Andrew Lippa's UNBREAKABLE to Make World Premiere in San Francisco

Following the international success of I Am Harvey Milk, the acclaimed and celebrated composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa returns to San Francisco's Nourse Theater (where I Am Harvey Milk had its world premiere) with another world premiere of an entirely new work: Unbreakable.

A musical chronology of the gay experience in America, Unbreakable begins in 1900 and brings its audience, decade-by-decade, up to present day. Unbreakable boasts original music and lyrics by Lippa, direction by Robert Kelley (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), and will feature the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (Dr. Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director & Conductor) with principals Mr. Lippa, Lisa Vroman, Britney Coleman, and Marcus Paige.

Unbreakable will play the Nourse Theater for three performances only: Friday, June 22 at 8:00 PM and Saturday, June 23 at 2:30 PM and 8:00 PM.

Spanning 120 years of history too long unsung, Unbreakable explores the gay experience in America through the words and music of celebrated composer and lyricist Andrew Lippa. Focusing on a curated selection of stories throughout American LGBTQ history - like Harvard's "Secret Court" of 1920, the life of transgender and gay activist Sylvia Rivera, The Lavender Scare, the remarkable work of Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, and others - Unbreakable is a heartrending and ultimately triumphant look at where we've been, what we've come through, and who we are today. Most of all, Unbreakable is a tribute to the perseverance and power of a people who would not be defeated and could not be broken.

In a statement, Mr. Lippa said, "Following up on the success of I Am Harvey Milk, I wanted to tackle something even larger. Taking my cue from playwright August Wilson, whose 10-play cycle chronicling the 20th Century African-American experience served as my inspiration, I decided take on the evolution of gay rights in America. Unbreakable is my musical tribute to the LGBTQ community - how we evolved, triumphed, suffered, and soared. It's also my lament for a world still full of bakers who won't bake for us, lawmakers who won't make for us, and conservative minds who won't wake for us. Unbreakable is not only a statement of how we have reacted in the past. It's a statement of how we must go forward."

Tickets for the world premiere of Unbreakable are available at www.sfgmc.org

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos