Odds & Ends: Star-Studded Saturday Night Seder Benefit Raises $2.35 Million & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

Seder Benefit Raises $2.35 Million
Mazel tov! The previously announced Saturday Night Seder was a huge success. In addition to being star-packed—the evening included appearances and performances from Bette Midler, Judith Light, Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Ben Platt, Billy Porter and many more—the benefit event raised a whopping $2.35 million for the CDC Foundation’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergency Response Fund. The virtual Passover event premiered on www.SaturdayNightSeder.com and BuzzFeed's Tasty YouTube and can be enjoyed in full below. Interested in donating? Contribute here.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation Sets Emergency Assistance Fund
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation has announced the creation of an Emergency Assistance Fund to aid members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society who are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus crisis. The Fund will provide more than $300,000 in aid to affected members. Members may find additional information on the SDC Member Portal. Those wishing to donate may do so here.

Applications Open for Directors Emergency Relief Fund
The Drama League has announced that applications for the Directors Emergency Relief Fund are open and available to all stage directors. The fund will provide rapid emergency grants of up to $599 for stage directors who have lost wages from canceled or postponed theatrical productions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility requirements and application materials can be found here.

Choreographer and Performer Louis Johnson Dead at 90
Louis Johnson died at the age of 90 on March 31 in Manhattan as a result of pneumonia and renal failure; he had tested positive for coronavirus, according to The New York Times. Johnson was Tony-nominated in 1970 for his choreography of Purlie and also served as the choreographer for the 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz. He lent his choreography talents to the Broadway productions of Treemonisha and Lost in the Stars. As a performer, he appeared on Broadway in Four Saints in Three Acts, My Darlin' Aida, House of Flowers, Damn Yankees, Kwamina and Hallelujah, Baby!. Johnson also choreographed for the New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theater of Harlem.

P.S. Watch Donna Murphy, Annette Bening and more offer words of hope and resiliency from Harold Clurman's The Fervent Years: