Tony-nominated Ars Nova alums Amber Gray, Phillipa Soo, Joe Iconis, Alex Timbers, Ashley Park, Denée Benton, and Leigh Silverman take part in The Ars Nova Forever Telethon 24-hour live stream event December 4–5. Much of the original lineup and programming is still intact after being postponed in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, including reunions with the casts of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and the Broadway-aimed KPOP.
The official guest roster also includes Billy Eichner, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Freestyle Love Supreme, Robin Lord Taylor, Kyra Sedgwick, Brooke Shields, Lea DeLaria, Bridget Everett, Ben Sinclair, James Monroe Iglehart, Betty Gilpin, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Matt Rogers, Lilli Cooper, Heather Christian, Jason Tam, and Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Tina Fey, John Early, The Bengsons, Bowen Yang, and Ziwe joining hosts Rachel Chavkin, Sakina Jaffrey, Dave Malloy, Isaac Oliver, Larry Owens, and Natalie Walker.
The Off-Broadway theatre presents 12 two-hour blocks of content throughout the gala, kicking off at 6 PM ET with a special hosted by Flanagan and In The Green's Grace McLean, featuring Ars Nova’s family of artists past and present.
Additional two-hour blocks of programming include:
- The world premiere of Isaac Oliver’s Lonely Quarantine
- A Saturday morning relaxation session inspired by Small Mouth Sounds, hosted by Sakina Jaffrey
- Thon-Tha-Thon-Thon-Thon, hosted by Freestyle Love Supreme
- “Boom Crunch” Zoom Brunch: A Celebration of Theatrical Choices with hosts Larry Owens and Natalie Walker
- A special edition of Ars Nova’s variety special Showgasm
Throughout the live stream, theatre favorites will drop by for special appearances. At the end, Lilli Cooper and Joél Pérez will host The Finale for the Future!, a showcase of current Ars Nova resident and commissioned artists.
Click here to check out the full schedule and current artist lineup.