We are excited to announce today that Broadway superstar Joshua Henry (Aaron Burr in Hamilton; Ragtime; Into the Woods; Carousel; Scottsboro Boys) will now be the featured musical performer of our annual Children’s Literacy Gala on Saturday, May 3 at 6:00 pm on our Tabor Stage.

Mr. Henry is a Grammy Award-winning singer and recording artist, and he is a three-time Tony Award nominee.

“We previously announced a program featuring a classical American poetry slam, which we still want to do in the future, but Joshua surprised us by being inspired by our Education and Outreach work and being available on our Gala night,” said Dan McCleary, TSC’s Producing Artistic Director.  “Our co-founder E. Frank Bluestein has a professional relationship with Joshua, who enjoyed performing in Tennessee two years ago.  They made this opportunity possible, and it is a rare gift to TSC, our community, and the tens of thousands of students and underserved populations we teach. Joshua is an extraordinary talent with a unique voice that must be heard in-person to be believed.  He is one of America’s great stage performers.”

Most recently, Mr. Henry was featured as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in New York City Center’s Encores! production of Ragtime as well as in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods, for which he won a Grammy Award for his performance as a principal vocalist on the 2022 Broadway revival cast recording.

Mr. Henry is best known for his Tony-nominated leading roles in Broadway’s Carousel, The Scottsboro Boys, and Violet, and for his show-stopping performance as Aaron Burr in the cultural phenomenon Hamilton.

In 2022, Henry gave a critically-acclaimed performance as Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration live on ABC. His debut album, Grow, is available worldwide on all streaming platforms, and his highly anticipated second studio album was released in 2023. On screen, he starred as Roger Bart in the Academy Award-nominated film Tick, Tick…BOOM! directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He also starred as Jerlamarel opposite Jason Momoa in two seasons of See on Apple TV+.

His other Broadway credits include In the Heights, Waitress, Shuffle Along, American Idiot, Porgy and Bess, and Bring It On: The Musical. His off-Broadway credits include In the Heights and The Wrong Man.

All proceeds from the Gala will go toward our Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Fund and the Barbara B. Apperson Angel Fund: supporting a variety of Education and Outreach Programs for the coming year and making possible as many as 30,000 points of contact with children and participants of all ages in over 50 area schools, detention centers, and the Memphis V.A. Hospital. 

We will also honor longtime White Station High School English teacher Theresa Fairchild with our third annual “Teacher of the Year” Award, sponsored by Gossett Motor Cars.

Our Gala will feature the award presentation to Ms. Fairchild, a festive buffet feast, open bars, fun live and silent auctions, and a chance to enter and win the drawing for a Broadway Trip for Two to NYC sponsored by Thane Smith.

The live auction will feature: Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson, Jr. framed and signed throwback Grizz jerseys, a FedEx flight simulator adventure, the Grizzlies Media Experience hosted by Pete Pranica in the TV truck and courtside during a game, custom-crafted ice cream delivered to you for one year, and a Wild Blue Rose fine photography print as seen in the private dining area of Bog and Barley Restaurant in East Memphis.

Gala attire is festive.  Seating will be limited to 220 guests.

We annually work with children ages 5-18, primarily in Title 1 schools, as well as incarcerated youths and military Veterans in near-daily programming that develops students’ literacy, desire to read, and compassion.  Those acclaimed programs include the Romeo and Juliet Project, the Macbeth Initiative, Feast of Crispian-South, Poetic Justice, and Juvenile Justice. 

Platinum, Gold, and Silver tables (ranging from four to eight seats each) are available for purchase now by calling our Gala Coordinator Stephanie Shine at (901) 759-0604.  Additional information about the sponsorships and evening is available online here.

Guests may choose from three Sponsorship levels to secure a dining table and theatre seats:

PLATINUM 8-TICKET PACKAGE ($5,000)                        

• Eight of the best reserved seats in the theatre for the performance and Teacher of the Year Award ceremony;
• Reserved dining table with open bars;
• Recognition in TSC’s event program, posters, social media, and from the stage that night;
• Festive dinner buffet and dessert;
• Partial tax-deductible gift to TSC.                             

GOLD 6-TICKET PACKAGE ($2,500)

• Six of the “Second Best” seats in the theatre for the performance and Teacher of the Year Award ceremony, after above Sponsors;
• Reserved table for Sponsor and guests;
• Recognition in TSC’s event program, posters, social media, and from the stage that night;
• Festive dinner buffet, dessert, and multiple open bars;
• Partial tax-deductible gift to TSC.                             

SILVER 4-TICKET PACKAGE ($1,500)                 

• Four seats in the theatre for the performance and Teacher of the Year Award ceremony, after above Sponsors;
• Festive dinner buffet, dessert, and multiple open bars;
• Reserved table for Sponsor and guests;
• Partial tax-deductible gift to TSC.                             

Guests also may purchase Early Bird single Bronze Tickets for $125 each now through April 1. After that, Bronze Tickets are $150.  Bronze Tickets provide the buffet, open bars, and TSC-designated seats in the theatre.  Reserve one or more Bronze Tickets online here or by calling TSC at (901) 759-0604. 

A portion of purchased sponsorships and tickets is a tax-deductible gift to TSC, which is located at7950 Trinity Road, Memphis, TN 38018-6297.

Season 17 Sponsors

TSC’s generous sponsors of its season, productions, and Education and Outreach Program include FedEx, International Paper, Arts Midwest, ARTSmemphis, Tennessee Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Independent Bank, Evans Petree PC, First Horizon Foundation through an ArtsFirst grant, AutoZone, Nancy R. Copp, Pat and Ernest Kelly Anne and Mike Keeney, J. Walker Sims and the Sims Family Charitable Trust, Deborah Dunklin Tipton, Pete Pranica, Edward and Gloria Felsenthal, the Dunbar Abston Fund for Sustainable Excellence, the Barbara B. Apperson Angel Fund, and the Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Fund.

TSC’s season is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee.