Who We Are
When Jo Levi DiSante was five years old, her grandmother died of breast cancer. Less than a year later, her 34-year-old mother was diagnosed with the dreaded disease that went into remission until sixteen years later. The devastation continued with Jo’s sister’s diagnosis of breast cancer at the young age of twenty-five. Jo was not a doctor or a scientist; she was a producer. How could she help her mother and sister, not only her nearest relatives, but also her closest friends? A musical theatre aficionado, Jo’s mother had always encouraged her daughter to produce a cabaret of the best female duets from musical theatre.
The wish of a mother evolved into a reality. Jo enlisted her friends, fellow producers Jody Price and Ruth Stalford, and in March of 2002, “What A Pair!” debuted as a Broadway-caliber production in a 1200 seat house that included performances by artists as varied as Deborah Harry, Nora Dunn, Joely Fisher, Lili Haydn, Patricia Heaton, Sally Kellerman, Megan Mullally, Marni Nixon, Kelly Price, Lea Thompson, and Rita Wilson. And, in spite of the fact that her cancer had spread throughout her body, Jo’s sister was there. Thus, WHAT A PAIR began....
Our Organization's Mission
WHAT A PAIR™ is a 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to raising awareness, community outreach and much-needed funds for breast cancer research across the country through the production of Broadway-caliber celebrity events.
Who We Serve
The funds we raise go to breast cancer research in the community in which the event occurs. Proceeds from Los Angeles productions go to Dr. Armando Giuliano’s research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John’s Health Center.
Our Programs
What a Pair!’s primary focus is producing concerts of duets sung by celebrity women to raise awareness about breast cancer and to raise money for breast cancer research.
Upcoming Events
[Tentative] April 6. 2008 “What a Pair! Nashville”
June 8, 2008 “What a Pair!6” Los Angeles
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is comprised of the event's producers/creators: Jo DiSante (President), Jody Price (Secretary), and Ruth Stalford (Treasurer).
Major Supporters and Sponsors
Major sponsors include: Asia de Cuba Restaurant, Sauza Tequila, Erica Courtney Jewelry, Sue Wong, Gold Circle Films, Fred Segal Beauty, and Los Angeles Magazine.
| Year Founded : |
2001 |
| 501(c)(3) Ruling Year : |
2006 |
| Volunteers : |
100 |
What Sets Us Apart
Each WHAT A PAIR™ concert is unique…while members of the audience may have seen one or all of the celebrities perform somewhere else before, they have never seen them in this setting: as part of an eclectic pairing of women singing Broadway duets. Furthermore, to mitigate expenses of producing each performance, WHAT A PAIR™ events are almost exclusively staffed by volunteers. The production costs are entirely underwritten by sponsorships, donations and program ad sales, so that 90% of proceeds from ticket sales and silent auction go directly to research.
Objectives for This Fiscal Year
Our goal is to produce our first “What a Pair!” in a city outside of Los Angeles and grow upon our continued success in Los Angeles with our show in June.
Recent Accomplishments
Since its first show in 2002, the WHAT A PAIR™ team has produced five concerts of women’s duets in Los Angeles that have been seen by over 6000 people and raised almost $1,600,000 for breast cancer research at Revlon/UCLA Breast Center and the Breast Center at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.
