Category Archives: Non-Profit News and Events
Pride 2020 Drag Fest Weekend June 19-21
OVER 100 OF NYC’S GREATEST DRAG PERFORMERS JOIN MARTI GOULD CUMMINGS & THE ONLY PRODUCTIONS FOR “PRIDE 2020 DRAG FEST: A WEEKEND TO SUPPORT OUR QUEENS”
NYC PRIDE and GLAAD to Support Three Day Digital Drag Festival to Celebrate Pride and Raise Funds for Local Drag Performers
RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars Jan, Heidi N. Closet, Nicky Doll, Shuga Cain, Brita Filter, Milk, Honey Davenport, Jiggly Caliente, and Dusty Ray Bottoms among Participants
Political activist and New York City drag staple Marti Gould Cummings and The Only Productions today announced the largest digital drag festival during Pride 2020. More than 100 performers are scheduled to appear during “Pride 2020 Drag Fest,” an official event of NYC Pride and supported by national LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. The virtual performances will run each day from 6:30-8pm EST beginning on Friday, June 19 and through Sunday, June 21, 2020. The video events will stream on NYC Pride and GLAAD’s Facebook pages. Viewers can contribute directly to each performer during their scheduled time through donations to their Venmo profiles and donation platforms highlighted during the broadcast.
For more information: https://www.nycpride.org/events/pride-2020-dragfest
“Since before Stonewall our drag community and our trans community have rallied to stand up and fight for equality and justice,” said Marti Gould Cummings. “As we grapple with the new normal of our daily lives we must continue in the footsteps and carry on the spirit of Pride. We may not be able to meet in person this year but Pride will live on as we gather digitally to celebrate our drag community and honor the legacy of Masha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the activism that so many LGBTQ icons ushered in.”
Performers slated to appear during “Pride 2020 Drag Fest” include RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Jan, Heidi N. Closet, Nicky Doll, Shuga Cain, Brita Filter, Milk, Honey Davenport, Jiggly Caliente, Dusty Ray Bottoms, plus NYC drag stars including Jasmine Rice LaBeija, Sherry Vine, Shequida, Pixie Aventura, Horrorchata, Merrie Cherry, and over 100 others. For a full list of talent visit: https://www.nycpride.org/events/pride-2020-dragfest
According to Vice.com: “While nearly all businesses in the U.S. have been threatened by the outbreak, bars and nightclubs that cater to the LGBTQ community are particularly vulnerable because they already operate under extremely small margins.” Many drag performers have started hosting virtual performances, while several LGBTQ bars and nightclubs have launched crowdfunding pages to support employees.
“You cannot have Pride without a little (or a lot) of Drag. This performance of gender expression has been a staple of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout its history, bringing with it a sense of vibrancy and power that can be felt at every NYC Pride event,” Shawn Kobetz, Partnerships Manager, NYC Pride. “We at NYC Pride are proud to stand with our drag friends and family from around the world during these trying times. We hope this event provides much needed support and entertainment for our community.” Last week, NYC Pride began announcing virtual events to celebrate Pride 2020 and bring NYC’s LGBTQ community together including a special broadcast event with WABC-TV Channel 7.
Marti Gould Cummings is a NYC-based drag artist, television personality, and political activist. Throughout their nearly decade long drag career Marti has been a regular fixture in the nightlife world who uses their platform to spread a message of equality, acceptance, and kindness. Marti has appeared across media outlets including The New York Times, New York Daily News, People and Good Morning America online to speak about LGBTQ issues and, most recently, about COVID-19’s impact on LGBTQ New Yorkers.
“COVID-19 has closed LGBTQ safe spaces including community centers, bars, and nightclubs which served as lifelines for so many LGBTQ people, and it has also delivered an unexpected and urgent financial loss to talented performers and employees who worked in these spaces,” said GLAAD Chief Communications Officer Rich Ferraro. “Both during Pride month and beyond, our community needs to join together to support drag performers and other talent who have always supported us.”
More information about “Pride 2020 Drag Fest: A Weekend to Support Our Queens” visit: https://www.nycpride.org/events/pride-2020-dragfest
NYC Pride June 25th 2020 Live Stream
NYC Pride and our partners at WABC Channel 7 are proud to announce a special broadcast event on Sunday, June 28, 2020, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Pride March held in 1970.
In this unique year, NYC Pride is committed to saluting front-line workers alongside several leaders in the community being honored as Grand Marshals: Dan Levy, The Ali Forney Center, Yanzi Peng, and Victoria Cruz.
While it may be a different type of celebration, the tradition of commemorating the LGBTQIA+ movement will continue!
The special will feature performances by Janelle Monáe, Deborah Cox, Billy Porter, Luísa Sonza and more.
Expect to see appearances by Wilson Cruz, Miss Richfield 1981, Margaret Cho and others. WABC’s very own Ken Rosato and Lauren Glassberg will be joined by special guest co-host Carson Kressley, along with correspondents Sam Champion and Kemberly Richardson.
STARS in the House for Actors Fund
Have you heard of this show on YouTube?
Music, community, and education to support The Actors Fund and its services.
Live-streamed daily at 2 PM ET and 8 PM ET/ Listen on SiriusXM VOLUME at 9AM ET, M-F
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and theatres across the world closing their curtains indefinitely, SiriusXM host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley have created Stars in the House, a daily live streamed series to support The Actors Fund and its services.
NEW SHOWS DAILY!
With new shows airing daily at 2 PM ET and 8 PM ET, Stars in the House is a combination of music, community, and education (from CBS Chief Medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook) located on the Actors Fund YouTube Channel. With musical performances by stars remotely from their home and conversations with Seth and James between each tune, viewers can also donate to the charity and interact with the guests in real time.
RAISING MONEY!
Stars in the House raised over $50,000 in the first four days of airing. Guests include Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Lithgow, Jason Alexander, Kristen Chenoweth as well as couples confined together like Audra McDonald and Will Swenson, Frozen composers Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, writers Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond, and many more. Stars in the House plans to stream daily until Broadway re-opens.
LOTS of upcoming shows PLUS 3 months of Archives!
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services.
Stonewall Gives Back Fundraiser
April 23rd, 2020, Troye Sivan, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Petras, Rufus Wainwright and many more got together to raise funds for those in the LGBTQ nightlife industry in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
Hosted by
Michelle Visage and Tyler Oakley
Performances and Appearances by
Alan Cumming, Allie X, Betty Who, Carlie Hanson, Cyndi Lauper, Darren Hayes, Dave Mizzoni, Greyson Chance, Issac Dunbar, John Cameron Mitchell, Kim Petras, Kristin Chenoweth, Leland, Lorna Luft, Matt Rogers, MUNA, Nina West, Our Lady J, Pabllo Vittar, Peppermint, Rufus Wainwright, Shoshana Bean, Todrick Hall, Troye Sivan, TUCKER, VINCINT.
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI). We are a non-profit charitable organization inspired by the struggles and ideals of the LGBTQ rights movement born from the Stonewall Inn Uprising of 1969. We are committed to eliminating the social intolerance that is profoundly impacting the lives of LGBTQ citizens throughout America and abroad. Through awareness campaigns, educational programming, fundraising and candid public dialogue,we support grassroots organizations scattered across the country and especially those in communities where progress toward equality has been slow and the negative impact of ongoing acts of discrimination and harassment can no longer be tolerated.
LIVESTREAM PREMIERE OF PARAMODERNITIES
Photo: Maria Baranova, Courtesy of New York Live Arts, March 2019.
NETTA YERUSHALMY PRESENTS THE LIVESTREAM PREMIERE OF HER
EPIC WORK PARAMODERNITIES.
THE SIX-PART ENCYCLOPEDIC SERIES DECONSTRUCTS HISTORIC DANCE WORKS BY ALVIN AILEY, GEORGE BALANCHINE, MERCE CUNNINGHAM, BOB FOSSE, MARTHA GRAHAM, AND VASLAV NIJINSKY.
EACH PERFORMANCE IS FOLLOWED BY A LIVE DISCUSSION WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AND AN INTERACTIVE CHAT WITH THE AUDIENCE.
MAY 4-9, 2020 @ 3-4PM DAILY
*Closed-Captioning provided for all performances.*
Trailer linked here.
“Take six classic dances. Chop them up. Then tear open the modern canon, with equal parts love and fury.” – Gia Kourlas, The New York Times
Netta Yerusalmy to present the week-long livestream event of Paramodernities Live, May 4-9, 2020, featuring 2019 performances at New York Live Arts with live “post-show” discussions with special guests and a chat feature for the audience. This event is directed by Jeremy Jacob and produced by Marc Crousillat, Jacob, and Yerushalmy.
The six-part encyclopedic series is a multidisciplinary work that weaves theory and performance into a marathon-style hybrid event. Yerushalmy and a cast of 20 dancers and scholars, ranging in age from 20 to 68, perform deconstructed installments of Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (1913), Martha Graham’s Night Journey (1947), Alvin Ailey’s Revelations (1960), a mix of Merce Cunningham works Rainforest, Sounddance, Points in Space, Beach Birds, and Ocean (1968-1990), dance numbers from the Bob Fosse’s 1969 film Sweet Charity, and a response to George Balanchine’s Agon (1957) that includes none of the original choreography.
Paramodernities boasts a radical and undefinable rethinking of the canon, involving virtually no music. Each section was created as an independent unit with a distinct creative process that features text, read live, by scholars and writers from various fields who place the dances within a larger context. The cast joins Yerushalmy in generating questions about the different paths taken by the modern tradition in dance and beyond. Within each installment, fundamental tenets of modernism are explored, such as sovereignty, spectacle, race, feminism and ableism.
The performances at New York Live Arts theater feature dancers Michael Blake, Gerald Casel, Marc Crousillat, Brittany Engel-Adams, Joyce Edwards, Stanley Gambucci, Taryn Griggs, Magdalena Jarkowiec, Nicholas Leichter, Jeremy Jae Neal, Hsiao-Jou Tang, Megan Williams, Netta Yerushalmy; and scholars/writers Thomas F. DeFrantz, Julia Foulkes, Georgina Kleege, David Kishik, Carol Ockman, Mara Mills, Claudia La Rocco, with lighting by Tim Cryan and costumes by Jarkowiec.
Each livestream performance will feature closed-captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Livestream events of Paramodernities take place at nettay.com from May 4th to May 9th at 3pm. This event will be live and free. The running time is approximately 1 hour.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #2: Trauma, Interdiction, and Agency in ‘The House of Pelvic Truth’
A response to Martha Graham’s Night Journey (1947)
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #3: Revelations: The Afterlives of Slavery
A response to Alvin Ailey’s Revelations (1960)
Thursday, May 7, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #4: An Inter-Body Event
with material from Merce Cunningham’s Rainforest, Sounddance, Points In Space, Beach Birds, and Ocean (1968-1990)
Friday, May 8, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #5: All that Spectacle: Dance on Stage and Screens
A response to Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity (1969 film)
Saturday, May 9, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #6: The Choreography of Rehabilitation: Disability and Race in Balanchine’s Agon
A response to George Balanchine’s Agon (1957)
PARAMODERNITIES is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. PARAMODERNITIES is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project, commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow in partnership with New York Live Arts, HMD’s Bridge Project, and NPN. The Creation Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).
For more information: www.npnweb.org.
ANTI GAY Group Samaritan’s Purse Are Running Tent Hospital
Why is this allowed to go on?
A 68-bed makeshift hospital is expected to open in Central Park on Tuesday in an effort to ease some of the strain on the city’s hospitals that have been bombarded with COVID-19 patients.
The field hospital in New York City is comprised of 14 tents and will receive patients first from Mount Sinai Brooklyn and Mount Sinai Queens. Brooklyn and Queens have been the hardest-hit boroughs in the city’s outbreak, according to data released by the city.
Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian group that regularly takes advantage of humanitarian crises to spread their far-right agenda, has been revealed as the charity behind a tent hospital.
Samaritan’s Purse has specifically been recruiting Christian volunteers to work in their 68-bed respiratory unit. But before being accepted, they’re required to adhere to the group’s statement of faith.
While nine of the 11 statements are theological, the other two are about abortion and LGBTQ people.
Volunteers have to agree that transgender people don’t exist, same-sex marriage is a sin, and gay people should be celibate or risk “damnation and eternal punishment.”
“We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other,” the ninth item reads. “God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.” read more here.
Broadway’s Carols for a Cure 21!
LGBT Welcome Center for WorldPride NYC
GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES GRAND OPENING OF WORLDPRIDE WELCOME CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY’S WEST VILLAGE
New Center Will Highlight New York State as a Welcoming Place for the LGBTQ Community and Promote WorldPride Events
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the grand opening of the New York State WorldPride Welcome Center, located at 112 Christopher Street in New York City’s West Village, steps from the Stonewall National Monument. WorldPride, the largest international LGBTQ Pride celebration, is coming to New York this month to coincide with the Stonewall 50 commemorations, marking the first time it has been held in the United States.
“Pride is a special month for the LGBTQ community and for all New Yorkers, and with the Empire State hosting WorldPride this year on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall we have a lot to celebrate and commemorate,” Governor Cuomo said. “From the passage of marriage equality and GENDA to our ongoing fight with the Trump administration over critical protections for transgender individuals, New York has been a national leader in the fight for LGBTQ rights and we will always stand alongside this community that we love so much. As millions of people visit our state this June, the WorldPride Welcome Center will highlight the roots and accomplishments of the LGBTQ rights movement in New York and promote the state as a safe, welcoming destination with no place for hate.”
Created in partnership with NYC Pride/Heritage of Pride and The LGBT Community Center, the New York State WorldPride Welcome Center is located just blocks away from the site of the original Stonewall Inn. On June 28, 1969, LGBTQ community members began spontaneous demonstrations at the Stonewall Inn that lasted for six days and are recognized today as the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The Welcome Center showcases New York’s role in the struggle for equality through a timeline gallery from the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis in the 1950s, to the Stonewall uprising in the 1960s, to Governor Cuomo signing the state’s Marriage Equality Act into law in the 2010s.
The rainbow pride colors are featured prominently throughout the Welcome Center. Visitors can take a picture at the selfie wall, featuring the I LOVE NY LGBT logo. Overhead, the center’s ceiling showcases a creative deconstructed interpretation of the pride flag, and the rainbow colors are also incorporated into the center’s shelves and lighting.
Senator Brad Hoylman, the only openly LGBTQ member of the New York Senate, said, “The first brick was thrown at Stonewall a half century ago, igniting the global movement for LGBTQ human rights. Since then, our community has been fighting for equality—including this year, when we finally assured equal rights for transgender New Yorkers thanks to the State Legislature and Governor Cuomo. I’m thrilled to see the New York WorldPride Welcome Center open today to mark the beginning of this international celebration of progress on LGBTQ human rights and thank Governor Cuomo and Empire State Development for their efforts.”
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said, “50 years ago, the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village sparked a movement for LGBTQ rights that spread throughout the world, so it’s fitting that this year’s WorldPride is in New York. I’m proud that this welcome center, which is located blocks from the Stonewall Inn and in my Council district, will help visitors for WorldPride navigate Greenwich Village and all the wonders of New York.”
WorldPride NYC 2019 Parade Route
NYC Pride, the official host of WorldPride NYC 2019 and Stonewall 50, announces the 2019 LGBTQIA+ Pride March route, as an unprecedented number of people are expected for the events planned for June 2019.
The 2019 Pride March, which commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, will step off at noon on Sunday, June 30th. Starting from 26th Street and 5th Avenue. Some 150,000 marchers will proceed south on 5th Avenue before heading west on 8th Street. After crossing over 6th Avenue, the March will continue on Christopher Street, passing the site designated in 2016 by President Barack Obama as the Stonewall National Monument. It will then turn north on 7th Avenue, passing the NYC AIDS Memorial, before dispersing in Chelsea just north of 23rd Street and 7th Avenue.
“As we prepare for the largest LGBTQIA+ Pride event in history, NYC Pride has worked closely with the NYPD, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson to determine the most efficient and safest route and staging areas possible for the 2019 March,” said Julian Sanjivan, NYC Pride March Director.
“As we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, it is fitting that we will march down Fifth Avenue, past the Stonewall Inn and through the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village and Chelsea. I want to thank Mayor de Blasio, the NYPD, NYC Pride and all their partners for their hard work in planning WorldPride NYC 2019, a tremendous logistical feat,” said NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
“New York City stands ready to welcome people from around the world to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the significant role our city played in advancing equality and justice for all,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I commend NYC Pride, the NYPD, and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson for working together with my office to determine a Pride March route that provides for a safe, affirming, and meaningful experience to commemorate this historic milestone for the LGBTQ community.”
“NYC Pride is thrilled to welcome millions of LGBTQIA+ people from around the globe for World Pride as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Stonewall Uprising,” said Chris Frederick, Executive Director of NYC Pride. “From our Opening Ceremony in Brooklyn to the largest Pride March in history to the Closing Ceremony in iconic Times Square, it is clear that New York will embrace Pride like never before. We welcome everyone to experience a million moments of Pride and make history with us in 2019.”
Heritage of Pride –
Heritage of Pride, Inc. is the volunteer-directed organization behind the official NYC Pride roster of events. Heritage of Pride’s mission is to work toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law. We do this by producing LGBTQIA+ Pride events that inspire, educate, commemorate and celebrate our diverse community.
For more information about Heritage of Pride, WorldPride 2019 NYC, and Stonewall 50, including opportunities to volunteer, sponsor, or purchase tickets, visithttp://www.worldpride.org.
I’m From Driftwood Gala March 27
VISION
I’m From Driftwood envisions a world where every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer person feels understood and accepted, and every straight person is an ally.
MISSION
I’m From Driftwood aims to help LGBTQ people learn more about their community, straight people learn more about their neighbors and everyone learn more about themselves through the power of storytelling and story sharing.
Increasing empathy and empowering individuals is accomplished by creating an apolitical forum for LGBTQ stories from every age, race, gender, background and culture. The stories deepen our understanding of each other, preserve history, and open hearts and minds.
VALUES
The most personal and meaningful stories are shared when the storyteller is in a trust-worthy, welcoming, judgment-free environment. I’m From Driftwood strives to create that environment on every level, whether you’re a long-time supporter at one of IFD’s events or a first-time visitor to the site. Be yourself, be comfortable and let’s get to know each other.
World Pride NYC The Gayest Day of the Year!
|
|
|
|
|
The Largest LGBTQIA+ Street Festival in New York City!
All eyes will be on New York City as we commemorate 50 years of the Stonewall Uprising. Our attendees are from all five boroughs and beyond making PrideFest the single best opportunity for businesses to connect directly with the LGBTQIA+ community.
Broadway Bares Raises $1.8 MILLION
Sexy seamen were ready to sink Battleships, frolicsome friends played “Striptionary,” and a rambunctious round of flashlight tag involved the entire audience during the steamy evening of sensational stripteases at Broadway Bares: Game Night.
This year’s record-breaking edition of the annual spectacular raised $1,875,090 with two standing-room-only performances at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Game Night gave your ordinary night out a tantalizing twist with striptease production numbers inspired by beloved board, video, and arcade games.
Check out more photos on Gay Cities
50th Anniversary of Stonewall Inn
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI), the official 501(c)3 of the Stonewall Inn, announced that it will host its annual PRIDE reception on Monday, June 4th at the historic Stonewall Inn.
Launched in 2017, SIGBI is inspired by the struggles and ideals of the LGBTQ rights movement born from the Stonewall Inn Rebellion of 1969 though its awareness campaigns, educational programming, fundraising and candid public dialogue.
“We are excited to once again partner with Jet Blue and Brooklyn Brewery to support The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. The Initiative supports grass roots organizations across the country and especially those in places where equality has been slow to arrive.” Said Stacy Lentz, Co-owner of the Stonewall Inn and CEO of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. “With their generous support the Initiative is able to do the much-needed work of helping some of the most undeserved LGBTQ communities.”
This year, in response to the devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico, SIGBI will highlight the work of Proyecto Matria www.proyectomatria.org, which works to advance the equity of LGBTQ communities from two areas: human rights activism and the offering of services in the field of economic development and housing. Matria also has educational programs to train other organizations, public agencies and communities on how to stop discrimination against LGBTQ people and create safe spaces from an equity perspective.
SIGBI will also announce two major campaigns:
The inaugural Stonewall Auction, running now through June 12th on Charitybuzz is offering once in a lifetime celebrity experiences and items for bid, https://bit.ly/2J1ztNZ . Also, the Stonewall Inn Ambassadors, a cohort of activists, celebrities, and influencers, who will work together to elevate awareness and support for SIGBI over the next 12 months and through the 50th anniversary of Stonewall on June 28, 2019. Stonewall Inn Ambassadors include Chelsea Clinton, Bryan Lourd, Laverne Cox, Robbie Rogers, Geena Rocero and Cleve Jones. Please see full list at the end of this release. www.stonewallinitiative.org/new-index/
Both campaigns are programs of Pride Live Nation, www.pridelivenation.org.
During the reception, there will be a performance by Michael Blume and remarks by featured speaker Chely Wright.
Indie/soul artist Michael Blume has released his latest songs “R U Mad” and “Blunder” – from his upcoming EP Cynicism &Sincerity, which will be out June 8th via S-Curve Records. The songs are available now at all digital music outlets, including Spotify, Apple/iTunes, and Amazon……
See the new video! (PRESS HERE to watch)
The forthcoming EP release comes following a whirlwind year for Blume. Since arriving on the scene in 2015, New York-based singer, songwriter, and artist Michael Blume has consistently delivered daring, diverse, and dynamic anthems blurring the lines between simmering and soaring. He’s attracted acclaim from Rolling Stone, GQ, Nylon, Ladygunn, Pigeons & Planes, Earmilk, and Dujour and turned the uninitiated into believers at Governor’s Ball, Firefly, Lollapalooza, and will be performing at the Bonnaroo Music Arts Festival on June 10th.
Chely Wright www.chely.com rose to fame as a commercial country singer in the 90’s and has since released eight studio albums and charted more than 15 singles on the Billboard charts. The Academy of Country Music named Wright “Top New Female Vocalist of 1995.”
About Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative is inspired by the struggles and ideals of the LGBTQ rights movement born from the Stonewall Inn Rebellion of 1969. Through awareness campaigns, educational programming, fundraising and candid public dialogue, The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative supports grassroots organizations across the country with a focus on those in communities where progress toward equality has been slow and discrimination, harassment, substance abuse, depression and suicide have become an unacceptable way of life. You can donate to SIGBI by visiting: www.stonewallinitiative.org/donate/
“ANGELS IN AMERICA” Establishes Angel Fund
Producers Tim Levy (Director, NT America) and Jordan Roth (President, Jujamcyn Theaters) announced today that the Olivier Award®-winning National Theatre revival of Tony Kushner’s masterwork, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, has established the “Angels Fund” to provide hundreds of $5 tickets to each part of the play to NYC-area LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Some of the organizations that have received these specially-priced tickets include: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), SAGE, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and The LGBTQ Center.
The Angels Fund is supported by Howard Gilman Foundation and SHS Foundation with additional support from Debby Landesman, Barbara Whitman/Purple Plume Foundation, Daryl & Steven Roth & Elizabeth Armstrong.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to experience art as important, topical, and challenging as Angels in America – especially people like the clients and staff of GMHC, the world’s first AIDS service organization, who may not otherwise get the chance,” said Gay Men’s Health Crisis CEO Kelsey Louie. “Thanks to the Angels Fund and the National Theatre, many of our clients and staff will be able to see the production.”
“This season’s revival of Angels in America is much more than revisiting Tony Kushner’s brilliant plays with a spectacular cast,” said BC/EFA Executive Director, Tom Viola. “It is a deep dive into how we find the courage, outrage and love to survive, even thrive in the midst of any calamity. Angels in America is a searing reflection of how we dare to love each other, as our best, worst and most exhilarating selves. I thank the producers for sharing that mirror with Broadway Cares, our staff and volunteers. We are blessed and ripped open by the experience.”
Angels in America producer Tim Levy said: “We wanted to make sure that individuals who are most directly connected to the content of the show, but who couldn’t afford full-priced tickets, had the opportunity to see it at an affordable price. We wanted to be able to share ‘The Great Work’ with those in the community who are actually doing The Great Work.”
Angels in America, which was nominated for a record-breaking 11 Tony Awards® will play its limited engagement through Sunday, July 15, 2018. The show began previews on February 23, and opened to ecstatic reviews on March 25 at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street).
Angels in America is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Marianne Elliott, and stars Academy Award® and Tony Award nominee Andrew Garfield and two-time Tony Award winner Nathan Lane, and also features Susan Brown, Denise Gough, Amanda Lawrence, James McArdle, Lee Pace, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Beth Malone, Patrick Andrews, Glynis Bell, Amy Blackman,Curt James, Rowan Ian Seamus Magee, Mark Nelson, Matty Oaks, Genesis Oliver, Jane Pfitsch, Lee Aaron Rosen, Ron Todorowski, Silvia Vrskova, and Lucy York.
When it first premiered, Angels in America won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play. HBO’s 2003 screen adaptation won both the Emmy® and the Golden Globe® Awards for Best Miniseries.
The design team includes Tony Award winner Ian MacNeil (Scenic Design), Tony Award nominee Nicky Gillibrand (Costume Design), Tony Award winner Paule Constable (Lighting Design), Drama Desk Award winner Adrian Sutton (Music), Tony Award nominee Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound Ltd. (Sound Design), Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell (Puppetry Designers), Finn Caldwell(Puppetry Director and Movement), Robby Graham (Original Movement), Chris Fisher (Illusions), Steven Hoggett (Movement Consultant). Casting is by Jim Carnahan, CSA.
Angels in America is produced by Tim Levy for NT America, Jordan Roth, Rufus Norris & Lisa Burger for the National Theatre, Elliott & Harper Productions, Kash Bennett for NT Productions,Aged in Wood, Baruch-Viertel-Routh-Frankel Group, Jane Bergère, Adam Blanshay Productions, CatWenJam Productions, Jean Doumanian, Gilad-Rogowsky, Gold-Ross Productions, The John Gore Organization, Grove Entertainment, Harris Rubin Productions, HornosMoellenberg, Brian & Dayna Lee, Benjamin Lowy, Stephanie P. McClelland, David Mirvish, Mark Pigott,Jon B. Platt, E. Price-LD ENT., Daryl Roth, Catherine Schreiber, Barbara Whitman, Jujamcyn Theaters, The Nederlander Organization, and The Shubert Organization.
Angels in America is a two-part performance — Part One, Millennium Approaches and Part Two, Perestroika.
For a complete list of performances (including the final two weeks), please visit, www.angelsbroadway.com. Tickets ($99 – $318) of Angels in America are available at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 877.250.2929, or in person at The Neil Simon Theatre box office (250 West 52nd Street).
Susan Brown, Denise Gough, Amanda Lawrence, James McArdle, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett are appearing with the support of Actors’ Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance of this production
www.angelsbroadway.com
www.instagram.com/angelsbway
www.omdkc.com
NYC Pride 2018
NYC Pride 2018 is almost here! The 49th Year!
SO MANY things going on for 10 days of Pride.
Like
|
|
|
|
We all celebrate Pride in different ways, which is why NYC Pride offers something for everyone during NYC Pride Week. Click through the event listings here for an in-depth look at each unique event we have planned for this year.
Rainbow Flag Dedication
RAINBOW FLAG TO BE DEDICATED ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11,
AT STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT
ON MANHATTAN’S CHRISTOPHER STREET
NEW YORK CEREMONY MARKS FIRST TIME
THAT THE INTERNATIONAL LGBT SYMBOL
WILL BE DISPLAYED PERMANENTLY ON FEDERAL LAND
The Rainbow Flag, the international symbol of LGBT liberation and pride, will be unveiled in a special ceremony on Wednesday, October 11 at 12:00 Noon at the historic Stonewall National Monument, where, thanks to the efforts of activists, it now claims a permanent home. This historic event marks the first time that the LGBT flag waves over federally-funded land, under the permanent stewardship of the National Park Service.
Stonewall National Monument is located in Christopher Street Park in New York’s Greenwich Village. The park is on the corner of Christopher Street and 7th Avenue South.
The event will be emceed by Gay USA television co-host Ann Northrop. Performers will include Telly Leung, who plays the title role in Disney’s “Aladdin on Broadway” and Cantor Steve Zeidenberg of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah. Speakers will be Leslie Cagan, an organizer of the 1987 March on Washington for LGBT Rights, National Park Service’s Chief of Interpretation, Education and Visitor Services Barbara Applebaum, Kiara St. James, Executive Director of New York Transgender Advocacy Group, and LGBT and AIDS activist Michael Petrelis who spearheaded this initiative.
“It is a victory for our Community to have these symbolic colors flying majestically over our Stonewall, designated as a National Monument by President Obama, even as our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are under attack by the current regime in power,” said Michael Petrelis. He went on to say, “As we gather today, we are reminded of another October 11, thirty years ago, when the names of our fallen comrades were symbolically celebrated on another national monument – the AIDS Quilt — during the reign of another President who waged an attack against us.”
October 11 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the historic 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian Gay Rights–when the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt was unfurled on the National Mall. The date also marks the annual National Coming Out Day, a day celebrating the idea that all members of the LGBTQ community should be able to live their lives openly, honestly, and with pride.
The flag, which was originally designed by the late artist and activist Gilbert Baker, consists of six stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is typically flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as would appear in a natural rainbow.
Support for the ceremony is being generously provided by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS helps men, women and children across the country and across the street receive lifesaving medications, health care, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance. broadwaycares.org
Gilbert Baker died in New York City on March 31 at the age of 65. Memorials to the internationally known activist were held across the globe in subsequent weeks.
The Stonewall Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.
BROADWAY sings for PRIDE
|
|
|
|
Tyler Clementi Foundation
The Tyler Clementi Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to end online and offline bullying, harassment, and humiliation.
Broadway Bares 2017 Highlights
THIS YEARS 27th edition of Broadway Bares pulled in a whopping $1,568,114 in two performances at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
This year’s Broadway Bares stripped away the fears of freshmen and saluted seniors as a journey across the Strip U campus took us to a seductive observatory, exploding chemistry lab, flirty fine arts class, frat party-turned-Greek god fantasy, a lesson in stiletto strutting and Havana, Cuba, for a sizzling semester studying abroad.
Two-time Tony Award nominee and seven-time Emmy winner Allison Janney started the show with a video invitation as Strip U’s president, offering sexy salutations, a campus history and words of wisdom: “Our motto reminds us of our core values every day: Honorem, Integritas, Nuditas, Erectus.”
Internet personality Randy Rainbow and On Your Feet’s Ana Villafañe made special guest appearances as a psychology professor and a foreign exchange student.
In the finale, Instagram sensation Tom Lenk (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), playing a pesky Department of Education auditor who appeared throughout the show, finally saw the Strip U way and offered the university full federal funding. The entire cast of more than 180 dancers flooded the stage, providing an electrifying finale to the show.
Tony-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, who created Broadway Bares in 1992 and serves as executive producer, and Tony winner Judith Light thanked the audience at the show’s close. “We must take the power of our diverse communities and dedicate our energies to the importance of taking care of ourselves and each other,” Light said. Light and Mitchell also reminded the audience: “Safe sex is hot sex. We can best love each other by protecting each other.”
WATCH the video highlights HERE
Broadway Bares STRIP U
More than 150 of New York’s hottest dancers will be hitting the books ― figuratively, at least ― this June, but the lessons they’ll impart are decidedly not for kids.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS officials whetted fans’ appetites for “Broadway Bares: Strip U” this week with some steamy photos and a behind-the-scenes video. The 27th installment of the wildly popular Broadway-meets-burlesque fundraiser will feature a collegiate theme, and its chiseled cast will “school” audiences with steamy art, math and sport-themed dance numbers. This year’s show will hit New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom June 18 and will be directed by Nick Kenkel, whose Broadway credits include “Catch Me If You Can,” “Evita” and “The Wedding Singer.”
“Class will be in session this summer at the only college campus where clothing is optional and bodacious burlesque is always in the curriculum,” officials wrote in a press release, before promising “a science lab exploding with sizzling chemistry or sculpted studs exhibiting model behavior in art class.”
Created in 1992 by Tony-winning “Kinky Boots” director Jerry Mitchell, the event has raised more than $15.8 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit group dedicated to AIDS-related causes across the U.S. Previous installments of the show have ranged from 2012’s fairy tale-themed “Happy Endings” to 2016’s tech-driven fantasy “On Demand.”
GET TICKETS AND Read more about “Broadway Bares: Strip U” here.
Aids Walk New York 2017
AIDS Walk New York is the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world!
In its over 30 years, AIDS Walk New York has inspired nearly 890,000 people to walk and millions more to donate, raising nearly $150 million to combat HIV and AIDS. The funds raised at the event remain a vital lifeline sustaining the prevention, care, and advocacy programs GMHC provides for the thousands of men, women, and families affected by the disease in the tri-state area. The proceeds also benefit dozens of other HIV/AIDS service organizations that are able to participate as teams and raise funds through the Community Partnership Program (CPP).
During the next few weeks – there is LOTS GOING ON! Fundraising Workshops and MORE. See the list here and get involved!
New to fundraising?
First time participating in AIDS Walk New York?
Need a refresher course to boost your total? They have the tools to get you going! Follow these easy steps to becoming a successful fundraiser—aim high and you could be one of our next Star Walkers™! Raise $200-$300 and qualify for cool prizes!
Facebook page is HERE
