Bay Street Theatre to Offer LGBT Receptions Before Shows, 6/7, 7/19 & 8/9

Bay Street Theatre has announced three special nights for the LGBT community to enjoy a reception prior to the three Mainstage performances on June 7, July 19, and August 9.

Enjoy a complimentary glass of red or white wine. The bar will also be open to purchase drinks. Tickets for the reception and performance are available by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500 or online at www.baystreet.org. The receptions are all at 7 pm.

The Mainstage season begins with the World Premiere of CONVICTION, a modern drama, which will run from now through June 15. The LGBT night will be held on Saturday, June 7. The play is written by Carey Crim and will be directed by Scott Schwartz. It will be produced in association with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Rubicon Theatre Company and Dead Posh Productions.

The cast includes Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope, 12 Years a Slave) as Tom; Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story, 12 Years a Slave) as his wife Leigh; Elizabeth Reaser (Twilight films, Second Stage's revival of How I Learned to Drive) as their friend Jayne; Brian Hutchison (Man and Boy, Looped) as her husband Bruce; and Daniel Burns (Twelfth Night, Shipwrecked!) as Tom and Leigh's son Nicholas.

CONVICTION tells the story of Tom Hodges, a charismatic, confident and caring teacher that students adore and parents admire. The smart, wise-cracking colleague with all the answers. The neighbor who takes care of the neighborhood. The perfect husband and father. But when a student accuses Tom of crossing a line, everything changes. This delicately balanced, beautifully nuanced new family drama digs deep beneath the surface of a happy suburban existence to explore the damage done when seeds of mistrust are planted. It asks the question -- How can we live with conviction when some questions cannot be answered?

For the second production, Richard Kind returns to Bay Street Theatre in TRAVESTIES, a Tony award winning comedy, which runs June 24-July 20. The LGBT reception will be held on Saturday, July 19. This Tom Stoppard classic will be directed by Gregory Boyd. Stoppard creates a smashing theatrical extravaganza with the wit of Oscar Wilde crashing headlong into song-and-dance, strip-tease, pie-fights, and brilliant wordplay. Set in 1917 and 1974 in Zurich, Switzerland, the play fantasizes how a British consul named Henry Carr (Richard Kind) encounters some of the most famous figures of the 20th century, including James Joyce, Tristan Tzara, and Lenin, through an amateur production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Stoppard takes on the role of the artist in society in this exuberant and freewheeling comedy about art and revolution that is as fresh and thought-provoking as it is uproarious.

The cast also includes Carson Elrod (Person of Interest and Peter and the Starcatcher), Michael Benz (The Tempest and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead), Aloysius Gigl, Julia Motyka (Off Broadway: We Got Issues,The Last Starfighter: the Musical; and Golden Ladder), and Emily Trask (Twelfth Night, and The Gaming Table).

The season culminates with the World Premiere of MY LIFE IS A MUSICAL, which runs July 29-August 31. The LGBT reception will be held on Saturday, August 9. The musical has book, music and lyrics by Adam Overett, music direction by Vadim Feichtner, and will be directed and choreographed by Marlo Hunter. Presented in association with Martin Platt, David Elliott, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino, and Patrick Blake.

MY LIFE IS A MUSICAL is about Parker, who isn't like anyone else. When Parker wakes up in the morning and leaves his apartment, he hears people singing, he sees people dancing - and no other person on earth knows this is happening. Because Parker's life is a musical. And Parker hates musicals. This world premiere features a tuneful new score by Adam Overett, and direction and choreography by Marlo Hunter, two rising stars of the musical theater. Follow Parker's journey, both hilarious and human, as he struggles to hide his predicament from the world, tries to save a rock band, is pursued by a mysterious blogger, and possibly even finds love along the way.

To purchase a ticket for the LGBT reception, log on to www.baystreet.org or call the Box Office at 631-725-9500 everyday 11 am to showtime. For more information about Bay Street Theater log on to www.baystreet.org.

Bay Street Theater is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. We serve as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.

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