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PFP's Gay Play Weekend is May 17 to 19! 
You may know that both At The Flash and
Under A Rainbow Flag were fin
alists in last year's Great Gay Play Contest, and showcased as Enhanced Staged Readings in the Center On Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theater last spring.
This year, we have five exciting new works in development, and we need your feedback. Come see the presentation of these very exciting and vastly different scripts recommended by our contest readers from around the country. Who knows - one of them may be presented as a full production new year!Tickets for each performance are $10, and can be purchased through www.brownpapertickets.com. Artistic Associate John Nasca says "I am very excited about the upcoming Gay Play Weekend. The five finalist have written extraordinary pieces which are diverse and entertaining. From last years weekend two plays were chosen by PFP for full productions which gave us a incredible first season. This is perfect opportunity for theatre lovers to see these productions in their infancy and help them grow into perfected works of art by attending the weekend and voicing your much needed and appreciated opinions." The readings include movement and staging, and include:
- A blues-infused work about an esteemed James Baldwin-esque African American and his meeting with a young black writer in The Red Train.
- Forbidden Glass, a new drama about illicit love and intrigue among gay Iranians.
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- Dancing in the Mirror is a fusion of dance and theater, as a Broadway dancer returns to his hometown to teach in the dance school in which he was brought up, and to confront the memory of the teacher who abused him.
- Sand Man is a drama about a Chicago reporter whose work on bullying and the suicide of a gay teen has left him emotionally and physically battered
- And Directions For Restoring The Apparently Dead, in which past and present collide when a straight man and gay man are reunited after life-shattering experiences.
The complete schedule for the weekend is:
- Red Train by B. V. Marshall, directed by Kyra Morris, Friday May 17 at 7:00
- Dancing in the Mirror by Perry Ojeda, directed by Jay Andrew Espana, Saturday, May 18, 4:00 pm.
- Directions for Restoring The Apparently Dead by Martin Casella, directed by Chuck Berglund, Saturday, Mary 18 7:00 pm
- Forbidden Glass by Kirt Shineman, directed by Alexander St. John, Sunday May 19 1:00 PM
- Sand Man by G William Zorn, directed by Derek Bertelsen, Sunday May 19 4:00 pm.
The plays are performed as 'enhanced staged readings', with blocking, costuming, dance, and design elements. Tickets for each performance are $10, and can be purchased through www.brownpapertickets.com. Find more details about three of the shows below:
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Red Train by B. V. Marshall
An African-American prodigy and Fulbright Scholar meets his idol, a legendary African-American writer, in a Paris café. Through the course of their encounters and his experiences far from home, he comes to realize that neither of them are who he thought they were.
The show features Charles Glenn, Jamie Smith, Michael Manocchio, and Sacara Nicholas.
Ky Morris (Director) is an Artistic Ensemble Member with Pride Films & Plays. She has studied and worked with acclaimed directors Michael Hackett, Michael McClain, and Gil Cates. Her directing credits include Long Island 1967 for Chicago Madness, Barrio Boy for Pride Films & Plays, Don't Dress for Dinner at the Howmet Playhouse, Annie Get Your Gun for Toledo Rep, and her original devised work
Ex Terra. She would like to thank the cast, crew, Mr. Marshall and PFP for all their hard work, and all of her friends and family for their continued love and support.
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Sand Man by G William Zorn
In 2007, a boy named Lawrence King was shot in the head for giving another boy a valentine. Over a two-week period, no major news outlet reported on the story.
Sand Man is about one man's frustration with the media's willingness to ignore this kind of account and the consequences of caring about it at all.
Director Derek Bertelsen says "Sand Man
is a vital, current and urgent piece of theatre. I think this show is a very important one to share with friends and allies of the gay community and anyone who is confused and saddened by the senseless gun activity that is killing off our nation. It asks questions and raises awareness, which all good theatre must do. This show generates an important debate and I hope you can join us."
Sand Man cast includes Derek Van Barham, Tom Chiola, Goli Rahimi, Matthew Harris, Glenn Abel, Brody Murray, Tim Lee, and Alex Wolking.
Derek Bertelsen (Director) is a proud member of Pride Films & Plays where credits include readings of Mr. Teddy and Pig. Other Chicagoland directing credits include Next Fall (currently running at AstonRep Theatre Company), Doubt, God of Carnage and The Dinner Party. He also served as assistant director for RACE (Goodman) and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Bailiwick Chicago). This summer he'll be directing Spamalot at Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, IL.
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Dancing in The Mirror by by Perry Ojeda
For many years, aging Broadway star dancer Danny Torres tried to run away from his past. But when his ex-dance teacher, Mr. Anderson died and left him a dance studio, Danny is forced to go back to his hometown and confront what he left behind. His dilemma escalates as his mother and sister nag him to move on while, Miguel, a young Latinodance protégé begs Danny to help him with his Julliard dream.
Dancing in the Mirror features Alexandra Gonzalez, Jason Gorczyca, Matthew Glasner, Luis Herrera, Steve Kimbrough, and Joan McGrath.
Director Jay Españo's cosmopolitan journey as actor, singer and director has led him to perform and collaborate in more than 70 productions with some of the most respected theater companies in the Asian region as well as dabbling in film and television. A recent US transplant,he toured the US and Canada in the lead role of the king in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King And I. Jay enjoys studying that in the last six years he has acquired a Musical Theater degree, yoga teacher's certificate, a graduate Laban movement analyst (GLCMA) and is set to start Film and Video- Cinema Directing (MFA) at Columbia College in the fall.
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Get tickets now for our great spring benefit
at Sidetrack on Tuesday June 4.
AND THE WINNER WASN'T III
celebrates the great music of Broadway
performed by the very best of Chicago's outstanding musical theater talent.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased
here now!Entertainment will include:
Amy and Freddy (Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen) Scott Gryder Lili-Anne Brown (Jeff Award Winner) Kate Garassino (Jeff Award Winner) Bethany Thomas (Multiple Jeff Award Nominee) James Nedrud (Jeff Award Nominee) Jordan Phelps Nick Stockwell Nathan Carroll Jill Renn Musical Selections from: Pride Films and Plays "Under A Rainbow Flag" (Jeff Award Nominee for Best Musical, Best New Work-Leo Schwartz, Best Director-David Zak, Best Musical Director-Robert Ollis, and Best Supporting Actor in a Musical-James Nedrud) Boho's "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (Nathan Carroll as Molina) Mercury's Theatre's "Barnum"
Door Prizes include:
Theatre tickets for: Broadway in Chicago ("Once") Mercury Theatre ("Barnum" and "The Color Purple") Bohemian Theatre Ensemble ("Kiss of the Spider Woman") Porchlight Music Theatre Remy Bumppo Theatre About Face Theatre Steep Theatre
Gift Certificates for: Halsted Vodka Macy's Crew Bar & Grill The SoFo Tap Pastoral Artisan Cheese and Wine Shops Halsted's Bar and GrillTickets are $20 and can be purchased
here now!
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