflove.org/benefitconcert. The event begins at 8pm.
The Welcome – United Nations Free & Equal
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