'Company' To Hold Benefit Concert For Darkness RISING At Birdland Jazz Club

The cast of the new Broadway production of Company will present a benefit concert for Darkness RISING on Monday, September 20 at 7 PM ET at Birdland Jazz Club Tickets are available now at www.birdlandjazz.com. Company cast members scheduled to perform at the concert include Kathryn Allison, Terence Archie, Nikki Renée Daniels, Matt Doyle, Claybourne Elder, Javier Ignacio, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, and Bobby Conte Thornton, with Company’s associate music director Paul Staroba on piano.  

Darkness RISING is a non-profit organization composed of singers and musicians from the Black Broadway community and Black mental health providers whose purpose is to help those in both the Black community, as well as for Broadway show company members begin conversations about mental health, provide direct resources, and erase the negative stigma of mental health issues.

Carlita Victoria, Executive Director of Darkness RISING said, "We are grateful to the cast of Company for raising awareness and much needed funding to support our mission. Thanks to Company cast members, we will be able to continue providing direct mental health resources to marginalized communities which experience ongoing barriers to resources, as well as artists navigating the difficulties of the past 18 months."

The cast of Company was inspired by the organization’s mission, workshops, and toolkits.One resource, Broadway for Mental Health Support, a campaign in collaboration with Adrienne Warren, helps provide therapy and mental health resources for returning Broadway company members through funding contributed by show producers. 

All ticket holders to the concert will be required to show proof of vaccination upon entry.

Darkness RISING Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit which provides direct mental health resources and helps those in the Black community have conversations about their mental health and emotional well-being. We accomplish this by partnering with mental health providers, mental health educators, and Black performers from the Broadway community to create events, seminars, and direct resources where the intersection between mental health education and the arts collide. 

The upcoming revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s landmark American musical Company, under the direction of two-time Tony Award® winner Marianne Elliott will resume performances on Monday, November 15 ahead of a Thursday, December 9 opening night at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). For more information, please visit www.companymusical.com.