Last Chance to Join State Theatre NJ Online for Dueling Pianos!

Last Chance to Join Us for Our STNJ Pride Month Event! An Evening of Dueling Pianos with Nate Hopkins and Debbie Tjong

Hosted by Victoria Lace Thursday, June 17, at 7pm ET on Zoom Presented by Savage Pianos

Join us for our virtual Pride Month event on Zoom, with host Victoria Lace! Featuring an audience interactive dueling pianos performance (where you request the songs!), giveaways, special guest appearances, and more! Sign up for the event and you will automatically be entered to win a variety of fun prizes, including gift certificates to Fiddleheads Restaurant in Jamesburg or Robert's Florals in Highland Park, the Pride 2021 Everyone is Awesome LEGO® set, State Theatre swag, or State Theatre show tickets! Presented by State Theatre New Jersey's LGBTQ Community Engagement Committee.

About the Host Victoria Lace is a New York native with 34 years in the art of entertainment. She honed her craft first as a background dancer for well known drag entertainers before branching out on her own. Victoria also developed her skills impersonating such artists as Gladys Knight, Donna Summer, and Tina Turner. She has won pageants all across the country and has had film opportunities in To Wong Foo, Stonewall, and American Gangsters.

Your participation is a donation to State Theatre New Jersey’s Community Engagement programs. Donate What You Can—a minimum donation of $15 allows you to participate, larger donation amounts are greatly appreciated!

ONE-CLICK TO ORDER

Luna Stage and Out Montclair Present Gay History for Straight People!

Gay History for Straight People!

WHEN: 8:00pm on June 18
WHERE: Van Vleck House and Gardens, 21 Van Vleck St., Montclair
TICKETS

After 14 months of powerful virtual work, Luna Stage is thrilled to announce in-person, outdoor performances of BroadwayWorld Award-winner Will Nolan’s  Gay History for Straight People! The production is presented in association with Out Montclair to celebrate Pride month.

Seating is limited and social distancing will be observed at this adults-only performance featuring Nolan’s comedic alter ego Leola, “your new favorite Kelly Clarkson-worshipping, senior citizen, redneck lesbian.”

The show guides audiences through the complexities of the “LGBTQYMCA community as Leola calls it—everything from GAY to Z,” says Nolan. “Yes, you’re going to learn some gay history and you may need to unlearn some of the gay history Leola tries to teach, but more importantly, I hope audiences walk away feeling special.”

“Leola’s is a voice that encourages you to be yourself—flaws and all—and to be kind and to laugh,” Nolan adds. “Gay History for Straight People is about finding our strength to stand up and fight negativity with love...and the right shade of lipstick.”

“When we launched Out Montclair, we said it was going to be educational and fun and here those two things are coming together,” said Out Montclair Founder and President, Peter Yacobellis. “I’m so excited to help host the evening at the stunning Van Vleck House and Gardens and with our talented partners at Luna Stage. I think everyone is in for a treat and I can’t wait to enjoy the evening on a blanket under the stars.”

In addition to being named the 2020 Outstanding Cabaret Performer by BroadwayWorld, Leola has appeared across the country in fringe festivals, regional theaters, and at middle-aged birthday parties, winning the Long Island City Flying Solo Festival two years in a row. This year, Leola will emcee the first-ever Pride Parade in Leonia, New Jersey on June 5 and she will continue her residency at The Green Room 42 in New York City through 2021.

Gay History for Straight People was originally slated to open at Luna pre-pandemic in March of 2020 as the third production in Luna’s American Voices Series, which featured original solo shows in the regional theatre’s smaller space, Luna 2. The Series also featured Susan Hyon’s Soo Jin Pretty Nail (and more!) and Dipti Bramhandkar’s American Rookie.

Writer and performer Will Nolan lives in Northern New Jersey with his husband and son.

About Luna Stage

Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Firmly rooted in New Jersey's Valley Arts District—a crossroads of cultures—Luna brings our communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change.

The recipient of JerseyArts People’s Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in NJ for the past two years (2019 & 2020), Luna celebrates 10 years in its West Orange location this year. In addition to professional theatre productions on its MainStage and Luna 2, Luna offers classes for children and adults, opportunities for early-career and established theatre artists to develop new work, and has pivoted during the pandemic to offer a wide variety of free virtual programming.

About Out Montclair

Out Montclair is a nonprofit organization created to raise awareness and provide support and solidarity for the LGBTQIA+ community of Montclair. We offer educational and charitable activities and events to promote inclusivity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary and gender-fluid youth and adults. Additionally, we are a safe space where our community and our allies can come together and celebrate who we are. www.outmontclair.org

FOR PRIDE MONTH: This is Our Story: A Coming Out Anthology, June 17, 19, 25, 26

ABOUT THE SHOW

This is Our Story: A Coming Out Anthology examines and celebrates the experiences of LGBTQ+ people of diverse backgrounds before, during, and after coming out. 

Through the lens of real stories submitted by real people, playwrights Nicholas J. Clarey and Tommy Jamerson craft a series of vignettes, told through monologues, scenes, poems, and songs, to bring these stories, struggles, celebrations, and triumphs to life on the stage.

Masks and social distancing required at all performances 

This production contains mature content and adult language

June 17 & 19 OSPAC OUTDOOR THEATER  4 Boland Dr. West Orange, NJ 8:00pm 7:00pm  LGBTQ Owned Business, & Resource Fair   $10 at door only ONLINE TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE   WALK-UP ONLY  UNASSIGNED LAWN SEATING BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR MASKS REQUIRED

June 25 & 26 Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts  10 Durand Rd. Maplewood, NJ 8:00pm (and 3:00PM Matinee June 26) 7:00pm  LGBTQ Owned Business, & Resource Fair  (and 2:00PM on June 26)   $15 online $20 at door   INDOOR RESERVED ASSIGNED SEATING MASKS REQUIRED Purchase Tickets

Visit

interACT Theatre Productions

or

Pleasant Valley Productions

for more information

Starring

Arnold Buchiane

Laura Byrne

Ronnie D Carney

Jennifer James Davies

Lucien Edme

Hannah Harding

Maximillian Johnsson

Doreen Jones

Vikrant Lal

Lexy Lefkovits

Margaret Leone

Pierce V Lo

Kirsten Macaldo

Brielle Mcardle

Caitlyn Roper

Michael Schulz

Kayla Stewart

Jennifer Bobbi Suchan

Danny Viola

 DUELING PIANOS TO APPEAR @ STATE THEATRE NJ IN NEW BRUNSWICK

An Evening of Dueling Pianos with Nate Hopkins and Debbie Tjong STNJ Pride Month Event

Hosted by Victoria Lace Thu, June 17 at 7pm ET on Zoom Presented by Savage Pianos

Join us for our virtual Pride Month event on Zoom, with host Victoria Lace! Featuring an audience interactive dueling pianos performance (where you request the songs!), giveaways, special guest appearances, and more! Sign up for the event and you will automatically be entered to win a variety of fun prizes, including gift certificates to Fiddleheads Restaurant in Jamesburg or Robert's Florals in Highland Park, the Pride 2021 Everyone is Awesome LEGO® set, State Theatre swag, or State Theatre show tickets! Presented by State Theatre New Jersey's LGBTQ Community Engagement Committee.

About the Host Victoria Lace is a New York native with 34 years in the art of entertainment. She honed her craft first as a background dancer for well known drag entertainers before branching out on her own. Victoria also developed her skills impersonating such artists as Gladys Knight, Donna Summer, and Tina Turner. She has won pageants all across the country and has had film opportunities in To Wong Foo, Stonewall, and American Gangsters.

Your participation is a donation to State Theatre New Jersey’s Community Engagement programs.  Donate What You Can—a minimum donation of $15 allows you to participate, larger donation amounts are greatly appreciated! ONE CLICK TO ORDER Sponsored by Underwritten by TODD SHAMY AND JOEY GRINKLEY LINDA VAN DERVEER

Pan Asian Rep Announces Special Pride Week Virtual Event: "NuWorks 2020" June 27 - July 1

NuWorks 2020

WHEN: from June 27 – July 1, 2020
WHERE: YouTube—Each video will remain online for three days after the first viewing.
To make a reservation to view the videotaped presentations, please RSVP via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nuworks-2020-tickets-109688513296
A link will be sent when the presentations are posted online. 
Additional information is available on the Pan Asians Repertory Theatre website at www.panasianrep.org

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director), is proud to announce a special Pride Week Virtual Event: NuWorks 2020, an annual experimental series presenting self-created work from innovative artists exploring an eclectic range of genres and techniques using poetry, text, dance and music. Featuring new works by diverse artists Kandie Carle, Mikao Bo and Shigeko Sara Suga. NuWORKS 2020 is curated by playwrights Damon Chua (The Emperors Nightingale), Richard Chang (Citizen Wong), and Project Directors Ernest Abuba and Chongren Fan.

---

Schedule of Events

PROGRAM A

First Viewing Live on YouTube
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2020 AT 5:00PM
Available online through June 29, 2020

Osaki-San, William Gillett’s Gentleman Valet
by Kandie Carle

A poignant one-man drama based on the life of Yukitaka Osaki featuring Taku Hirai as Osaki-san, William Gillette's Gentleman Valet.

*

PROGRAM B

First Viewing Live on YouTube
SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020 AT 5:00PM
Available online through June 30, 2020

Inside Joke: A Solo Show From Hong Kong With Love
by Mikao Bo

Set in Hong Kong amid the current student protests and coronavirus scare, this one-man show is a slice of-life record of a man’s stay in the city featuring
Mikao Bo.

*

PROGRAM C

First Viewing Live on YouTube
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020 AT 5:00PM
Available online through July 1, 2020

Une Saison En Enfer – Selected Poetry by Arthur Rimbaud
Directed, Adapted and Performed by Shigeko Sara Suga

A love affair gone wrong – Arthur Rimbaud’s agony after being shot by his lover Verlaine and to be ostracized by the whole literary society in France.

The three-member cast features Shigeko Sara Suga, Dinh Doan and Zack Lusk.

NuWORKS 2020 is curated by playwrights Damon Chua (The Emperors Nightingale), Richard Chang (Citizen Wong), and Project Directors Ernest Abuba and Chongren Fan.

For additional information, please visit the website at www.panasianrep.org

---

Tisa Chang (Pan-Asian Founding Artistic Director) has led the company since inception, promoting stories seldom told and voices seldom heard. She has been a theatre professional for 6 decades as an actor, dancer, and director. Highlights include: 2015’s Sayonara; 2007’s The Joy Luck Club, iKwatz! The Tibetan Project, and Rashomon which was invited to Havana Theatre Festival in 2003. She has innovated premieres, in English and Mandarin Chinese, of the Peking opera, Return of the Phoenix, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. January 2021 she will helm the re-envisioning of the signature epic musical, Cambodia Agonistes, to honor he resilience and recovery of the Cambodian people and all who overcome tumultuous trauma.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, celebrating its 43rd Milestone Season, is the most veteran Asian American theatre company on the East Coast. Tisa Chang founded Pan Asian Rep in 1977 at Ellen Stewart’s La Mama ETC with the vision to promote equity and access that Asian Americans artists can equally follow, focusing on stories of probing social justice issues with distinctive Off-Broadway Productions, Tours, National Outreach, and Community Service. Mel Gussow of The New York Times described it as "A Stage for All the World of Asian –Americans” and wrote that “Before Pan Asian Rep, Asian Americans had severely limited opportunities in the theater....” The company has nurtured thousands of artists and is a “who-is-who” of Asian American theatre history, with notable alumni/ae:, Tina Chen, Philip Gotanda, Wai Ching Ho, David Henry Hwang, Daniel Dae Kim, Lucy Liu, Ron Nakahara, R.A. Shiomi, Lauren Yee, and Henry Yuk.

Pan Asian Rep Programs are made possible, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; City Council member Margaret Chin; and major support from the Shubert, NY Community Trust, Howard Gilman, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels, Lucille Lortel Foundations; and generous individuals.

JOCUNDA MUSIC, FILM & THEATRE PRESENTS “2ND CHANCE” by Anthony Fusco

The JOCUNDA MUSIC, FILM & THEATRE FESTIVAL Presents a Virtual Play Reading celebrating GAY PRIDE

2nd CHANCE
written and directed by Anthony Fusco

WHEN: SUNDAY, JUNE 28TH, @ 7 PM EDT (U.S. and Canada)
WHERE: Zoom
DONATION: $5.00. Proceeds will benefit the Riant Theatre.
Register in advance for this webinar
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar

Corey & Bryan try to rekindle the flame they once had between them after Corey’s attack in a gay bar. As they try to heal from their past issues and infidelities, they both reveal secrets that put their relationship to the test. They must decide if what’s left between them is worth a second chance.

The cast includes: LOGAN MARKS as Corey, DAVY RAPHAELY as Bryan, MARGO SINGALIESE as Angela, JAIME PINEIRO as Trevor and JASON ALEXANDER WILKS as Christopher.

To learn more about the JOCUNDA MUSIC, FILM & THEATRE FESTIVAL Click Here.

To submit your play for consideration for the Virtual Play Reading Series, Click Here.

To MAKE A DONATION: click here. Your donation helps us to continue to provide a platform for playwrights, actors and artists to share their work.

MOCA COOKS–PRIDE EDITION: Thunder Tea Rice with Chef Simpson Wong

[LIVE STREAM] MOCA COOKS–PRIDE EDITION Thunder Tea Rice with Chef Simpson Wong

WHEN: Friday, June 26, 2020 from 4:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M. EST WHERE: Zoom The event is FREE, but advance registration is required on ZOOM here or via ZOOM Webinar ID: 842-6824-4090. REGISTER HERE As MOCA stands against anti-Black violence and systemic racism, this week we are reminded that the Stonewall Riots that changed the narrative of LGBTQ+ rights across the United States started 51 years ago at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City, led by Marsha P. Johnson—a black, transgender activist—who is often cited as throwing the first brick that ignited that ground-shifting series of days in 1969. While we have marked milestones in the fight for civil liberties, from same-sex marriage to the most recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to protect LGBTQ+ workers against sex discrimination, many queer individuals are navigating greater risks to their health, safety, and livelihoods, remaining victimized by homophobia and transphobia. As we condemn the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, we must state #BLACKTRANSLIVESMATTER and say their names: Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, whose stories are ones that members of the LGBTQ+ community know too well. As Pride marches and celebrations have been moved online or canceled around the world, MOCA is unable to form a marching contingent with our community members this year to walk in the 2020 NYC Pride March. With this in mind, MOCA invites you to tune in this Friday to have an intimate chat with Chef Simpson Wong—proprietor of critically acclaimed restaurants such as Café Asean, Jefferson, and WONG. Chef Simpson will share stories about his incredible career as a proud queer Malaysian-Chinese American chef and teach you the art of cooking Thunder Tea Rice—a dish of Hakka origin is commonly found in hawker centers in South East Asia and Taiwan. This virtual class covers all the steps you need to make a delicious Pride-inspired rice bowl, one of Simpson’s most popular recipes. While the dish is cooking, Chef Simpson, who has inspired a generation of young Asian chefs, will talk about his experience as a successful chef and restaurateur. This cooking party is hosted by Chef Kian Lam Kho and Neil Wu-Gibbs, MOCA Chief of Staff. Please note that you will need to have your ingredients pre-measured and ready for the session. The ingredient list and detailed preparation steps will be accessible in a downloadable link in the registration email. About Simpson Wong As the chef and proprietor of critically acclaimed restaurants such as Café Asean, Jefferson, and WONG, Simpson Wong exemplifies the modern-day innovative chef who is adept at integrating his many global influences. A native of Malaysia with Chinese ancestry, Wong has lived, traveled and studied cuisine throughout Asia and Europe. A self-taught chef, Wong learned from the best culinary resource, his mother who prepared meals for his father’s timber company employees in Malaysia. They worked in remote reaches of the Borneo rainforest, where trips to the market were rare. His mother grew many of her own fruits, vegetables and herbs and she instilled in Wong an appreciation for fresh, organic produce while retaining clean, simple flavors that are a hallmark of his restaurants and dishes to this day. MOCA has not skipped a beat since its temporary closure in March. We've been converting our programs to online offerings and creating new digital content through multiple platforms, always free of charge—because history matters. We've been hit hard by the dramatic loss of income due to COVID-19. We hope you'll consider making a gift to become part of a continuing lifeline for MOCA. No amount is too little and we greatly appreciate your generosity. Your support will ensure the survival of MOCA which has been dealt many blows over the past months. Support MOCA During COVID-19