As you can tell I have been pretty busy lately and not posting as regular as I would like. For this reason I am deeming it “Winter Break.” I am going to take a break and return refreshed. I will return on DECEMBER 28, 2009. Have a Happy Holiday!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”