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New Patricia Milton Play “After Happy”

A new comedy “After Happy” written by Patricia Milton & directed by Gary Graves makes its world premiere at the Central Works Writers Workshop February 26th to March 29th at the Berkeley City Club in Berkeley, CA. Playwright Patricia Milton stated, "Writing a play about our climate crisis is particularly difficult as the situation becomes more & more grim. We’ve been failed by our leaders. At the same time the earth is exceeding temperature targets & harmful effects are accelerating. Like death, people may be willing to acknowledge the reality but are unenthusiastic about coming to terms with it. What can theater do to address this reluctance? Bring to the stage plays that inspire conversation & effective action...leavened with a bit of humor." The play is about after a hurricane named Happy devastating Lake Charles, Louisiana but the annual Pirate Festival must go on. The cast includes Rezan Asfaw (Steph), Lauren Dunagan (Katherine) & Jan Zvaifler (Brenda). Central Works Method plays bring together writers, actors & directors at the very outset of the playwriting process in a supportive workshop environment, group research & collective brainstorming contribute to the entire development of the script. Jan Zvaifler & Gary Graves Central Works co-directors stated, “New plays are the lifeblood of the theater. We look at current events, politics, classic literature & traditional storytelling to bring our audience face to face with the challenges of our lives every day, juxtaposed against the reflections of history, both recent and far-reaching. Given our current harrowing times, we all need an opportunity to pause, feel, think & act.” “After Happy” tickets run from $35-$45. 
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Author Allen Young Book Signing Event

Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is celebrating our stories with an interview & book signing event with advocate & author Allen Young on March 3rd at 6:30P. This in-person & Zoom event will discuss Allen Young’s memoir “Left, Gay & Green: A Writer’s Life” a vivid personal exploration of activism, identity & the power of storytelling across decades of social change. Robert Kesten Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library President & CEO stated, “It is time we caught up with Allen Young- his story of perseverance & forging identity in a previous tumultuous time is a reminder of what we need to do. His journey of self-acceptance & advocacy is a reminder how we win these battles & that needs to be shared.” Young will engage in a conversation about his book & the power of storytelling across decades of social change. Young will reflect on his journey through the LGBTQ movement, environmental advocacy & radical politics offering insight into a life lived at the intersection of courage, community & creative expression. Raised on a poultry farm in New York’s Borscht Belt by Communist parents Young gained an early passion for standing up to power & fighting for the oppressed. Throughout his career he worked as a reporter for the Washington Post & Liberation News Service & was an activist against the Vietnam War, a proud part of the “no nukes” movement & helped edit pioneering gay liberation anthologies that paved the way for equality. Through it all Young explored what it meant to be left, gay & green with his career, political pursuits & relationships transforming his life’s trajectory & identity. 
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Celebrating Black Women Leaders Event

The San Francisco Bay Times 4th annual Black History Month celebration of Black women leaders & allies returns Thursday February 26th at the historic White Horse Inn at 6551 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, CA from 6P to 10P. Returning as welcoming hosts will be Judy Young the Executive Director of the UCSF National Center of Excellence for Women's Health & San Francisco Bay Times publishers Betty Sullivan & Jennifer Viegas. Co-emcees Imani Rupert-Gordon the Executive Director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights & Joe Hawkins the Co-Founder & CEO of The Oakland LGBTQ Center will honor some of the Bay Area's most accomplished leaders representing numerous fields & generations. Some being honored are also unsung heroines as well as inspiring veteran leaders. One of the special honorees will be legendary performer Linda Tillery & spinning will be Sounds by The Junior. The event will benefit Use The News Foundation & the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. Use The News Foundation founded in 1998 is a nonprofit whose mission is to produce & support projects that address the needs of LGBTQ people & their allies who are affected by discrimination based on sexual orientation & identity, race, age, religion or national origin. The Oakland LGBTQ Community Center is dedicated to enhancing & sustaining the well-being of LGBTQ individuals, families & allies by providing educational, social & health related activities, programs & services. Established in 1933 the White Horse Inn is the oldest operating gay bar in America. Tickets are $15 for 4th Annual Honoring LGBTQ Black Women Leaders. 
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Stephen Schwartz Wicked NJPAC Event

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center presents a “Wicked Evening With The Wizard: Stephen Schwartz & Friends” the composer/lyricist & wizard behind the music of Wicked & who has penned some of the most fabulous Broadway & Hollywood musicals of the last 5 decades on Saturday February 21st at 7:30P. On this special night Schwartz will lead a symphonic celebration of Wicked’s 22 years on Broadway & the release of the film Wicked: For Good. Along with a 12-piece pops orchestra guest stars will come out to perform hits from Schwartz’s award-winning career: from Godspell to Pippin to Wicked & beyond. Special guests include Liz Callaway, Debbie Gravitte, Kelli Rabke, Shaleah Adkisson, Michael McCorry Rose, Scott Coulter, John Boswell, Evan Roider & more. Experience the gravity-defying music of this magical songwriter. Liz Callaway stated, “So looking forward to singing with Stephen Schwartz on Saturday night at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)! It's going to be a great night with a wonderful cast & orchestra!” The New Jersey Performing Arts Center mission celebrating diversity is one of America’s foremost urban presenters of arts & entertainment as a creative & effective leader in arts education for children, a convener of useful & enlightening civic engagement events & a catalyst for economic development in its home city of Newark. They present & produce pop, R&B, hip hop, jazz, classical & world music concerts, dance & spoken word poetry performances, comedy shows & conversations with artists, politicians, filmmakers & activists. Their original NJPAC productions include the award-winning The Hip Hop Nutcracker tours the country extending their reach to national audiences. 
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Broadway's Kinky Boots Plays Boston

Kinky Boots on tour runs now through February 22nd at the Citizens Opera House in Boston, MA is not to be missed. The uplifting musical is based on a true story about an unlikely partnership between a struggling shoe factory owner & a drag queen that ultimately saves the family business teaching valuable lessons about acceptance & friendship. Leading the tour are Omari Collins “Scarlett D. Von'Du” as Lola, Noah Silverman as Charlie Price, Sophia Gunter as Lauren, Jason Daniel Chacon as Don, Emma Dean as Nicola & John Anker Bow as George. Dargan Cole, Felipe Cristancho-Rodríguez, Jonathan Blake Flemings, Peyton Gaida, and Blaise Rossmann play the Angels. The Kinky Boots tour also features Carlyn Barenholtz, Connor Buonaccorsi, Brianna Clark, Blake Du Bois, Jayna Glynn, Billy Goldstein, Brandin Jay, Robert Miller, Val Moranto, Dominic Pagliaro, Thomas Ed Purvis, Kyle Williamson & Natalie Lilavois Yusty. Omari Collins as Lola anchors the production with a performance that was charismatic, polished & profoundly encouraging in these challenging times. Collins is returning to play Lola for the 7th time bringing a rich vocal presence, magnetic stage personality all while strutting in heels that made each entrance feel electric with an emphasis on heart & authenticity delivering emotional moments, especially with "Hold Me in Your Heart" a depth that really resonated throughout the theater. The original Kinky Boots was the winner of the Tony, Grammy & London’s Olivier Awards for Best Musical with the Tony Award-winning score by Cyndi Lauper, book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein & original direction & Tony-winning choreography by Jerry Mitchell. 
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Civil Rights Icon Rev. Jesse Jackson Dies

In the midst of Black History Month we honor the life & legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson one of the most iconic civil rights leader & a fierce ally of our community for decades. Kelley Robinson HRC President stated, “The fight for justice requires courage, hope & a relentlessness that will not be denied. Reverend Jesse Jackson embodied that fight everyday. From disrupting political systems & building people power to helping this country imagine a freer future for all of us, Rev. Jackson was a force… A leading voice during the civil rights movement & decades-long advocate for human rights around the globe, Jackson founded what is now the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. During the fight to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage, Jackson spoke up strongly for marriage equality, saying in part “Marriage is based on love & commitment – not on sexual orientation. I support the right for any person to marry the person of their choosing.” Brian K. Bond, CEO of PFLAG National concluded, “As we learn of the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, we mourn the loss of a giant among us. When many refused to acknowledge the existence & struggle of LGBTQ+ people, Rev. Jackson saw us, affirmed us & demanded equality inclusively. In his address to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, Rev. Jackson named us specifically as part of the fabric of the ‘American Quilt.’ He has shown up for & marched with the LGBTQ+ movement through the AIDS crisis, marriage equality & ever after. Rev. Jackson’s leadership & allyship for LGBTQ+ people will be felt profoundly by his PFLAG family. We will honor his legacy as we continue to strive to achieve justice & equality for all.” Rev. Jesse Jackson Rest In Power.
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Sahara Revisited In New Florida Exhibit

Of all the fabulous places & people I’ve had the pleasure to meet in my life’s journey wandering into Sahara Nightclub in 1978 in NYC was definitely a highlight. There I established a lifelong ideal of what a chic vibrant lesbian/feminist community could be. Now the Stonewall National Museum’s Women’s Fund in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is presenting an exhibit entitled “Sahara: NYC’s Lesbian Legacy” with an opening night event on Saturday February 28th & runs until April 5th. In 2019 I talked to Leslie Cohen about the legendary Sahara nightclub that she established with 3 of her friends in May of 1976 that abruptly closed in December of 1979 at 1234 Second Avenue at East 65th Street on Manhattan’s fashionable Upper East Side. There Cohen, Michelle Florea, Linda Goldfarb & Barbara Russo created NYC’s first upscale women’s club that showcased women in art, politics & music. On Thursday night the line went around the block. There were also lots of fabulous events when both men & women were invited in for political fundraisers & cabaret. Celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Patti Smith, Pat Benatar, Warren Beatty, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug & Elaine Noble the first openly gay state Representative from Massachusetts appeared or performed there. This led to Leslie & her partner Beth Suskin who both sadly passed in the last few years became the models for the iconic sculpture which commemorates the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village which was declared a national monument by Obama in 2016 but unfortunately is now under attack by the current administration. I talked to Leslie about Sahara & her spin on the future of our LGBTQ civil rights in this exclusive 2019 podcast. LISTEN  
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New Patricia Milton Play “After Happy”

A new comedy “After Happy” written by Patricia Milton & directed by Gary Graves makes its world premiere at the Central Works Writers Wo...

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