Sandra Bernhard and More to Gather in Celebration of Mx Justin Vivian Bond

Iconic performer, writer, artist and activist Mx Justin VivIan Bond will close out an epic yearlong retrospective of v's 25 year career at Joe's Pub at The Public with a new show called The Golden Age of Justin VivIan Bond, September 7-10 at 9:00PM, and a tribute concert, Trans/Art/Family: The VIVification of NYC, on September 11 at 8:00PM. The VIVification of NYC will be a celebration of Mx Bond as well as a benefit for two organizations - Participant, Inc and The Gender & Family Project.

Tickets are available online for The Golden Age and The VIVification of NYC, by phone, 212-967-7555, and in-person at The Public Theater's Taub Box Office (425 Lafayette St @ Astor Place).

Beginning the week of celebration, Mx Bond will first lead The Golden Age of Justin VivIan Bond, a series of four shows, which will include many of v's original originals and a selection of covers. Each night will have a different set and feature a changing variety of special guests, friends and family. As the official flourish to end the year, Joe's Pub will host Trans/Art/Family: The VIVification of NYC, a one-night-only tribute to Mx Bond. A sparkling lineup of celebrity guests, artists, influencers and culture-makers - including Sandra Bernhard, Kate Bornstein, Kenny Mellman, Jack Ferver, Lance Horne and more - will pay homage to the creative contributions of, and the sense of community engendered by, the life and art of Mx Bond.

The tribute will benefit two non-profit organizations very dear to Mx Bond's heart. One is New York City gallery Participant, Inc, of which Mx Bond said, "Participant, Inc is one of the most cutting edge, artist-friendly and supportive downtown arts organizations around today. Run by the formidable Lia Gangitano, the gallery is, in my opinion, the most important link to the history of queer and subversive art currently in operation on the Lower East Side. One of the highlights of my creative life was being given a solo exhibition of my visual work at Participant, Inc in 2011."

The other is The Gender and Family Project, a special division of the Ackerman Institute for the Family that empowers youth, families and communities by providing gender affirmative services, training and research. Said Mx Bond, "If organizations such as the Gender & Family project had existed when I was younger, my life would probably have been much easier - certainly my family's would have."

Each of these events features music direction by Thomas Bartlett. Further guests for all events will be announced soon. The VIVification of NYC will be followed by an after-party DJ'ed by Sammy Jo.

This year of celebration began in September 2015 with the revival of Mx Bond's cabaret debut, Dixie McCall's Patterns for Living, the show that laid the groundwork for what became Kiki and Herb, and ultimately created the blueprint for every Mx Bond show to date. The year included reprisals of their other beloved repertory shows like Love is Crazy, Mx America and the long-awaited return of Mx Bond and Kenny Mellman's duo Kiki & Herb.

Mx Justin VivIan Bond is a writer, singer, painter, and performance artist. Mx Bond is the author of the Lambda Literary Award winning memoir TANGO: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels, published by The Feminist Press and Susie Says... a collaboration with Gina Garan (Powerhouse Books, 2012). V's debut CD Dendrpophile was self-released on WhimsyMusic in 2011 and was followed by Silver Wells in 2012. In 2011, v's art exhibition The Fall of the House of Whimsy was presented at Participant Inc.

Other notable works include starring as Warhol Superstar Jackie Curtis in Scott Wittman's production of Jukebox Jackie: Snatches of Jackie Curtis as part of La Mama E.T.C.'s 50 Anniversary Season, originating the role of Herculine Barbin in Kate Bornstein's groundbreaking play Hidden: A Gender, touring with the performance troupe The Big Art Group and appearing in John Cameron Mitchell's film Shortbus. Other films include Sunset Stories (2012), Imaginary Heroes (2004), and Fanci's Persuasion (1995).

Mx Bond is a recipient of The Ethyl Eichelberger Award, The Peter Reed Foundation Grant and The Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award for Performance Art/Theater, an Obie and a Bessie. Additionally, Mx Bond was nominated for a Tony for Kiki and Herb Alive On Broadway in 2007.

For tickets, go online at joespub.com call 10AM-7:00PM daily at 212-967-7555, or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC (Opens daily at 2PM). There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted.

Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. The organization also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians the resources and tools needed to develop original theater works. Commissioned artists have included Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett, Allen Toussaint and more. In 2011, the Pub received a top-to-bottom renovation, leading to improved sightlines, expanded seating capacity and a new menu from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually.

The Public Theater, under the leadership of Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. Celebrating his 10th anniversary season at The Public, Eustis has created new community-based initiatives designed to engage audiences like Public Lab, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Works, and a remount of the Mobile Unit. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from Emerging Writers Group and to the Public Forum series. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012 the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning Fun Home and Lin-Manuel Miranda's acclaimed American musical Hamilton, and Danai Gurira's Eclipsed featuring Lupita Nyong'o. The Public has received 47 Tony Awards, 168 Obie Awards, 52 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and five Pulitzer Prizes.

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