"What does it take, To wake up a generation?"

As I was driving into the office I was listening to TICK, TICK, BOOM! and the lyrics took on a new meaning after the National Equality March yesterday.

"What does it take

To wake up a generation?

How can you make someone

Take off and fly?

If we don't wake up

And shake up the nation

We'll eat the dust of the world

Wondering why…

…Why do we follow leaders who never lead?

Why does it take catastrophe to start a revolution?

If we're so free, tell me why?...

…Actions speak louder than words"

When I was growing up in Nixa, Missouri, I never knew what to do. I knew I was gay but was afraid of rejection from my family and, worse, afraid of getting beat up at school. I was teased enough throughout high school and I had not told a soul how I felt. There was a classmate of mine who actually came out in school and was spit on and had to live on his own. The counselors at our school did nothing to help him, and I knew I was not strong enough for all of that. Then my sophomore year a gay college student was beaten and killed for being gay in Laramie, WY.

Yesterday at the March I met up with a bus that my good friend mine, Ed Reggi, brought in from Missouri, and on that bus were three Webster University Students. One was from St. Joseph, the place where I was born. I asked him when he came out and he said in high school, and I am hopeful that it seems to be getting easier.

People asked why I was marching, and my answer was equal rights. My brother was married over a year ago, and I want to be able to get married too, but for me it is not just that right that matters but just the fact that because we don’t have the rights as everyone else does make us less equal, and that translates to hate. It's hard to stand up to people in Nixa and say, "I am just as equal as you" when in fact the law says I am not and that makes them think it is okay to spit on us.

Homosexuals are just as equal as heterosexuals. Why should I have to live a lie so that some people don’t feel threatened? We don’t want to get married in a church that doesn’t want to marry us, but we should have the right to get married in a church that will. I would just want those kids in Nixa and places just like it to know that there is nothing wrong with them. You are born that way, and that is okay. You are loved, and people are standing up for you right now.

Yesterday at the March I think there were two very important points that were made. First, to President Obama, we need you to act now. We need you to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Secondly, we all need to do our part. Meet with Congress and let them know we are the people and we have the votes and money and if you are not with us we will not be with you. We will elect people that will support us and will get things done. Obama needs Congress to help us, so we have to help him.

I know I have ranted and raved and this blog is suppose to be about theatre and producing, but from time to time it becomes personal with the me talking about the death of a loved one or friend or about me having the same rights as others. I have about 200 people who read this blog, and I have to share and hope that I can motivate you to have conversations and take action so kids never have to grow up afraid and think something is wrong with them.

Happy Columbus Day Weekend

Today I know we are all excited for the three day weekend so I just leave you with this . . .



Music of Hope and Equality Concert

National Equality March

HAIR

We are now four days away from the National Equality March. Broadway is taking a huge interest in this march, and it is exciting for our industry to get so involved. Broadway raises millions of dollars every year for everything from AIDS to Animal Rights. Now they are getting involved in the fight for equal rights. The producers of the Tony Winner musical HAIR are taking the biggest involvement in letting their cast have the day off so they can go to Washington. It is estimated that it will cost them between $100,000 and $150,000 to close on Sunday, October 11th.

As you have seen in my videos of Sutton Foster, they are not the only ones getting involved. Producer David Stone, Audra McDonald, Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as some Broadway casts, have raised money to send over 20 buses from New York City to Washington D.C.

The producers of HAIR are not only taking a risk, but they are also making head lines in all the major industry papers, including a great article last week in the New York Times.

I think it was a very smart move for the show about taking a stand for what’s right to show their own commitment to that idea by canceling their show, even though it means a loss for them. I think in the end it will more than make up for it in the press. I know I personally will see it the next time I am in NYC.

Laramie Project, Ten Years Later

If you know me, then you know that there are not many plays I am really excited to see, but I am super excited about Laramie Project, Ten Years Later, which will be playing all over the country on October 12th, one day after the National Equality March. Click here to find a performance near you. So far over 150 theatres will present the show with The Tectonic Theatre Project. These readings are FREE, so I encourage you all to go and see this if you can. Locally, the show will be presented by Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre. You must RSVP for this event. Even Missouri there are at least four theatres putting on this production.

The Laramie Project is the about the death of Matthew Sheppard, a gay man who was beaten, robbed and left to die in Laramie, Wyoming. This play takes interviews from people in the town and covers all points of view. It is very moving, and now the company that wrote the play goes back to Laramie to see where the town is now and how America has changed in the last ten years.

I found a short video that gives you some insight into what you will see. Please watch the video and share with your friends. Glenn Close and Judy Sheppard will be webcast live from Lincoln Center before the readings, and this is something you won't want to miss. Check it out if you can.

One Week Until We March

I have been waiting for a while to write this post, wondering what the angle was to tie it to theatre. True, the producers of HAIR on Broadway are canceling shows so their cast can come down for the march, but that has been blogged about. Then on Twitter I saw a video Broadway star Sutton Foster had made and I thought, “Perfect.”

The March I am talking about is the National Equality March that will take place in Washington D.C. and all over the nation on October 10th and 11th. This is so important to me. Being a gay man and not having equal rights is more than frustrating. A little more than a year ago I was the best man at my brother's wedding. I was moved by the obvious love and commitment they had for each other. I was so jealous that he had found his soul mate and that they were making that commitment to each other. I don’t want to force anything on a religion, but if a church does (and many do) want to marry a gay or lesbian couple, it should be able to happen. I should have the same rights that my brother has; to marry the person I love no matter what sex they are. On October 11th we will stand and show the nation that we are just as equal. Many minorities have had to fight for their rights, and now it is our turn. I hope you will stand and join our fight for equality.

Enough rambling. Please watch this 2 minute video.

And if you are in town, there are a lot of great things happening besides the march. There is a great concert at my theatre on the eve of the march titled Music of Hope and Equality . There is also a reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, an Epilogue at the Lincoln Theatre that is FREE presented by Arena Stage on the 12th.

Two Weeks Until We March

We are two weeks away from the National Equality March in Washington DC so I wanted to repost this and hope that you all come out for the March. If you can’t make it there are many things happening around the country.

March with Us Posting

I have been waiting for a while to write this post, wondering what the angle was to tie it to theatre. True, the producers of HAIR on Broadway are canceling shows so their cast can come down for the march, but that has been blogged about. Then on Twitter I saw a video Broadway star Sutton Foster had made and I thought, “Perfect.”

The March I am talking about is the National Equality March that will take place in Washington D.C. and all over the nation on October 10th and 11th. This is so important to me. Being a gay man and not having equal rights is more than frustrating. A little more than a year ago I was the best man at my brother's wedding. I was moved by the obvious love and commitment they had for each other. I was so jealous that he had found his soul mate and that they were making that commitment to each other. I don’t want to force anything on a religion, but if a church does (and many do) want to marry a gay or lesbian couple, it should be able to happen. I should have the same rights that my brother has; to marry the person I love no matter what sex they are. On October 11th we will stand and show the nation that we are just as equal. Many minorities have had to fight for their rights, and now it is our turn. I hope you will stand and join our fight for equality.

Enough rambling.

Please watch this 2 minute video.Sutton Foster Video

And if you are in town, there are a lot of great things happening besides the march. There is a great concert at my theatre on the eve of the march titled Music of Hope and Equality . There is also a reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, an Epilogue at the Lincoln Theatre that is FREE presented by Arena Stage on the 12th.

March with Us

I have been waiting for a while to write this post, wondering what the angle was to tie it to theatre. True, the producers of HAIR on Broadway are canceling shows so their cast can come down for the march, but that has been blogged about. Then on Twitter I saw a video Broadway star Sutton Foster had made and I thought, “Perfect.”

The March I am talking about is the National Equality March that will take place in Washington D.C. and all over the nation on October 10th and 11th. This is so important to me. Being a gay man and not having equal rights is more than frustrating. A little more than a year ago I was the best man at my brother's wedding. I was moved by the obvious love and commitment they had for each other. I was so jealous that he had found his soul mate and that they were making that commitment to each other. I don’t want to force anything on a religion, but if a church does (and many do) want to marry a gay or lesbian couple, it should be able to happen. I should have the same rights that my brother has; to marry the person I love no matter what sex they are. On October 11th we will stand and show the nation that we are just as equal. Many minorities have had to fight for their rights, and now it is our turn. I hope you will stand and join our fight for equality.

Enough rambling. Please watch this 2 minute video.

Sutton Foster Video

And if you are in town, there are a lot of great things happening besides the march. There is a great concert at my theatre on the eve of the march titled Music of Hope and Equality . There is also a reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, an Epilogue at the Lincoln Theatre that is FREE presented by Arena Stage on the 12th.