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Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TS Alliance) To Celebrate 40th Anniversary With Unique Broadway Event

October 7, 2014

On Thursday, October 23, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TS Alliance), a rare disease advocacy organization, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special event on Broadway featuring the world premiere and reading of the play Four Decades|One Community.

Newtown resident Martin Blanco will direct the play, and fellow Newtown resident David Wheeler will appear as a featured actor.

Other performers planning to participate include Julianne Moore, Stephen Belber, Mo Collins, Liza Colón-Zayas, Kate Flannery, Lori Gardner, Chris Hawkey, Jim O’Heir, Angela Pierce and Alex Skuby.

The three-hour event will be held at Hudson Theatre, Millennium Broadway Hotel. It will start at 6 pm, and will include a cocktail reception, interactive activities, a TS Alliance presentation, and live auction, all leading up to the play reading.

Formed in 1974, TS Alliance is the only US-based non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) while improving the lives of those affected. TSC is a multi-system genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in vital organs, primarily the brain, heart, eyes, kidneys, lungs and skin. It is also the leading genetic cause of both autism and epilepsy.

Approximately 50,000 people in the United States have the disease, and it has an estimated incidence of 1 in 6,000 live births.  More than 1 million people worldwide have TSC.

Four Decades|One Community was written by the award-winning playwright John Morogiello, Mr Blanco’s longtime friend and collaborator. Mr Morogiello conducted 22 interviews with individuals and family members impacted by TSC as well as healthcare professionals who made a significant contribution to research and clinical care.

According to TS Alliance President & CEO Kari Luther Rosbeck, “This play is about a group of individuals who formed an alliance to combat this disease over the past forty years. It is by no means every story. But together they represent the battle of four decades and one community. The play is the cornerstone of the TS Alliance’s 40th anniversary celebration.”

Mr Rosbeck attended State University of New York (SUNY) with both Blanco and Wheeler.

Martin Blanco was also educated at Yale School of Drama. He has enjoyed a diverse career in the performing arts working as an arts administrator, stage director, dramaturg, teacher and actor.

He has worked at Huntington Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, and Eugene O’Neill Memorial Theater Center, and has taught at SUNY Albany, Boston University and American University.

David Wheeler is a designer and illustrator who worked as an actor in New York City for 20 years. He was a company member at Riverside Shakespeare Company and performed musical sketch comedy at the major comedy venues in New York City and colleges and universities up and down the eastern seaboard as half of the comedy duo Ward & Wheeler. He has also done commercial and voiceover work.

TS Alliance is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Hudson Theater at Millennium Broadway Hotel is at 145 West 44th Street, New York City. Tickets for the 40th anniversary celebration start at $350.

For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, visit www.tsalliance.org/4decades or call 800-225-6872.

 

original source.

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