Broadway is coming to Santa Monica.
Jenna Ushkowitz (“Glee”) and Merle Dandridge (“The Last of Us,” “Station 19”) are teaming up and gathering their singer friends to raise money for Harvest Home L.A., a non-profit for unhoused pregnant women.
“Jenna, Merle, and Friends: A Night of Song” will feature pop and Broadway tunes performed by Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”), Cheyenne Jackson (“American Horror Story”), Katie Lowes (“Scandal”), Kevin McHale (“Glee”), Austin Mackenzie (“Spring Awakening”), Adam Shapiro (“Never Have I Ever”), Tracie Thoms (“9-1-1”), Carly Thomas Smith (“Rent”) and Kim Dawson (“Sing Off”).
The evening takes place on April 21 at The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
“As a new mother, I felt compelled to support and serve other mothers in need within my local community,” Ushkowitz said in statement Thursday. “Some wonderful friends, who are also moms, introduced me to Harvest Home. The organization’s mission and dedicated work resonated deeply with me. And I feel privileged to contribute a small part in the work they do.”
Dandridge added, “The women at Harvest Home are a constant inspiration. The courage, the spirit, and the joy that erupts while embarking on motherhood during the toughest of circumstances…well, it puts the enormous heart-capacity and ferocious fire of being a woman on full display.”
Musical direction will be by Seth Rudetsky (Disaster! The Musical) and James Wesley (Stars in the House), with staging by Lee Martino (Les Girls). “Jenna, Merle and Friends” is being hosted in partnership with Rudetsky and Wesley’s Your Kids, Our Kids organization.
Since launching in 1985, Harvest Home has provided housing and support to more than 650 families, transforming the lives of unhoused pregnant women and their children through programs designed to empower and equip residents during the critical periods of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum bonding.
“We are so grateful to Jenna and Merle for coming together with their friends to amplify the experience of unhoused pregnant mothers who are working to end generational homelessness for their families,” Harvest Home executive director Sarah Wilson said. “This event will not just raise awareness and funds, but honors capable and resilient women who are too often marginalized.”
Pre-sale tickets are currently available for purchase with general ticket sales starting Feb. 19. Go to www.harvesthomela.org/benefitconcert.
