RTÉ will exclusively stream Voices from the Front Line, an evening of stories and song hosted by Hollywood star Martin Sheen at Vicar Street in Dublin on Sunday night in aid of international human rights organisation Front Line Defenders.
The production will be webcast live in Ireland and overseas at 8.00pm (GMT) on Sunday, 9 December. It will be broadcast online from RTÉ Live.
Front Line Defenders is an international human rights organisation which was founded in Dublin in 2001, and works to help protect human rights defenders at risk, specifically people who risk their lives on a daily basis to defend the rights of others.
One hundred per cent of the profits from the event will go directly to the organisation’s Protection Fund for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.
Directed by Fishamble Theatre Company’s Jim Culleton, Voices from the Front Line will tell the stories of 11 human rights defenders who refuse to remain silent in the face of injustice despite the risk to themselves.
Celebrating courage
The show features a star-studded cast including international celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Andrea Corr, Amy Huberman, Robbie Sheehan, Paul Brady, Liam Ó’Maonlaí, Hazel O’Conor, Finbar Furey, Cara O’Sullivan and many other special guests.
“Voices from the Front Line is a celebration of the courage of human rights defenders around the world,” Sheen commented.
“What human rights defenders do is unite the world in a common need for justice. If there is injustice in Egypt or Syria or Palestine or Russia, we are all diminished by that. And we are further diminished by not acknowledging it.
“We condemn human rights violations and we ask other people to stand up for those who are risking their lives by defending the rights of others,” Sheen said.
The concert will be available on the RTÉ Player for 21 days after the webcast and can be played on any connected device, from laptops to games consoles, tablets and smartphones.
