HOSTED BY FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME’s ANTHONY VENEZIALE WITH A SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK
AND FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS AMERICAN IDOL’S DIANA DEGARMO AND ACE YOUNG, TONY AWARD-WINNING COSTUME DESIGNER LINDA CHO AND MAKE UP FOR EVER’S EDDIE DUYOS
New York, NY (October 14, 2020) – The Actors Fund, the national human services organization for everyone in performing arts and entertainment, is proud to announce Halloween is NOT Cancelled, a one-night-only online Halloween benefit. Hosted by Freestyle Love Supreme conceiver and co-creator Anthony Veneziale, with a special appearance by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, this stream will celebrate all the things you love about Halloween: costumes, make up and spooky treats, as well as tricks, treats and surprise guests. The terrifyingly tantalizing event will be available to stream via the Britesiders platform on Wednesday, October 28 at 8 pm ET. For updates, visit actorsfund.org/HINC.
The evening will include appearances by American Idol’s Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, joined by Tony Award-winning costume designer Linda Cho (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder) and make-up artist and educator Eddie Duyos.
Leading up to the streaming event on October 28, all are invited to enter the Halloween is NOT Cancelled Instagram costume contest with two divisions: 18+ and pets. To enter, post a picture of yourself or your pet in costume using the hashtags #NotCancelledCostumeContest or #NotCancelledCostumeContestPet, and tag @TheActorsFund. On October 19, the top five posts in each category will be shared on the Britesiders website, where fans can vote for their favorites by making a donation to The Actors Fund. The top three costumes in each category who receive the most votes will then be featured on the Halloween streaming event and win a prize. Instagram voting ends October 19 and Britesiders voting ends October 27.
In addition, anyone who donates to The Actors Fund via the Britesiders platform will be entered for the chance to win a prize from the Halloween is NOT Cancelled Prize Cauldron. The Actors Fund is excited to partner with Britesiders for this very special Halloween benefit.
Halloween is NOT Cancelled corporate sponsorships are available by contacting Alexis DePersia at adepersia@actorsfund.org.
THE ACTORS FUND
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services.
BIOGRAPHIES
Linda Cho is a Tony Award-winning Costume Designer based in New York City. In 2014 she won the Tony Award and the Henry Hewes Design Award for the Broadway musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. In 2017 she was nominated for the Tony, Outer Critic’s Circle and Drama Desk Awards for Best Costume Design of a Musical for the Broadway production of Anastasia. In 2018 she was proud to be part of Broadway’s first all-female creative team for Lifespan of a Fact. She has worked extensively across the US and internationally her work has been seen in StratfordUK, Stratford-Canada, Toronto, Madrid, Stuttgart, Mexico City, China, Taiwan. Linda attended the Paris American Academy to study fine arts and fashion, received a BA from McGill University in Montreal majoring in Psychology and received her MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Diana DeGarmo - Singer, songwriter, from stage to screen, Diana DeGarmo has conquered it all and then some. Her powerhouse vocals shot her to fame on American Idol and opened doors to her numerous Broadway shows, National & International Tours, a recurring role on The Young & The Restless, and much more. Listen to her newest musical creation GEMINI anywhere you purchase fine music. Keep up with her adventures at www.dianadegarmo.com.
Eduard Duyos is a NYC based make-up artist and educator with a degree in Fashion Design skilled in Make-up Artistry for special effects, theater, runway, film and editorial. With 25+ years of experience working with top beauty brands and vast work in editorial he has developed a keen eye for color composition and artistic trends. Because of his fluency in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Eduard has been a creator of educational content for the U.S., Mexico, Canada & Brazil and is currently an Instructor at the MAKE UP FOR EVER Academy in NYC. Eduard’s vast experience on set for global campaigns has also led to the opportunity to work on Global Artistry teams for New York Fashion Week, as a Global Artist, lead talent on videos, and key facilitator for recognized Global Artistry brands.
Elvira Mistress of the Dark - When you hear the name Elvira only one person comes to mind: Horror icon and quintessential symbol of all things spooky, the one and only Mistress of the Dark. Back in 1981, who could have imagined the hostess of a local Horror movie show would become a household name? Elvira was the first horror host ever to be syndicated nationally and has emerged as one of today’s most original and outrageous pop culture icons. Elvira’s reign as ‘Queen of Halloween’ has spanned more than three decades and includes an IMAX movie, music CDs, books and more than a thousand licensed products. She co-wrote and starred in the feature films Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Elvira’s Haunted Hills. She has made hundreds of film, television and live appearances—including The Grammy Awards, Saturday Night Live, NBC’s Today Show, The Tournament of Roses Parade and reality shows Search for the Next Elvira, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Counting Cars, Face Off, Epic Ink and Halloween Wars. She most recently produced and starred in Thirteen Nights of Elvira for Hulu. Played by actress/writer Cassandra Peterson, Elvira has carved out a niche in popular culture that is sure to endure for decades to come.
Ace Young is a man of many talents and has the credits to back them up. Even before his multiple #1 hits as a songwriter, Ace was wowing millions on TV shows like American Idol and Half & Half. His Grammy-Nominated song “It’s Not Over” gave way to his own BMI Pop Award and many other songwriting acclaims. Ace has starred on stages around the world from Broadway in Hair and Grease, touring the country in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and US Aircraft Carriers across the Oceans with the USO. His next chapter of artistry has him sitting in the producer, writer, and artist’s chairs, for his newest acoustic album Up All Night. Stay close to see what he creates next!
Anthony Veneziale is the conceiver and co-creator of Freestyle Love Supreme and Freestyle Love Supreme Academy and a founding member of American Immigrants (San Francisco). Anthony has been performing and teaching improv for more than 20 years and is a leader in the field of musical improvisation. He has used these techniques for endeavors with Thomas Kail & Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights, Bartlett, The Electric Company), Daveed Diggs (The Freeze) and numerous networks/companies (HBO, TBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, PBS, Radical Media, Google, Salesforce). Anthony co-founded speechlessinc.com, an improv thinking company that helps humans create, collaborate and find their authentic voice. STAGE: Freestyle Love Supreme, Servicemen, Seven Rabbits on a Pole, Death in One Acts, and Trashin’: Time to Waste. TV: Sex and the City, All My Children, Looking, Bartlett and Freestyle Love Supreme.
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