Scarlett Johansson organising benefit reading for Puerto Rico hurricane survivors

Scarlett Johansson has recruited her Avengers co-stars Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, and Mark Ruffalo to take part in a play reading for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.
The actors will gather in Atlanta, Georgia for a special performance of Thornton Wilder’s classic play Our Town on 6 November (17), when all proceeds will be donated to help recovery efforts in the U.S. territory in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which caused extreme devastation across the island last month (Sep17).
Tony Award-winning A Raisin in the Sun director Kenny Leon will take charge of the reading, which will also feature surprise appearances from Johansson’s celebrity friends.
“The struggle faced by Puerto Rican residents since their island was ravaged by Hurricane Maria is terribly heartbreaking and has left many feeling hopeless and helpless,” Scarlett shares in a statement announcing the benefit. “It is a great privilege to be able to participate in whatever way I can, to provide some relief to those that are struggling to access even the most basic of human needs in the aftermath of this disastrous event.
“Please help me and my co-stars in coming together for an extraordinary, one-time-only evening to raise lifesaving funds for a devastated island and to help celebrate the true meaning of community with this unique reading of a great American classic.”
The reading, benefiting the Hurricane Maria Community Relief & Recovery Fund, will take place at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, where the superhero stars are currently filming the next two Marvel epics, the follow-ups to 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Johansson’s charity event is the latest celebrity effort to support the people of Puerto Rico, and others affected by recent natural disasters.
Rap mogul JAY-Z teamed up with artists including Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe, Chris Brown, and Fifth Harmony to stage the Tidal x Brooklyn concert in New York on Tuesday (17Oct17), while J.Lo also joined forces with her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez and ex-husband Marc Anthony to co-host her own TV gig, One Voice: Somos Live! A Concert for Disaster Relief, last weekend (14Oct17). That show featured performances from stars like Demi Lovato, Maroon 5, Ricky Martin, Gwen Stefani, Chris Martin, and Mary J. Blige, and raised $35 million (£26.5 million) for the cause.