About Me

Producer Jeffrey Seller Memoir Event

Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller best known for his work on Rent (1996), Avenue Q (2003), In the Heights (2008) & Hamilton (2015) will be discussing his newly-released memoir “Theater Kid” with Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library (SNMAL) President & CEO Robert Kesten on Tuesday July 22nd at 6P EST via Zoom. Kesten stated, “Introducing Jeffrey as the complex & creative man, often behind the scenes, he is, is a way to remind our community of how much we contribute to global culture. The musicals he brought to life have transformed the world of modern musical theater. He has come a long way from the young Detroit man who struggled to find his voice & his story is an inspiration for young & old in our community. During this time of intense division for many across the LGBTQ+ community, Seller’s story is a vibrant reminder of what we have overcome to survive, as well as the importance of those stories in the entertainment world. We look forward to sharing his legacy with our supporters." Already a #1 bestseller on Amazon “Theater Kid’ delves into Seller’s harsh upbringing from struggling with his adoption to understanding his sexuality to escaping his childhood home & adapting to New York life during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis while building connections with industry icons like Jonathan Larson & Lin-Manuel Miranda. Jeffrey Seller is one of the most successful American producers of our time. His Broadway productions & tours have grossed over $4.6 billion & reached more than 43 million attendees & he's the only producer to have mounted 2 Pulitzer Prize winning musicals for Hamilton & Rent as well as numerous Tony awards. 
No comments:

Sultan Shakir Joins PFLAG National

PFLAG National announced that Sultan Shakir has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer. Since June the org has added seven new PFLAG chapters in June among 30 new chapters since January & the new COO role will guide the organization’s continued strategic impact to meet community demand for services. Brian K. Bond, PFLAG National CEO stated, “Sultan is an experienced, well-respected nonprofit leader whose strategic guidance has strengthened each organization he has worked with. It is clear that in his first quarter as COO for PFLAG National, he has already made an impact.” Shakir concluded, “This work is deeply personal to me as a queer Muslim who found affirmation & community in spaces like the ones PFLAG creates. I am honored to join PFLAG National at this pivotal time. The parents, family members & allies of LGBTQ+ people are such a critical voice in the national debate. I’m excited to support the work of elevating those voices & increasing national impact as we strive to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals—especially young people—are not only protected but celebrated.” Shakir returns to Washington, D.C. after serving as President & Executive Officer of the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia since 2022. Prior to that Shakir was Executive Director of LGBTQ youth services provider SMYAL where he greatly expanded that org’s programming, budget & footprint to better serve youth in our nation’s capital including adding a housing program to help vulnerable young people transition from homelessness to independence during his seven-year tenure. Since 1973 PFLAG has worked with LGBTQ people, parents, families & allies every day to ensure LGBTQ people everywhere are safe, celebrated, empowered & loved. 
No comments:

Liz Callaway Hamptons Songbook Event

Donna Rubin & Josh Gladstone present Broadway Diva Liz Callaway who will perform “Broadway & Beyond” on Saturday July 19th in the second season of their celebrated series Hamptons Summer Songbook By The Sea at LTV Studios in Wainscott, NY. Callaway will showcase her historic career featuring songs from Broadway shows she has starred in including her Tony-nominated “Baby” & her long-run belting “Memory” in “Cats” alongside songs from the silver screen as well as songs from her recording career performing a spellbinding sampler platter of what has been described as “the voice of a generation”. Liz stated, “I’m so looking forward to singing my “Broadway & Beyond” Show at Hamptons Summer Songbook By The Sea on Saturday night with my one-man orchestra, Alex Rybeck.” Don’t miss this opportunity to witness Callaway in a spectacular concert that highlights her incredible vocal talent & stage presence. Liz showcases her storied career in a concert featuring songs from her Broadway shows along with songs from her recording career including her Grammy nominated album “To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim” that was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album & her Oscar-nominated hit from “Anastasia”. Liz will be accompanied by Alex Rybeck on piano. LTV Studios in East Hampton is bringing world-class cabaret & Broadway talent to the East End in the second season of its celebrated series Hamptons Summer Songbook By The Sea. Liz Callaway Broadway & Beyond general admission seating is $64 on a first come first served basis & VIP reserved cocktail table seats are $104 & includes a drink ticket. 
No comments:

Richard Skipper Storytelling Events

Rainbow Entertainment Group is presenting the fabulous Richard Skipper who has been entertaining audiences for over 30 years for 2 shows at The Art House in Provincetown, MA on August 4th & 5th at 8:30P. These unscripted cabaret experiences are interactive with audience participation & will be filled with laughter, music & surprises that puts the spotlight on Richard’s remarkable journey directed by James Beaman with musical direction by Dan Pardo & special guest opener Chrissy Pardo. Then for one night only on August 22nd at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in NYC Skipper presents his “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Richard Skipper (But Were Afraid to Ask)” that’s part cabaret, part talk show & 100% Richard providing unscripted, spontaneous & driven by audience questions. Richard stated, “Being back at The Laurie Beechman Theatre & returning to Provincetown in the same month is a true gift. These are two of my favorite places to perform because the audiences are so present, so ready to connect. The Beechman show is completely unscripted & different every time, shaped by real questions from the audience & Provincetown’s Hello, Dolly! tribute allows me to honor the show and Entertainers who shaped my own career. To bring these stories, songs & surprises to both coasts within weeks is a dream & I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone.” These fabulous events are part of Richard’s ongoing mission to perform in all 50 states celebrating storytelling, community & connection through live performance. I talked to Richard about his work in this retro podcast. LISTEN 
No comments:

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

The 45th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival takes place July 17th to August 3rd in San Francisco & the East Bay with a diverse lineup of fresh & bold films & events that celebrate independent filmmaking & Jewish identity in all its forms. In the meantime you can catch “Bad Shabbos” directed by Daniel Robbins & starring Kyra Sedgwick, Cliff "Method Man" Smith, David Paymer, Milana Vayntrub, Jon Bass, Meghan Leathers, Theo Taplitz, Catherine Curtin, John Bedford Lloyd & Ashley Zukerman now in theaters in limited release. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024 it’s an incredible ensemble cast in this uproarious fabulous new comedy. I caught it last week & it’s a must-see. It about David & his fiancée Meg are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner on New York’s Upper West Side when a death gets in the way as Meg's Catholic parents are due any moment the family dinner soon spirals into a hilarious disaster. Sedgwick’s real-life mother was Jewish & father was Episcopalian. Kyra stated, "My connection with Judaism is really my ethics, my ethical culture. I really don't know very much about the religion at all but I do know you're allowed to question things. It's not just because God says so. The Torah is all about asking questions & having conversation. I think that it felt like a spiritual connection for me in that way." Kyra’s stepfather introduced Passover seders into their family but they still celebrated Christmas instead of Hanukkah. “Bad Shabbos” is distributed by Menemsha Films. WATCH TRAILER
No comments:

Connecticut Out Film Festival Awards

With a screening & after-party at the Connecticut Science Center in downtown Hartford the Connecticut Out Film Festival announced the winners of their 38th annual 9-day event. This year’s festival comprised 90 films including features, documentaries & shorts with nearly a dozen in-person screenings at the vintage Cinestudio theater on the Trinity College campus in Hartford as well as a wide range of virtual programs. Shane Engstrom, Out Film CT Festival Director stated, “Every year we try hard to select a lineup that our audience will love & judging by this year’s ballot results & comments we’ve received, we succeeded once again.” “Four Mothers” won the 2025 Audience Award for Best Feature Film. Shane Engstrom also presented the Director’s Award to Darren Thornton director of “Four Mothers” stating, “Darren told a personal story with a universal message that was both deeply touching & uplifting. Additionally, he went above & beyond to enhance the festival experience for our audience by pinch hitting with a last-minute Q&A session where he shared wonderful insights into the making of the film.” Other Out Film CT Festival award winning films included “A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot” won Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. “Sorority” won Audience Award for Best Short. “Rains Over Babel” won the Jury Award for Best Feature. “Heightened Scrutiny’ won the Jury Award for Best Documentary & “Stimulants & Empathogens” won the Jury Award for Best Short. Out Film CT’s mission is to entertain, educate & promote community by presenting outstanding LGBTQ cinema & other theatrical events throughout the year including their 9 day Film Festival. 
No comments:

Provincetown Tennessee Williams Event

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is celebrating its 20th season September 25th to 29th in several town locations. The theme of this year's Festival is “Last Call” with live performances of plays by Williams that celebrate endings. After this season the mission of the festival will continue in new ways, championing Tennessee Williams in other forms in Provincetown & around the world. David Kaplan Festival Curator stated, “We've enjoyed our run: productions of over a hundred different plays by Williams from Adam & Eve on a Ferry (2008) to Will Mr. Merriwether Return from Memphis? (2018). From A to W, if not quite A to Z.” The 20th season will feature a fabulous new production of a classic play by Williams with a fresh take on a rarely produced late play by Williams & a new adaptation of a text by Williams as well as several short plays by Williams’ peer Samuel Beckett. A highlight of the twentieth season will be a production of Williams’ classic “Sweet Bird of Youth” in which the glamorous Alexandra DeLago proclaims “There’s no more valuable knowledge than knowing the right time to go.” This production will truly have a Ptown spin in director Mitchell Polonsky’s version of “Sweet Bird of Youth / A Nasty Melodrama.” I had the privilege to work with Mr. Williams back in the 1970’s. He was wearing his trademark seersucker blue & white suit topped off with a fabulous fedora hat a memory I’m fortunate to have etched in my mind forever. 2025 Festival Passes are now available with Carte Blanche Pass providing an all-access VIP experience or a Flex Pass affords a more flexible menu across the full range of shows. 
No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Featured Post

Producer Jeffrey Seller Memoir Event

Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller best known for his work on Rent (1996), Avenue Q (2003), In the Heights (2008) & Hamilton (2015) will b...

Popular Posts