The Dramatists Guild Foundation presents a virtual COVID-19 relief benefit, titled Write in the Dark, December 21 at 7 PM ET. Among those participating are writers Michael R. Jackson, Heidi Schreck, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Stephen Sondheim, in a streaming event spotlighting how writers have captured the cultural and societal zeitgeist in 2020.

Click here to watch. While free to watch, donations are encouraged to support DGF’s Emergency Grants program, which has distributed more than $1 million in immediate financial relief to dramatists this year. To donate and support theater writers through the Emergency Grants program, click here.

The evening features performances by Shoshana Bean, Jordan Fisher, Joshua Henry, Khiyon Hursey, Sarah Jones, Nathan Lane, Tamika Lawrence, L Morgan Lee, Caissie Levy, Jim Parsons, Eliseo Romȧn, Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Aaron Tveit, along with appearances by Jason Alexander, Sara Bareilles, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Raja Feather Kelly, Tom Kitt, Young Jean Lee, Melissa Li, Judith Light, Jane Lynch, Dominique Morisseau, Billy Porter, Shaina Taub, Doug Wright, Kit Yan, DGF President Andrew Lippa, DGF Board Members Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and DGF Advisory Board Member Lynn Nottage.

In addition to their COVID-19 relief efforts, the DGF celebrates playwrights Ed Bullins, Constance Congdon, and Philip KanGotanda with the inaugural Legacy Playwrights Initiative Award. The awards are presented by Lou Bellamy, Oskar Eustis, David Henry Hwang, Phylicia Rashad, and Paula Vogel.

The benefit concludes with a special reunion performance of cast members from the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair, including Steel Burkhardt, Allison Case, Kaitlin Kiyan, Andrew Kober, Darius Nichols, Brandon Pearson, Paris Remillard, Maya Sharpe, and Kacie Sheik.

Write in the Dark is presented by C. Graham Berwind, III, director of Spring Point Partners. The event is produced by DGF Board Member Eleni Gianulis, with Erich Bergen and Jeremy Leiner for 6W Entertainment.