Theater News

Broadway Bares: Strip U Raises Over $1.5 Million for Broadway Cares

Broadway stars offered two performances on June 18 at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Promotional art for Broadway Bares: Strip U, which had two fundraising performances on Sunday, June 18.
Promotional art for Broadway Bares: Strip U, which had two fundraising performances on Sunday, June 18.
(© Andrew Eccles)

Broadway Bares: Strip U, which held two performances on June 18 at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom, raised $1,568,114 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The "striptease spectacular" was the 27th edition of the fundraising event.

Stripathon, the online fundraiser led by the show’s cast and crew, raised a record-breaking $686,135, marking the second year in a row and only second time in Broadway Bares history that Stripathon was the single largest contributor to the grand total.

This year’s top Stripathon fundraiser was L. Steven Taylor, who raised $18,198, closely followed by Holly Butler at $15,078. Rounding out the top five were Steve Bratton with $14,198, Richard JMV Schieffer with $12,051, and Laya Barak with $10,174.

The opening number was choreographed by Nick Kenkel, who returned to direct Broadway Bares for the fifth year and created the Strip U concept. The opening number was written by Hunter Bell and Wade Dooley, with music by Matt Sklar and lyrics by Amanda Greene.