Broadway x Covenant House: A Special Bond

Broadway stars and producers are joining forces with Covenant House to combat youth homelessness through advocacy and the transformative Sleep Out movement. 

Key Takeaways

• Broadway's Commitment to Youth: Broadway stars like Audra McDonald, Rachel Brosnahan, and Rachel Sussman have become key advocates in the fight against youth homelessness through Covenant House.
• Sleep Out Movement: The Sleep Out initiative, specifically Sleep Out: Stage & Screen, has raised over $3 million, drawing support from the Broadway, film, and television communities.
• Covenant House's Mission: Covenant House provides immediate and long-term support to youth facing homelessness and trafficking, with a focus on unconditional love and respect.

Audra McDonald's Journey to Covenant House

A performer on the cusp of winning her sixth Tony Award quietly slipped out of the Circle in the Square Theater and walked a few blocks south to Covenant House New York (CHNY), a youth shelter she had known about for quite some time but had not yet visited.  

While preparing for her lead role in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” on Broadway, Audra McDonald was looking for an opening night gift that honored her colleagues and her character, Billie Holiday. Given that Billie was homeless for some of her childhood, abused, and forced to turn to prostitution as a teenager as a means of survival, she knew that supporting young people experiencing homelessness is how she wanted to show her respect. She stepped inside Covenant House, introduced herself, and said she’d like to make a donation. 

A member of the security team greeted her and asked that she take a seat while she looked for a staff member to accept the donation. Moments later, a young man facing homelessness arrived at the door, and the whole team jumped into action to assess his needs and make him feel safe. They did not ask him, “What happened to you?” but rather, “Are you hungry?” and “Do you need a shower?” The whole experience was so dignified and filled with so much love that Audra McDonald went on to do more than just donate that day. She joined the Sleep Out movement and, a year later, the Covenant House International board of directors. 

So, yes, it is true that at Covenant House, we left Audra McDonald sitting alone in our lobby while we all tended to a young person’s needs, but she’d tell us to do it all over again the exact same way.

Broadway’s Deepening Involvement

Audra is far from the only Broadway star we’re proud to call a partner in the movement to end youth homelessness.  

Kenneth Willman, a Tony Award-winning producer and Audra’s fellow Covenant House board member, shares that he and his wife, Rosemary, feel richly blessed by the intersection between two very important parts of their lives: Covenant House and Broadway. “I never imagined that sending a small gift in response to a piece of direct mail received soon after I moved to New York in 1987 would spark one of the most significant and meaningful parts of my life.” He continues, “I first joined a campaign committee, and then spent 17 years on the CHNY board before joining the Covenant House International board in 2020. When we’d attend the Night of Broadway Stars gala in support of Covenant House, I’d marvel at the talent participating in the show. Is was among the times when I’d wonder, ‘How does one become involved in producing on Broadway?’” 

Ken and Rosemary, who split their time between New York and Seattle, had their initial opportunities to pursue their interest in Broadway producing thanks to a fellow board member of The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle who is principal in Junkyard Dog Productions. JDP was taking a musical developed at The 5th to Broadway and Ken and Rosemary made their first commercial theater investment in that production. They were then invited by JDP to be co-producers of “Memphis” in London and “Come From Away” on Broadway and its subsequent productions in Toronto, London. and Australia, and its North American tour. Being part of an international hit soon opened the door to many more producing opportunities.”

One of those opportunities is producing the upcoming revival of “Gypsy” starring Audra McDonald — talk about full circle! Joining Ken and Rosemary is Tony Award-winning producer Kevin Ryan, president emeritus of Covenant House International and 16-time Sleep Out participant. Kevin found his way to Broadway after retiring from Covenant House in early 2023. His transition felt organic because, he says, “Many of the youth at Covenant House are artists. I watched how art opened up new possibilities for them and it excited me to think of ways to make that happen more routinely.” Kevin adds, “Artists, particularly on the stage, are big-hearted people. Many are committed to creating a better world together.” 

The Sleep Out: Stage & Screen Initiative

In 2013, Kevin brought the idea of creating a Sleep Out edition exclusively for the Broadway community to actors Stephanie J. Block and Capathia Jenkins. The three of them found support from their peers, including Jeff Calhoun, Darius de Haas, Angela Grovey, and philanthropic organizations in the community, including BC/EFA, Broadway Serves, and Broadway Inspirational Voices. 

Fifty-three stage and screen professionals joined together for the very first Broadway Sleep Out. Since then, the event has surpassed $3 million raised by more than 1,000 participants from the Broadway, film, and television communities. 

Two recent NYU graduates were among those first 53 Sleepers. Emmy and Golden Globe award-winner Rachel Brosnahan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” fame and Tony Award-winning producer Rachel Sussman. They woke up outside that next morning and vowed to stay involved and become leaders in the Covenant House community. Brosnahan, now an 11-time Sleeper and Covenant House International board member says, “My life was profoundly changed by my first Sleep Out. I was 23 years old and in the early days of my career. I met a young man who was also 23 at the time. We were sitting across from each other, and I was really struck by the idea that, with such a few small shifts in circumstance, we could be sitting on opposite sides of the table.”  

Rachel Sussman, also an 11-time Sleeper, remembers Kevin Ryan saying at that first Sleep Out, “We are helium for kids' dreams.” That resonated so deeply with her, especially as a young person herself. “The idea of doing my small part in sleeping out one night to make a difference in the lives of young people of Covenant House is what motivates me — it's so small, but being what Kevin Ryan calls a "noticer" and listening, advocating, and engaging has such a massive impact, especially when we gather together as a community,” she says. 

Sussman has gone on to build her career around being a noticer and giving voice to those who have been marginalized and oppressed, most recently in the hit Broadway show, “Suffs.” She remembers meeting a resident named Charlie at her very first Sleep Out, who identified as queer, as does Sussman. Charlie said to her, "The only real difference between us is our circumstances." Sussman felt lucky to have grown up with a loving family, and Charlie's words reminded her not to take that for granted. She feels as though she has a continual responsibility as someone with those fortunate circumstances to give back.  

The Power of the Arts in Advocacy 

Giving back comes naturally to bestselling author and new-to-Broadway producer Jay Sullivan, who has been connected to Covenant House for more than 30 years. Jay and his wife, Mary, also a Covenant House International board member, are producers of this year’s Tony award-winning production of “The Outsiders.”  

“We’re all drawn to Broadway shows because the actors are capable of conveying the full range of human emotions, and the playwrights craft stories that share the full range of the human experience. The same is true of the kids we’ve encountered at Covenant House. Their life experiences are deep and complicated and include joys as well as sorrows. There is drama, laughter, tragedy, despair, and triumph in both worlds every day,” says Jay. 

As Jay puts it, “To act is at the heart of theater, and taking action is at the heart of the Covenant House Sleep Out. It’s a tangible demonstration of support for a very worthy cause. It’s not surprising that the Broadway community has so frequently act-ed by joining us.” 

Rachel Sussman agrees when she says, “Sleep Out has never been about pretending to be unhoused — rather, it's a gesture of solidarity with young people overcoming homelessness. Sleep Out is an opportunity to show the young residents at the Cov that we see them, and we care about them. For one night, we can think hard about something other than ourselves.” 

When Audra McDonald crossed Broadway and made her way to Covenant House ten years ago, she did not plan to one day sleep outside on the very street where she entered the shelter. But nine Sleep Outs later, she says, “I love Sleep Out because you get to meet the Covenant House kids, so ‘homeless youth’ are no longer the distant, camouflaged strangers we too often pass on the streets. It just changes your worldview. It can’t not.” 

Upcoming Event: Sleep Out: Stage & Screen 2024

This year’s Sleep Out: Stage & Screen will be held on Sunday, August 18, 2024 at Covenant House New York. The event continues to build momentum created by previous participants, raising funds and awareness for youth experiencing homelessness. 
 

About Covenant House

Covenant House is the largest, primarily privately funded charity in North and Central America providing immediate and long-term support for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking through unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. Covenant House doors are open 24/7 in 34 cities across the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico to all young people who need housing and help, regardless of their race, religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, and all services and programs are available at no cost. Our North Star is ending youth homelessness as we know it.  

About Sleep Out

Sleep Out is a global movement to end youth homelessness.  Sleep Out events are hosted by Covenant House sites across North and Central America. Participants give up their bed for one night to ensure that youth facing homelessness can sleep safely at Covenant House. Sleepers join together for a night of conversation, contemplation, education, and story sharing. Funds raised by Sleep Out help Covenant House provide 24/7 care for youth experiencing homelessness. The awareness raised by participants helps to shed light on the youth homelessness crisis. sleepout.org