The Triad Theatre Presents a Star Studded Performance of Lee Summers' The Funkentine Rapture Score, Benefiting Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP)

NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ ASTEP - Artists Striving To End Poverty) - On July 16th, New York's Triad Theatre will present writer/creator of Off-Broadway's From My Hometown and Yo' Alice, Lee Summers' score of The Funkentine Rapture. The Funkentine Rapture is the 1970's, bell bottomed, big afro'd musical, that celebrates the genre of music called "funk"! Proceeds will benefit Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP).

The Funkentine Rapture ASTEP Benefit Concert will feature:
* Chester Gregory from Tarzan
* Candice Marie Woods from Hairspray
* Kecia Lewis-Evans from The Drowsy Chaperone
* Kenny Williams from The Lion King
* Shango Amin from Play On
* Steven Eng from Miss Saigon
* JD Goldblatt from Les Miserables
* Lawrence Stallings and Stacey Sargeant from Passing Strange
* Musical director: Timothy Graphenreed, from the original Broadway production of The Wiz
* Other artists include Rachel Kincaid, Darryl Jovan Williams, Ricky McDonald and Associate Musical Director, Stacey Penson from From My Hometown.

In celebration of ArtCents and all participating artists, ASTEP is presenting the ArtCents Concert Series which spotlights emerging songwriters with performances by Broadway's best, with the score of Lee Summers' Funkentine Rapture being featured on July 16th. Summers and Ben Blake co-author the book of The Funkentine Rapture, while the music and lyrics are penned solely by Summers. You may recall the musical's appearance in the 2005 National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival starring Billy Porter. The Funkentine Rapture will have its world premier at Cleveland Ohio's Karamu Theatre in 2008.

The ArtCents concerts are hosted by the Triad Theatre in New York and held on the third Monday of each month. Admission to each concert is ... a jar of change. The concert series is produced by Michelle Miller and Susan Vargo, while ASTEP was founded in 2005 by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, a music director and pianist living in New York City.

Reservations for upcoming ArtCents Reservations for upcoming ArtCents Concerts can be made by calling 212-706-1516 or by email at [email protected].