The New York-based theatre company The Civilians will honor Grammy-nominated and Obie-winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch composer Stephen Trask during its 2025 Spring Benefit at Joe's Pub.
Entitled Strange Rock and Rollers, the May 12 celebration will begin at 6:30 PM at the intimate cabaret located within the Public Theater. The benefit will feature the talents of Darren Criss, Will Connolly, Eddie Cooper, David Greenspan, Jinkx Monsoon, Martha Redbone, and Aaron Whitby, who will perform selections from Hedwig, Sex Variants of 1941, and more.
“Taken from the final lines of Hedwig, Strange Rock and Rollers is more than a tribute to Stephen—it’s a tribute to all of us,” said Civilians Founding Artistic Director Steve Cosson in a statement. “The artists, audiences, and supporters who believe that theatre should push boundaries, challenge perspectives, and spark something new—even if it ruffles a few feathers. Stephen’s fearless creative voice inspires the spirit of the evening: expect audacious performances, original tributes, and all the theatrical mischief you’ve come to expect from The Civilians.”
Trask is best known as the composer-lyricist of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The original production of Hedwig and
the subsequent film version went on to
win an Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding
Off-Broadway Musical, a 1998 New York Magazine Award, Drama Desk
nominations for Outstanding Music, Lyrics and New Musical, a Grammy
nomination for Best Cast Album, and two GLAMA Awards as well as
Entertainment Weekly’s Best Soundtrack Award for 2001. Hedwig’s Broadway revival won four Tony Awards in 2014. In 2018, Atlantic Theater Company produced the world premiere of Trask's rock opera, This Ain’t No Disco. He is currently working on a semi-autobiographical podcast with Aurin Squire entitled American Shtetl.
All
proceeds support the work of The Civilians—fueling the creation of
ambitious new plays and musicals by the next generation of
boundary-breaking artists.
Tickets can be purchased online at TheCivilians.org, by calling (718) 230-3330 or by emailing [email protected].
