SPARKLE & CIRCULATE with JUSTIN SAYRE - the official monthly podcast of the International Order of Sodomites - has posted the seventh episode, which features an in-depth conversation with Carl Siciliano, founder of the Ali Forney Center, which provides shelter and services for homeless LGBT youth. The show is available on iTunes here. Every June, Sayre's event Night of a Thousand Judys honors Judy Garland for Pride and raises money for the organization. Carl explains how the center was formed, who Ali Forney was and the challenges they face with fundraising. The first six episodes of the show - featuring interviews with Randy Harrison, Michael Musto, Frank DeCaro, Kim David Smith, Jeffery Self and R&B legend Sarah Dash - are also available. SPARKLE & CIRCULATE is produced by Dan Fortune and Tyrus Emory.
SPARKLE & CIRCULATE is the online counterpart to The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed New York comedy/variety show. In addition to catching up the I.O.S. membership on news of the day, on the podcast Justin interviews performers, writers and other creative minds of our community.
Night of a Thousand Judys - the special all-star concert presentation of The Meeting* to benefit Ali Forney Center - will return for its fifth annual installment on June 1, 2015. The first four sold-out annual concerts featured the talents as R&B legends Martha Wash and Sarah Dash; jazz vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Jane Monheit and Jessica Molaskey & John Pizzarelli; singer/songwriters Nellie McKay and Erin McKeown; Broadway ladies Carolee Carmello, Jackie Hoffman, Tonya Pinkins and leading men Howard McGillin, Telly Leung, Rory O'Malley and Daniel Reichard; downtown stars Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett and Lady Rizo; nightlife fixtures Karen Mason, Maude Maggart and Karen Akers; and New York personalities Michael Musto, Austin Scarlett and Frank DeCaro, among many others. For more information, please visit www.AliForneyCenter.org.
The Meeting* will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, May 17 at 9:30 PM to celebrate The Scissor Sisters. The Meeting* has been called "delicious and delightfully droll" by The New York Post and "hilarious and sardonic" by The Village Voice. A story for Slate.com called the evening "so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight." The Fall 2014 season sold out after a New York Times "Arts & Leisure" piece ran last September. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director with special guests will be announced. The show, which enjoyed a successful run at the Broadway nightclub 54 Below, made its Los Angeles debut at the Bootleg Theater last year and recently returned to the venue on for an encore show. "The Gay Agenda" - the debut comedy album from Justin Sayre and The Meeting*- will be available this summer.
Justin Sayre and The Meeting* - known for a signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between - were named among the Top nightclub shows of 2013 by Time Out New York, and received the 2012 Bistro Award for "Comedy Artistry" and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance. Each month, the I.O.S gathers to honor an artist or a cultural work that is iconic to the gay community. Justin Sayre, the show's creator, writer and host, serves as the Chairman of the Board of the International Order of Sodomites and brings his singular wit to essential business of the day through such regular features such as "Letters to the Chairman" and "New Rulings from the Board."
Justin Sayre's video "The New Hanky Code" - taped last season at Joe's Pub - was a surprise online hit with over 60,000 views. It debuted on The Huffington Post and was picked up by several major outlets around the world. To keep up to do date with videos from recent shows, subscribe to the I.O.S. YouTube channel
JUSTIN SAYRE was described by Michael Musto in The Village Voice as "Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg." In a recent story for Edge New York, Steve Weinstein said "Comedian, raconteur, performing artist, gay rights activist and sexual outlaw: I'm not sure Justin Sayre is classifiable. The veteran performer is on his way to becoming a Downtown Manhattan institution along the lines of Charles Ludlum or Charles Busch." Justin is a child of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania who demonstrated a supernatural instinct for "camp" at an early age. With a voice straight out the MGM finishing school for girls, he moved to New York believing it was still 1947. He was terribly misinformed. As an actor, he has worked and studied with some of the finest professionals in the city. As a comedian, Sayre is regular guest at Homo-Comicus at the Gotham Comedy Club and contributing writer to "Murray Hill's ShowBiz" on MTVX. As a gay, Justin has excelled at scarf placement, devilish quips, and a healthy but firm love of the American musical. An evening of his short plays, Justin Sayre Is Alive and Well... Writing - called one of the "Top 10 Events on the New York Stage" by the New York Daily News - sold out two shows at Ars Nova in 2012. Sayre's play, The Click of the Lock, was a finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Conference and debuted at The Cherry Lane Theatre starring Randy Harrison. Sayre is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and Flavorwire, as well offering playful and witty love advice at The Date Report. His debut young adult novel will be released by Penguin Books in 2015. He is currently a staff writer for "2 Broke Girls" on CBS-TV and recently appeared opposite Lisa Kudrow on HBO's "The Comeback."
The Meeting* monthly events have featured popular guest stars such as Lea DeLaria, Tonya Pinkins, Robin Byrd, Marilyn Maye, Christian Campbell, Joe Iconis, Frank DeCaro, Lance Horne, Lady Rizo, Tituss Burgess, Kenny Mellman, Maude Maggart, Jack Ferver, Murray Hill, Jeffery Self, Cole Escola, Bridget Everett and more. Previous shows have paid tribute to singers such as Dolly Parton and Diana Ross; films like "Valley of the Dolls" and "Beaches"; actresses such as Bea Arthur and Molly Ringwald; as well as playwrights and filmmakers like Tennessee Williams and John Waters. According to Time Out New York, "The Meeting* has become a cult hit among a young, festive and culturally aware crowd. Sayre is an avatar of modern-retro cultivation."
Visit www.InternationalOrderofSodomites.com for more information.
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