THE NIGHT LARRY KRAMER KISSED ME Will Be Streamed, Starring Anthony Rapp, Robin De Jesus & More!

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will sponsor a one-night-only streamed presentation of the archival video of the 2013 performance of THE NIGHT Larry Kramer KISSED ME to benefit Provincetown Theater.

The stream will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 7:00pm ET.

The one-night-only benefit performance of THE NIGHT Larry Kramer KISSED ME features an ensemble of talented actors taking on the story, including Drake, Brandon Cordeiro (Ribbons), three-time Tony Award nominee Robin De Jesús (The Boys in the Band), Tony Award winner André De Shields (Hadestown), Claybourne Elder (Company), Tony nominee Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon), Anthony Rapp (If/Then, Rent), Wesley Taylor (SpongeBob SquarePants), Chad Ryan (Chicago premiere of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me), Donald C. Shorter, Jr. (La Cage aux Folles national tour), Aaron Tone (BearCity 2) and Tony winner BD Wong (M. Butterfly).

Although this presentation will be streamed free of charge, all donations to Provincetown Theater are greatly appreciated, since regular theater operations have been cancelled until 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More information about donating can be found at the Provincetown Theater's website, www.ProvincetownTheater.org.

For its 20th anniversary in 2013, THE NIGHT Larry Kramer KISSED ME was re-imagined from a one-man show to one featuring an ensemble cast.

Actor, activist and current Artistic Director of Provincetown Theater, David Drake wrote THE NIGHT Larry Kramer KISSED ME in the early 1990s. After joining the activist group ACT UP, Drake began writing autobiographical monologues about the AIDS crisis that eventually became the one-man show about this critical point in American history.

First performed by Drake himself, who won an Obie for his work, the original off-Broadway run at the Perry Street Theatre was produced by Sean Strub and Tom Viola and became one of the longest-running solo shows in New York theatre history. There now have been nearly 100 productions worldwide and it's been translated into French, Portuguese, Spanish and Greek.

"As Larry Kramer was such a formative figure for me and several generations in the LGBTQ community, it seems absolutely appropriate to stream this virtual event as a salute to his towering legacy at the conclusion of Gay Pride Week on Sunday, June 28th," said Drake. "Indeed, I believe the activism inherent in the piece also provides a great gatherer of the current manner in which Gay Prides are being celebrated this year - by joining forces with the Black Lives Matter movement in the march for unequivocal equality."

"David Drake is a consummate artist and a dear friend," said Tom Viola, Executive Director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. "I have strong memories of joining Sean Strub to present David's acclaimed solo performance in June, '92. The play and David's exhilarating performance galvanized many to re-commit to action at the height of the AIDS epidemic, four long years before the advance of life-saving anti-viral treatments. The expanded 20th Anniversary benefit was a poignant look back at a heartbreaking time and a joyous celebration of activism and survival. I am thrilled that Broadway Cares can once again join David, this time in his creative revival and leadership of Provincetown's historic theatre. I know Larry would love this latest turn in the road we've all walked together for so long."

THE NIGHT Larry Kramer KISSED ME is directed by Tony nominee Robert La Fosse (Dancin', Jerome Robbins' Broadway).

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theater community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., providing lifesaving medication, healthy meals, counseling and emergency assistance.

About the Provincetown Theater: Founded in 1963 in Provincetown, MA, the Birthplace of American Theater, the Provincetown Theater is a year-round not-for-profit performing arts institution, owned and managed by the Provincetown Theater Foundation (PTF). A 501c3, each year from May through December the Provincetown Theater produces a full season of classic and contemporary American plays and musicals. During Cape Cod's "off-season" (January through April), artistic director David Drake guides an expansive roster of new play development programs, including the Provincetown Playwrights' Lab, the Provincetown Playwright Residency Program, and the three month-long "Winter Play Dates" new play reading series. In 2018 the PTF inaugurated the Provincetown American Playwright Award (PAPA) to honor a great living writer of the theater. Recipients have included Terrence McNally and Paula Vogel. The 2020 PAPA honoree will be Charles Busch.