Mark Ruffalo, Laurence Fishburne Rally To Save NYC Landmark

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Not every church fundraiser has A-list actors, but then again, not every church fundraiser is on the Upper West Side.

This Saturday, award-winning actors — including big names like Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne — will rally alongside local leaders to protest Upper West Side's landmarked church, West-Park Presbyterian Church, from being sold to developers.

The church building — which was landmarked by the city in April 1990 — is the home of The Center at West Park, a nonprofit arts and culture hub that has turned the church into an affordable space for cultural programming.

But, the church administrators are planning to sell the building to developers who could potentially displace the thriving arts community, Debby Hirshman, executive director of The Center at West-Park, told Patch.

At the Saturday afternoon rally, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, Laurence Fishburne, Julianna Margulies, Fisher Stevens, Kenneth Lonergan will give speeches, alongside Rep. Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Councilmember Gale Brewer.

Following the rally, The Center at West Park will present a free screening of the iconic film "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" followed by a talkback with Broderick and Lonergan.

Then later that evening, Fishburne — known for roles including Morpheus in "The Matrix," the titular role in "Othello," and Jason Styles in "Boyz n the Hood" — will reprise his starring role in a staged reading of his play "Riff Raff."

"Riff Raff," which debuted Off-Broadway in 1995 and was Fishburne’s first produced work as a playwright, follows two half-brothers and an old friend after a drug heist gone wrong.

“For Laurence Fishburne to come from Los Angeles and choose to perform in a play he wrote 30 years ago, here with The Center at West Park inside this extraordinary landmark building, it reflects the importance of accessible and affordable arts, community, and sacred spaces that serve all generations of New York City,” Hirshman told Patch.

Joining Fishburne to perform the readings are fellow original Off-Broadway cast member Titus Welliver as well as Yul Vazquez and Stephen Adly Guirgis.

"Riff Raff "performances are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The full cast will participate in a talkback following each performance, Hirshman said.

Tickets start at $50 for the staged reading, but there are a number of pay-what-you-wish tickets as well.

West-Park Presbyterian Church is located at 165 West 86th St. on the Upper West Side.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.