Category Archives: News and Happenings
OUT IN THE PARK 2013 Weekend of Parties in Chicagoland
Womens Work Weekend September 13-15, 2013
Women’s Work Weekend runs September 13 to 15, 2013, at Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre. Find the schedule and information on the readings HERE.
sreenplays and stage plays written by women with lesbian characters or
themes.
The
program is open to all women, regardless of sexual orientation, whose
writing is pertinent to the lesbian community and relevant to the world.
While gay scripts have had a steady production history – from Oscar Wilde to Tennessee Williams, Tony Kushner, and today’s brashest writers – lesbian scripts have a checkered history at best.
Your support of our Women’s Work Weekend provides performance fees for artists, marketing for the festival, and enables writers from around the country to work with our Artistic Ensemble Members on these scripts, which are so full of potential.
Women’s Work Weekend runs September 13 to 15, 2013, at Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre. Find the schedule and information on the readingsHERE.
In the Heights Comes To Paramount Theatre September 11 – October 6
Nominated in
2008 for 13 Tony Awards, taking home four including Best Musical, Best Score,
Best Choreography and Best Orchestration, In the Heights is an
exuberant contemporary musical that follows three days in the lives of
residents living in New York’s largely Hispanic Washington Heights
neighborhood.
Aurora’s Paramount Theatre will launch its third Broadway subscription
series this September with the first local professional staging of In the
Heights, one of Broadway’s most acclaimed contemporary musicals, a
potent reminder of the importance of chasing one’s dreams, and the show all of
Chicago will be talking about this fall. Performances are September 11 through
October 6, 2013.
For as little as $73.80, subscribers can purchase In
the Heights and see three more Tony Award-winning best musicals at the
Paramount in 2013-14 – Miss Saigon (directed by Jim Corti, October 30-November 24, 2013), 42nd
Street (directed by Rachel
Rockwell, January
15-February 9, 2014)
and Rent
(directed by Jim Corti, March 12-April 6, 2014). Join the nearly 20,000 Broadway series
subscribers who have already taken advantage of Paramount’s Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free offer. To meet growing
demand for its “better than Broadway” productions at such affordable prices, Paramount
has already extended the run of each show from three weeks to four in 2013-14.
Single tickets to In the Heights are also
on sale for $36.90 to $49.90. For renewals, new subscriptions,
single tickets and information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 2 hours prior to evening performances.
Conceived and
featuring music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with a book by
Pulitzer Prize- winner Quiara Alegría Hudes, In the Heights
transports audiences to a Latino enclave on 183rd Street in New York
City where family bonds are strong and neighborhood ties are equally as
binding. But change is in the air that will impact everyone. In the
Heights is a story of dreams and sacrifices, loyalties and love, all
taking place in one city block surrounded by millions. The pure energy of the
barrio pulses with the poetry of rap, soaring ballads and powerful Latin-inspired
grooves resulting in one of the most original scores to hit Broadway in years.
In a community on the brink of change, full of hopes and dreams, the biggest
struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you and which you
leave In the Heights. Rated PG.
As always, top theater artists from Chicago and all over the
country have been tapped to reward Paramount audiences with a breathtaking production
of In
the Heights. Rachel Rockwell, named “2012 Chicagoan
of the Year in Theatre” by the Chicago Tribune, and director of Paramount’s
wildly acclaimed productions of Hair, Annie and The
Music Man, will direct. The cast
features Nick Demeris (Usnavi), Paula Scrofano (Abuela Claudia), Lillian Castillo (Carla), Keely Vasquez (Daniela), Ricardo Gutierrez (Kevin), Lucinda Johnston (Camila), Luis Herrera (Sonny), Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (Benny), Caitlainne Rose Gurreri (Vanessa), Christina Nieves (Nina) and David Baida (Piragua Guy). Ensemble
members are Kasey Alfonso, William Carlos Angulo, Mary Joe Duggan, Courtney Landwerlen, Rachel
Marie LaPorte, Eric Lewis, Terrance Martin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Daniel
Spagnuolo and Lauren Villegas.
The set is a beauty,
a replica of the original Broadway design by Tony nominee Anna Louizos. Tom Vendafreddo (music director/conductor) will lead the
Paramount Theatre Orchestra with live, lush renditions of the play’s rich
musical score. Paramount’s In the Heights production team also
includes Katie Spelman
(choreographer), Elizabeth Flauto
(costumes), Jesse Klug (lights), Jeff Dublinske (sound), Sarah Ross (props), Dianne Morrisette (wigs), Rose Marie Packer (stage manager) and Beth Ellen Spencer (assistant stage
manager).
About The Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre is the center for
performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora, the second
largest city in Illinois. Named “One of Chicago’s Top 10 Attended
Theatres” by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount
Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 23 E. Galena Blvd., is
nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb
acoustics and historic beauty.
The Paramount Theatre opened on September 3,
1931. Designed by nationally renowned theater architects C.W. and George L.
Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting portrayed in the art deco
influence of the 1930s. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago,
the Paramount offered the public a variety of entertainment, including
“talking pictures,” vaudeville, concerts and circus performances for
more than 40 years.
In 1976, Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased
the Paramount and closed the theater for restoration. The $1.5 million project
restored the Paramount to its original grandeur. On April 29, 1978, the
Paramount Arts Center opened, offering a variety of theatrical, musical,
comedy, dance and family programming. In 2006, a 12,000-square-foot, two-story
Grand Gallery lobby was added, with a new, state-of-the-art box office, café
and art gallery.
Mariano’s Fresh Market will be Extending Insurance Benefits to LGBT Spouses
Marianos
(Grocery Store) is only in Chicago and is expanding rapidly with plans
to open 8 more Chicago area stores in the next year.
Groupon employees to participate in October 22 Marriage Equality March on Springfield
Illinois. Today they released a video, produced by Groupon employees, to
showcase that support.
participating in the March on Springfield, busing interested employees
to the rally that day in support of marriage equality on October 22.
the scheduled first day of the fall veto session of the Illinois state
legislature. The “March on Springfield” is part of a broad grassroots
strategy to secure final passage of Senate Bill 10, the “Religious
Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” already approved by the Illinois
Senate. Once adopted, Illinois will become the 14th state plus the
District of Columbia, to treat all of its citizens equally under state
marriage laws. For more information, visit http://www.marchonspringfield.
Celebrate 20 years of Restoration Salon August 24th
$20 suggested donation. Doors open at 7pm Hair/Fashion show at 8pm
Please bring checks or cash for Donation and raffle tickets!
Fall Queer Clothing Swap at Center on Halsted August 18th
Fall Queer Clothing Swap
Clothing Exchange
Looking to trade your skirt and heels for some slacks and loafers?
Join
organizer Rebecca Kling and Genderqueer Chicago, No Boys Allowed, Soy
Quien Soy and more for a Queer Clothing Swap at Center on Halsted,
located at 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago, Ill. on Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 – 6 p.m. The event is free.
While
the swap is particularly intended for trans- and gender-variant
individuals to have a safe and fun space to exchange clothes, the event
is open to all queer-affirming allies. Each participant is to bring at
least three items of clean, gently worn clothing, shoes and accessories
to be donated to the swap. In exchange, participants will have the
chance to take home three items new-to-them. Donations of undergarments,
swimwear or stained clothing are not permitted. Each participant should
bring their own bag as they will not be supplied.
Expect More Children in Boystown
What could have been a fantastic gay bar, will now be a place for children.
CREAM Nude Male Stripper Night in Chicago – Grand Opening August 5th
$5 BOOBIE AND BLOWJOB SHOTS
$1.50 BEER Specials
$1.50 Drink Specials
$100 BOTTLE OF ABSOLUT
$100 BOTTLES OF CIROC
$10 (Each way) LIMO SHUTTLE to and from the city
Our Shuttle Pick Up Location is:
BELMONT AND HALSTED IN THE LOT NEXT TO THE PLAYGROUND THEATER
RSVP FOR THE SHUTTLE NOW:
http://
In Loving Memory of Miss Foozie’s Mother
Hello Pineapples,
out of ICU and passed away on July 24th. Miss Foozies mom, “Mama
Foozie” was Miss Foozies biggest fan. She attended many events and
totally supported Miss Foozie in every way she could. She was a
wonderful person with a heart of gold like Miss Foozie. Mama Foozie is
now Miss Foozies angel and will help watch over the pineapple patch!
Miss Foozies mom was also his best friend. They were extremely close, and she was Miss Foozies world.
Miss
Foozie has decided that since her mother is going to be cremated, that
Miss Foozie wants to purchase a special bench, with his spot also, so he
is next to his mom. The bench with the two spaces is very expensive,
and I wanted to try and help him to reach out to his fans, to make sure
he is able to follow through with this sad part of life.
been entertaining, loving and and making everyone feel special for 16
years. Lets all come together and help her be able to purchase this, so
he is assured he will be at rest next to his mom on the beautiful bench
she has picked out. No donation is too small, if we all come together
with what we can, we can accomplish this together!
for all your love and support for Miss Foozie, and Thank you for being a
friend!
Chicago and Los Angeles are Urged to Dump Their Sister Cities in Russia
It’s getting hotter…..The Lansing Michigan City Council appeared ready to adopt a resolution to formally begin the process of ending its sister city relationship with St. Petersburg, Russia due to discrimination against the LGBT community.
Meanwhile, Equality Illinois has called on Chicago to end its relationship with Moscow.
From the statement:
“As the state’s oldest and largest
advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
Illinoisans, we believe that it cannot be business as usual in Illinois’
relations with Russia until that country’s oppressive laws are reversed
and gays are not targeted for oppression,” said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO
of Equality Illinois.
“From many small but meaningful steps, a
national and then an international consensus will grow and ultimately,
we believe, force Russia to change its behavior toward its gay citizens
and visitors,” Cherkasov said.
Los Angeles has been also been wanting to sever ties to St. Petersburg for
quite some time. Back in February, Los Angeles City Council introduced a
resolution that would have severed the city’s symbolic relationship
with Russia, Frontiers LA reports:
“The passing of this resolution sends a
strong message that the city will not tolerate discrimination against
our LGBT brothers and sisters in a sister city relationship,’ openly gay
City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl said in introducing his resolution on
Feb. 12. ‘We must stand together and continue to fight for our basic
civil and human rights for all human beings on this earth.”
Left unsaid in City Hall that day was the
possibility – albeit perhaps a remote possibility – that the severing
or even suspension of ties to St. Petersburg by the City of Los Angeles
would send a resounding message of support for LGBT human rights from
the ninth most economically powerful city in the world that other cities
could use as cover to also sever ties.
MEANWHILE at a recent meeting in St. Petersburg, co-author of Russia’s bill banning
homosexuality Vitaly Valentinovich Milonov urged President Putin to not suspend the law
during the Sochi Olympics, claiming that doing so would be “selective
enforcement.” This runs directly counter to the International Olympic
Committee’s assertions that athletes and spectators would be exempt from
the gay ban law.
Chicago Singer John Jones Releases New single and Video
John Jones is a singer/songwriter from Chicago.
As the liner notes say, “It’s hard to imagine working any harder or
capturing more of my heart and soul than I did on this record.”
part of me is there: the lover, the friend, the spiritualist…and, of
course, the flawed human being trying to keep his karma clean as he
navigates through times of light and dark. Sonically it’s my most
organic album yet – I wouldn’t call this Country Music but the earthy
arrangements certainly aren’t very far off. Like my first two albums,
“Everything I Have” was recorded at home, and this time around I even
have a couple of real, live guitarists augmenting my songs instead of
the samples and patches I’m usually limited to when I work alone.
People frequently ask me what the album sounds like, and I like to
think fans of Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Coldplay or The Beatles have a
good chance of finding something to love here.
These are the stories of my life…spirutual beliefs, joys, heartbreak,
insecurities, resiliance, and of course love. My name is John Jones,
and this is “Everything I Have.”
Have,” available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and iheartradio. Watch/Listen NOW
Lex Allen from Milwaukee will Move your Soul
OUR NEW FAVORITE SINGER is Lex Allen, from Milwaukee!
have your body swaying and mind relating to his awe-inspiring melodies
and hypnotic SOULtry vocal tones that will surly blow you away.
www.soundcloud.com/
www.instagram.com/
http://
Should we Boycott STOLI Vodka?
STOLI could be in a little hot water. Some LGBT groups are already calling for a boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia. Now, Vodka. Gay drink lots of Vodka! But Stoli has also been a supporter of the LGBT community…
Queer Nation has organized a boycott of Russian vodka.
From their statement:
In light of the Putin regime’s attacks on the LGBT community, Queer Nation is calling for a worldwide boycott of Russian vodka.
Do not buy or drink Russian vodka: Brands
include Russian Standard and Stolichnaya. Demand that bar owners do not
buy or serve Russian vodka. Ask your favorite club promoters, DJs, and
entertainers to insist that Russian brands are not served in the venues
in which they perform.
It’s time to target Russia. Dump Russian vodka!
Stoli has shown support to LGBT community in the past – is a boycott the answer, to send a message to Russian Government? At first, I wasn’t sure it was the right choice – but now I do – even
though Stoli has shown support to the gay community, the Russian
government still shares in Stoli’s profits. We MUST put pressure where we
can, so they stop this madness over there!
Chicagoin Dan Savage, columnist, author, and founder of the It Gets Better Project, published an article in Seattle’s independent newspaper The Stranger on Wednesday titled
“Why I’m Boycotting Russian Vodka,” urging gay bars to stop serving the
brand and others like Russian Standard, Shustov, Starka, and Stolnaya.
“[T]here is something we can do right here, right now, in Seattle and
other U.S. cities to show our solidarity with Russian queers and their
allies,” wrote Savage on Wednesday. “And to help to draw international
attention to the persecution of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans
people, and straight allies in Putin’s increasingly fascistic Russia:
DUMP RUSSIAN VODKA.”
Sidetrack, Chicago’s largest gay bar, and allegedly the biggest seller of vodka in gay bars in the country! announced yesterday that it would
remove Stolichnaya and other Russian brands from its shelves, according
to the Windy City Times. Another Chicago gay bar, Call, joined the boycott. Replay, Hydrate, Elixir and Halsteds are also pulling Russian vodkas from their shelves!
The SPI Group, which owns Stolichnaya Vodka, contacted The Advocate
today to release an open letter to the LGBT community. The statement
stressed that Stoli “firmly opposes such attitude and actions” committed
by the Russian government and continues to be a “fervent supporter and
friend” of the community, pointing to past endorsements of Pride events
and LGBT organizations.
The statement claimed that the Luxembourg-based company is not
affiliated with the Russian government, and that the vodka’s production
is divided between Russia and Latvia.
AIDS Run and Walk Chicago September 28th
.Area runners invited to help support life-saving HIV/AIDS care, prevention, and housing programs
WHAT: More than 3,500 runners will lace up their shoes and join in the fight against HIV/AIDS during the 12th Annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, September 28. The AIDS Run & Walk Chicago is the Windy City’s largest annual fundraising run/walk for HIV/AIDS.
This year’s event kicks off at Chicago’s iconic Soldier Field with the 5K and 10K courses winding along the lakeshore.
Funds
raised through the AIDS Run & Walk will benefit programs and
services for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and 34 other city
organizations that work with more than 25,000 people living with
HIV/AIDS in Chicagoland. Since its founding in 2001, AIDS Run & Walk
Chicago has netted more than $4 million to battle the epidemic.
To register, donate, or learn more, visit www.aidsrunwalk.org or call (312) 334-0946. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
WHEN: September 28, 2013
8:00 a.m. Event registration and packet pick-up
9:00 a.m. Opening ceremonies
9:30 a.m. 5K Walk begins
9:45 a.m. 10K Run begins
9:50 a.m. 5K Run begins
10:00 a.m. Post-race entertainment
COST:
Event registration is $30-$45 in advance; $50 on-site. Registration
includes the official t-shirt and other benefits. To register as a
fundraising individual or as a team, visit aidsrunwalk.org or call (312) 334-0946.
WHERE: Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Steve Grand
In an awesome interview with Boy Culture, Steve says he is not a country star, and he talks about his difficult past as a drifter, going through ex-gay therapy and what’s next for him!
BUZZFEED called him ‘The first openly gay country star’…”there’s a lot of things wrong with that statement. I didn’t set out to be the first of anything. I just wrote a song that I really believed in and that I wanted the world to hear.
There’ve been people who’ve been out in
country music before me, like Drake Jensen and Chely Wright and k.d.
lang. It’s false to say that I’m the first – I’ve never said that, I’ve
never stood behind that. But I do appreciate the media that picked this
up because I had no means of promotion, so I certainly have no ill will
to any press that said that.
I’ve never considered myself country and
didn’t set out to write a country song. That isn’t an important label to
me. If some people wanna call it country, that’s fine with me. I’ll let
people decide how they wanna label it; I just write the songs.“
Read More about Steve Grand at Boy Culture
Live Nude Male Strippers Come to Chicago land : CREAM
CREAM is the newest night on Mondays featuring full on naked nude male dancers and strippers! Yep- full on junk in your face – because it’s outside Cook county line.
ISAIAH GRASS Live TONIGHT at Hard Rock Cafe Chicago
Isaiah Grass
with Moonrise Nation and Kristin Kelly
TONIGHT – Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013 8:20 PM CDT (8:00 PM Doors)
of his own personal experiences, and of the experiences of people that
he knows. His inspiration is colorfully diverse, coming from an array of
genres, which accentuates the melodies of his songs. Isaiah’s music
speaks out in many ways, of his own personal experiences, and of the
experiences of people that he knows. His inspiration is colorfully
diverse, coming from an array of genres, which accentuates the melodies
of his songs. One of Chicago’s TOP NEW PERFORMERS, he is getting rave reviews!
Watch Isaiah’s Youtube▬►www.youtube.com/Isaiah7863 Download Isaiah’s music▬►http://smarturl.it/Isaiah-ITUNES
Just $5 general admission!
