Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 3/22/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 11 March 22, 2010
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

The Fine Print

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: March 22-28, 2010

MON: 3/22: New York, NY: Talk Out Mondays. “The Tempermentals”, Off-Broadway’s play about the founders of The Mattachine Society, hosts experts in theatre and LGBT history. This week: authors Charles Kaiser and John Loughery. www.thetempermentals.com.

MON: 3/22: New York, NY: Sondheim 80, the Roundabout Theatre salues composer Stephen Sondheim on his 80th birthday with an all-star gala. www.roundabouttheatre.org.

MON: 3/22: Washington, DC: Terrence McNally: In Conversation. A panel about and featuring the out playwright and Zoe Caldwell, Audra McDonald, and Richard Thomas. www.kennedy-center.org.

TUE: 3/23: Boston, MA: Seth Rudetsky, Broadway veteran musical director and pianist and talk-show host, receives the SpeakEasy Stage Company honors. www.speakeasystage.com.

FRI-SUN: 3/26-3/28: New York, NY: Tenn99, non-stop, 24/07, 3-day weekend festival celebrating the works of gay playwright Tennessee Williams with Ellen Burstyn, Bobby Cannavale, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jesse L. Martin and more. www.labtheater.org.

Newsworthy:

Gay Couple marry at Ben & Jerry’s. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/03/gay-couple-to-marry-at-georgetown-ben-and-jerrys-today.html

Coming Out: Seniors are coming out later in life, according to a new study. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/03/15/Seniors_Reborn_Coming_Out_Later_in_Life/

Ranker.com ranks top 10 antigay activists who hook-up with gays. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/03/16/The_Top_10_Antigay_Activists_Who_Like_Gay_Hookups/


The Buzz (People Making News)

Jane Krakowski (“Ali McBeal”, “30 Rock”) and author, political strategist and civil rights activist David Mixner, will be among the recipients of the Point Foundation's Courage, Inspiration and Legend Awards. Point is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit.

Awards and Honors:

GLAAD Media Awards: New York City winners: http://www.glaad.org/Page.aspx?pid=1342

Finalists: 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards for outstanding LGBT literature: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/datastream/news/03/16/finalists-announced-for-the-22nd-annual-lambda-literary-awards/

In Memoriam:

The Rev. Robert Carter, who in the early 1970s was one of the first Roman Catholic priests in the country to come out, and who helped found the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, died on 2/22/10 at age 82. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/nyregion/15carter.html

Roverta Boen, the woman who opened the first gay bar in Northeast Florida, died recently at age 81. News4Jax.com reports: http://www.news4jax.com/news/22814994/detail.html

Photo Shoots and Video

Coming Out: Video: Coming Out in Middle School. From The Today Show: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/35814028#35814028

Coming Out in Transition: Susan Stanton transitioned from man to woman in 2007. CNN has produced a documentary about her transition called “Her Name Was Steven”. http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/10/her.name.was.steven/?hpt=Mid

Coming Out in Transition: Chaz Bono explains the transgender transition process to Anderson Cooper (via Towleroad): http://www.towleroad.com/2010/03/watch-anderson-cooper-talks-to-chaz-bono-about-transition.html

Features

Profile: Terrence McNally, the out playwright who has combined his love of opera and gay sensibility, is now the focus of a Kennedy Center Festival for his plays about opera. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/12/AR2010031200148.html

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Life in Three Acts. Bette Bourne stars in his autobiographical show about his life as a drag entertainment from his childhood in post-WW2 London to the present. Mark Ravenhill wrote the script. to 3/28/10. www.stannswarehouse.org.
***My Queer Youth. Phil Geoffrey Bond's solo performance piece, a humorous look at growing up queer in Farmland, USA. . to 3/28/10. 212 695 6909.
***Next Fall. Geoffrey Nauffts' provocative play about a gay couple; one partner is a devout Christian and the other is an atheist. www.nextfallbroadway.com
***The Pride. Hugh Dancy and Ben Whislaw are lovers in Alexi Kaye Campbell’s new drama about sexual identity. to 3/28/10. www.mcctheater.org
***The Tempermentals. Jon Maran's acclaimed drama about Harry Hay (Thomas Jay Ryan), designer Rudi Gernreich (Michael Urie of "Ugly Betty") and friends as they form The Mattachine Society before Stonewall. www.thetemperamentals.com
***Yank! An old fashioned musical gay love story chronicles the relationship between two WW2 servicemen long before "Don't-ask-don't-tell" was part of the national discussion. Bobby Steggert stars. to 4/04/10. www.yorktheatre.org

Elsewhere...

***Golden Age. Terrence McNally's drama about Donizetti set backstage at the premiere of his last opera "I Puritani". to 4/04/10. Washington, DC. www.kennedy-center.org.
***The Lisbon Traviata, Terrence McNally's story of opera queens and diva worship. Malcolm Gets and John Glover star. to 4/11/10. Washington, DC. www.kennedy-center.org.
***Master Class. Terrence McNally's portrait of opera diva Maria Callas. (played by Tyne Daly). to 4/18/10. Washington, DC. www.kennedy-center.org.
***The Phantom of the Oprah. The Gold Dust Orphans and Varla Jean Merman team up for outrageous gay comedy. to 3/28/10, Boston, MA. www.golddustorphans.com
***Streep Tease: An Evening of Meryl Streep Monologues performed by an All-Male Cast . to 4/24/10. Los Angeles, CA. www.bangstudio.com.

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***A Single Man. Tom Ford's debut film, an adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel, about a day in the life of a gay man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.
***8: The Mormon Proposition is a new documentary about the involvement of the Church of Latter Day Saints' involvement in the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Written and directed by Reed Cowan and narrated by Dustin Lance Black.
***Eyes Wide Open, two ultra-orthodox Chasidic Jews who fall in love in Israel. Aaron is a married, respected butcher; Ezri is a yeshiva student, who becomes Aaron’s apprentice who becomes something more.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on Steve McVicker's book about real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***Prodigal Sons, a film by TG film maker Kimberly Reed about her journey back to her home town and her reunion with an adopted brother. http://prodigalsonsfilm.com/

Out On Video & DVD

***An Englishman in New York. John Hurt as Quentin Crisp ("The Naked Civil Servant") as he becomes a celebrity. Also stars Cynthia Nixon, Denis O'Hare and Jonathan Tucker.
***Outrage. Kirby Dick's ("This Film is Not Yet Rated") documentary, a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to.
***Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. A stunning drama from out director Lee Daniels about an overweight, illiterate Harlem teen, pregnant with her second child, who is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.
***Show Business: The Road to Broadway. An incredible documentary about Broadway's 2003-04 season and four musicals: "Wicked", "Avenue Q"(gay puppets), "Caroline or Change" (Tony Kushner) and "Taboo" (Rosie O'Donnell).
***Word is Out. The 30th anniversary commemorative DVD of the famous documentary about LGBT identity. There’s a great trailer at the website. http://www.wordisoutmovie.com/

On TV Of Note: All times listed are ET. Check local listings for times in your area.

Resource:TV Gayed, GLAAD's Weekly Guide to What's LGBT on TV: Updated every Friday. www.glaad.org/tvgayed

***March: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***WED: 3/24: Opus Jazz, a documentary about Jerome Robbins’ 1958 jazz ballet “New York City Opus Jazz”. PBS. Great Performances. Check local listings. For the trailer: http://www.playbill.com/playblog/?p=5215
***THU: 3/25: Dame Edna co-hosts on “The View”. 11AM. ABC. Check local listings.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

3/29/10: Portland, OR: Bear to Make a Difference, a benefit for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Former Gov. Barbara Roberts and Portland entertainer Darcelle XV will receive the awards from Foundation co-founder Judy Shepard. www.matthewshepard.org

3/29/10: New York, NY: Talk Out Mondays. “The Tempermentals”, Off-Broadway’s play about the founders of The Mattachine Society, hosts experts in theatre and LGBT history. This week: actress Elizabeth Ashley and director Michael Wilson. www.thetempermentals.com.

3/31/10-4/04/10: Palm Springs, CA: The Dinah 2010. The women’s golf and party weekend. Featuring Meredith Baxter, Suzanne Westernhoefer, Ke$ha, and more. www.thedinah.com.

3/30/10-4/04/10: Breckenridge, CO: OutBoard. the annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org

4/11/10: New Haven, CT: AIDS Walk New Haven. www.aidswalknewhaven.org.

4/11/10: New York, NY: Broadway Bares: Solo Strips Broadway strips to benefit Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS at Splash. www.broadwaycares.org.

4/16/10: Nationwide: The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. www.dayofsilence.org/index.cfm

4/16/10-4/18/10: Buffalo, NY: Sh(out): Celebrating Self, Creating Community. The 2010 Northeast LGBT Conference. www.nelgbtc.com/buffalo

4/16/10-4/18/10: St. Paul, MN: The BECAUSE Conference. Bisexual Empowerment Conference: A Uniting, Supportive Experience. Hamline University. www.becauseconference.org.

4/16/10-4/22/10: San Diego, CA: FilmOut San Diego LGBT film festival. www.filmoutsandiego.com

4/17/10: Los Angeles, CA: 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards, recognizing and honoring media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. www.glaad.org/mediaawards

4/19/10: New York, NY: 4th Annual Male Beauty Pageant, to benefit the Ali Forney Center. Tovah Feldshush hosts. Broadway cast members representing their respective Broadway shows, competing for the title crown through talent, interview and swimsuit competitions. www.aliforneycenter.org/beauty

4/21/10: New York, NY: Sondheim on Sondheim LGBT Night. post-show reception after the Broadway musical with Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams. www.roundabouttheatre.org

4/23/10: College Park, MD: DC Queer Studies Symposium. 3rd annual program at the University of Maryland. www.lgbts.umd.edu/

4/23/10-5/02/10: Miami, FL: Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.MGLFF.com

4/26/10-5/02/10: Philadelphia, PA: Equality Forum. largest national and international & LGBT civil rights forum with 60+ programs, parties & special events. www.equalityforum.com

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Sondheim at 80


Stephen Sondheim, one of America’s Broadway legends, turns 80 on the 22nd. An out man, he’s included gay talent and gay characters in his works. A new revue of his music opens on Broadway soon (Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams star). To watch excerpts from Sondheim musicals: http://www.bluegobo.com/index.php

1. Question: Name this Sondheim musical about a conflicted possibly bisexual or gay bachelor who, at age 35, seeks commitment. Hint: In the most recent Broadway revival, the lead came out as bisexual in the Sunday New York Times. In the original cast, the lead was gay. Answer: Company. Larry Kert, the original star, was gay. Raul Esparza, the most recent star, came out in print.

2. Question: Name this Sondheim musical about two real-life brothers, one straight and one gay. The straight one was a hustler, gambler, producer and cokehead. The gay one designed Boca Raton. Answer: Road Show, previously called Bounce and Wiseguys, the story of Wilson and Addison Mizner. The song “You Are The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” is a marvellous duet for two gay men.

3. Question: Name this Sondheim musical, based on a true story about a mother of two vaudevillians, who in real life ran a lesbian boarding house after one daughter ran off with a boyfriend and the other became a star. It’s rumoured that the older daughter liked women. Answer: Gypsy, the story of Rose Hovick, and her daughters Louise (Gypsy Rose Lee) and June (June Havoc).

4. Question: Name this Sondheim backstage musical, choreographed by a bisexual man who created two more backstage musicals without Sondheim, one about Broadway and one about Motown. Answer: Follies, choreographed by Michael Bennett, who later created “A Chorus Line” and “Dreamgirls”.

5. Question: Name this Sondheim musical about crimes against political leaders. In its recent Broadway revival, it starred an out comic and an out TV sitcom star as real-life crimsters. Answer: Assassins, the story of real-life presidential killers. Mario Cantone and Neil Patrick Harris co-starred in the revival.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: The Big Announcement: Coming Out

k.d. Lang was the first person to come out in The Advocate. Sean Hayes was the most recent. Can you name some of these others ?

1. Question: Name this person who came out on Oprah in 1997.She later came out on a TV sitcom. Amongst LGBT rights people, her coming out "ranks, hands down, as the single most public exit in gay history".

2. Question: Name this person who came out in the Washington Star in 1975. He was the first professional athlete to open the closet door. The move impacted his career, but he’s a leading LGBT acitivst today.

3. Question: Name this beat poet (1919-1988), who may have been the first public figure to come out in America. In 1944, he published “The Homosexual in Society” in Politics. He was a contempoary of Alan Ginsburg and (supposedly) involved with Robert DiNiro’s father.

4. Question: Name this professional athlete who came out in a New York Times interview in 1981. The news has not hurt the career of this still active athlete and activist.

5. Question: Name these two actors who starred as a knight. One came out via his publicist as he was about to win a Tony Award for a subsequent play or musical. The second came out in People Magazine before heading to Broadway to replace the first.

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com. If you do not want your email address to appear in the blog format of this newsletter, please indicate that. http://cosnewsweekly.blogspot.com/