Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

THEATER Despite everything, there are shows for Pride Week
by Jonathan Abarbanel, Windy City Times
2020-06-24

This article shared 3425 times since Wed Jun 24, 2020
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


It's almost impossible to write about the indelible events of 2020 ( which is still not quite half over ) without diminishing them. Words fall short in describing—let alone analyzing—the failures of many government entities across the country to meet the COVID-19 pandemic in timely and forceful ways, while millions of selfish, self-righteous and ignorant individual citizens have refused to cooperate with efforts to beat back infection.

Theaters around the world—stage, film, dance and concert venues—were among the first popular institutions to be shut down ( along with schools ) and still are not scheduled to re-open any time soon ( except, perhaps, movie theaters ). COVID-19 brought at least two hit LGBTQ+ shows to an early close: The Boys in the Band, at Windy City Playhouse; and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert-The Musical, at the Mercury Theater.

The second great shoe to drop in 2020—the uprising of our BIPOC ( Black, indigenous and people of color ) individuals and their allies in an angry but just demand for change—is far too profound and far-reaching to summarize in a few words. It, too, has had a direct impact on this country's already imperiled theater industry. In Chicago, the combination of economic disaster and political force aimed at show business already has resulted in the permanent closure of two theater companies ( the Mercury Theater and the iO ) as well as the resignation of two leadership individuals ( the longtime CEO of The Second City and the freshly appointed Executive Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater ).

COVID-19 and the aftermath of the George Floyd killing most assuredly have put a somber twist on the usually joyous celebration of Pride Month, which typically is marked by a small explosion of theatrical activity. Even so, there still are a few celebratory events on offer for folks who may wish to seek out some theatrical entertainment via the internet, and they are being presented by the leadership theater companies within our broad LGBTQ+ communities.

—Packing, About Face Theatre, through July 12; $15: This is a complete performance of the About Face hit from last fall, written and performed by Scott Bradley and directed by Chay Yew. It's Bradley's emotional and revealing life story over the course of 30 years, from small town Iowa boy to big city gay man, which Windy City Times called "an important document of queer life… the warmth expressed in his acceptance and love for his Midwestern home is undeniable." The video presentation was professionally shot during a live performance and is available on demand.

—Lockdown! The Golden Girls Lost Episodes, Vol. 4, Hell in a Handbag Productions, June 25-Aug. 8; $20: A rarity for internet theater, a world premiere, written by company founder David Cerda and starring Cerda and other Handbag regulars as Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia. This new episode originally was intended for live stage production, but come the lockdown, Cerda and cohorts rewrote it specifically for streaming, directed by Spenser Davis, and with a timely storyline, too. You know, Cerda and his fellow ensemble members have been playing the Golden Girls so long, they nearly are golden girls themselves! Better catch 'em while they still can kick.

—The Last Sunday in June, Pride Films & Plays, June 28, 7 p.m.; $10—Pride Films & Plays continues its Pride in Place streaming series of readings of significant LGBTQ+ works with Jonathan Tolins's 2003 play, set in Greenwich Village on the day of the annual Pride Parade, as June 28 would have been this year. Similar to The Boys in the Band, but 35 years later and more evolved, it features different gay types who are sometimes witty, sometimes wise and frequently adder-tongued.

This one-time-only event is streamed live, directed by Michael Rashid. The Pride in Place series concludes ( at least for the time being ) with a July 1, 7 p.m. live reading of Brad Fraser's dark thriller, Unidentified Human Remains the True Nature of Love.

—SapphFest: Pride Edition, Violet Surprise, June 25-26, 7:30 p.m.; free—Violet surprise, a new queer feminist theater company, is offering two different digital variety shows featuring solo performances and short plays by queer women and non-binary artists. Both shows are free via Zoom, but you'll need to log in via the Violet Surprise Facebook page or this link: zoom.us/j/95786910011 .

This is the second digital show created by director Iris Sowlat and playwright Allison Fradkin, the company founders. Violet Surprise has a mission to produce new works which validate the identities and experiences of queer women.

—That's Queer, Grandma, PlayMakers Laboratory, Monday nights June 22-July 6; free—Now in its 19th year, the PlayMakers Laboratory ensemble celebrates Pride Month with a virtual collection of hilarious and heartfelt sketches "written by kids, performed by grownups and enjoyed by humans" under the direction of Brandon Cloyd.


This article shared 3425 times since Wed Jun 24, 2020
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12
- Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10
- On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

Chicago-based production company to host all-inclusive, LGBTQ-focused Valentine's Day event 2024-02-07
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Second Glance Productions will host the LGBTQupid Soiree this Valentines Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The event will be held at the iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., from 6 pm to 11 pm ...


Gay News

THEATER Nostalgic 'Sunsets' still offers a timely reflection of LGBTQ+ community 2024-02-07
- Nostalgia reigned on a variety of scales this past weekend in Chicago. During her Celebration tour, at a majestically packed United Center, Madonna acknowledged the last 40 years of her career, highlighting her '80s interactions with ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.