Nothing Like a Dame: Stephanie J. Block completes cast

The Actors Fund has announced that '9 to 5' star Stephanie J. Block will complete the line-up for the all new Nothing Like a Dame benefit concert on 15 June 2009 at New World Stages.

Block currently stars as 'Judy Bernly' in the new Broadway musical '9 to 5,' she has previously appeared on Broadway as the title role in 'The Pirate Queen,' as 'Elphaba' in 'Wicked' and as 'Liza Minnelli' in 'The Boy from Oz,' opposite Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman.

Block will star alongside the previously announced 'dames' Andrea McArdle (Annie), Betty Buckley (Sunset Blvd.), Audra McDonald (Ragtime), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) and Kelli O'Hara (South Pacific) for this one-night-only concert event. "Nothing Like a Dame" will also feature Broadway favorite Nick Adams (Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line).

Hosted and re-constructed by Seth Rudetsky, the all-new Nothing Like a Dame concert will feature a new format of songs and stories from the women of Broadway, as well as rare video clips from earlier days in each of their remarkable careers, accompanied by commentary from Rudetsky and the women themselves.

A longtime Actors Fund collaborator, Seth Rudetsky was the Artistic Producer and Music Director for all six annual Actors Fund Fall Benefit Concerts, including the acclaimed productions of 'Dreamgirls' with Audra McDonald (recorded on Nonesuch Records), 'Funny Girl' with Whoopi Goldberg and Sutton Foster, 'Chess' with Josh Groban, 'On the Twentieth Century' with Douglas Sills and Marin Mazzie, 'Hair' with Jennifer Hudson (recorded on Ghostlight Records, Grammy nomination) and 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' with Emily Skinner and Terrence Mann.

For has last 14 years, The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative has assisted more than 2,000 women coping with critical health concerns including breast, cervical and ovarian cancers, as well as domestic violence, chemical dependency and mental health issues.

Since the mid-nineties, through the auspices of The Actors Fund, PNWHI has provided millions of dollars in emergency financial assistance to women in crisis in the entertainment industry.

"Year after year, the 'Nothing Like a Dame' concert has been an absolutely wonderful experience for all concerned" said Phyllis Newman. "I'm thrilled we've been able to be of such help to so many women in our industry while also providing such a magnificent evening of entertainment for so many people."

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund - which supports those on stage and screen and everyone behind the scenes who works in theatre, film, television, music, dance, radio and opera - is a safety net, providing social services and emergency assistance, health services and health insurance information, employment and training programs and housing resources for those who are in need, crisis or transition.