About Face Theatre To Host Anniversary Benefit To Kick Off 30th Season

About Face Theatre has announced plans for a 30th anniversary party and fundraiser on November 7 at Venue West in West Town.

The event will feature an awards presentation of AFT’s Leppen Leadership Awards honoring people and organizations advancing LGBTQ+ equity, and introduce the Brian Goodman Shooting Star Awards, honoring the legacy and individuals from the About Face Youth Theatre. A cocktail supper will be provided by J&L Catering.

“As someone who got their start at About Face Theatre many years ago, I have seen the immense impact that the company has had over the past 30 years - for queer individuals and for queer art,” states John Rooney, Chair of the Board of Directors. “I am extremely excited to celebrate the LGBTQ+ change makers that have built this company and to join in community with those bringing this work into the future. The work for LGBTQ+ equity remains vital and requires us all.”

About Face Theatre’s 30th Anniversary Party

Thirty & Thriving: Shaping Our Future

November 7, 2024 @ 6:00 – 9:00 pm

Venue West, 221 N Paulina St, Chicago

Tickets: $75 general admission

Parking: Complimentary parking available across the street from Venue West

Join About Face Theatre in celebrating thirty years of advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. The event will include tributes, performances, and the presentation of this year’s Leppen Leadership Awards and the new Brian Goodman Shooting Star Awards to recognize the legacy and individuals of the About Face Youth Theatre. The evening will also include a cash auction to support About Face Education Programs. A cocktail supper will be provided by J&L Catering.

Leppen Leadership Awards

About Face Theatre has been honoring community luminaries since 2001 with the Leppen Leadership Award, named for founding supporter Michael Leppen. Recipients of the Leppen Leadership Award are people and organizations that lead with creativity and purpose to advance LGBTQ+ equity. They demonstrate their leadership in different ways, but they all embody the values of About Face Theatre that are collaboration, care, equity, courage, sustainability, and joy. Past Leppen Leadership Award recipients have included Art Johnston and Pepe Peña, Affinity Community Services, Emmanuel Garcia, Precious Brady Davis, Jane M. Saks, and Windy City Media Group, among many others.

This year’s award recipients are Steven Soloman, Community Impact Officer at Howard Brown Health and Slo ‘Mo, a femme-founded and centered Chicago party project uniting LGBTQ+ people with joy generating events since 2011. Slo ‘Mo’s core team includes Kristen Kaza - Founder, Producer, Co-Host, Tristen Winfield - Co-Host, Hannah Viti/VITIGRRL - Resident DJ, Tari Rice/Icey Bby - Resident DJ, Darling Shear - Resident Performer, Choreographer, and Angelica Grace - Resident Performer

Brian Goodman Shooting Star Awards

Beginning this year, About Face Theatre is honoring alumni of the About Face Youth Theatre program with the inaugural Brian Goodman Shooting Star Award, named for one of the company’s founders. Brian Goodman was an actor and arts administrator who joined the organization’s staff as Company Manager in 1998 and became the first Director of Education Programs in 1999. Brian cared deeply about the health and success of LGBTQ+ youth and was instrumental in the development and growth of About Face Youth Theatre and its touring work throughout the region.

AFYT was founded in 1999 to engage with queer youth in theatre, activism, and leadership programs and to build community across generations. Within the next year, due to the national outcry over the murder of Matthew Shepard and the emergence of a new wave of LGBTQ+ youth organizing, the program quickly expanded into a year-round youth-led set of programs, including original play development, onsite workshops, leadership programs, and touring shows. About Face Education Programs continue to adapt and thrive today in collaboration with youth leaders from around the Chicagoland area.

The recipients of this new award are alumni of About Face Youth Theatre who have continued to be out front supporting LGBTQ+ equity, giving back to our community, and showing up for the next generation. This year’s recipients are Tony Alvarado-Rivera, Executive Director of Chicago Freedom School and Moisés Villada, Associate Director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Gender and Sexuality Center. 

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Leppen Leadership Awards

Steven Soloman is the Community Impact Officer at Howard Brown Health where he manages the volunteer program, Community Advisory Board and Vernita Gray Council for Philanthropy along with serving as the AIDS Run & Walk Team Captain. Prior to this role, he was the Senior Individual Giving Officer and supported the capital campaign to raise $19 million for construction of the new and expanded Halsted clinic and Broadway Youth Center. Howard Brown offers primary care, behavioral health, and social services at 8 locations across the city including Broadway Youth Center, regardless of ability to pay. He also served as the Manager of Individual Giving at Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ+ Center in the Midwest.

During his 11-year tenure at The Rotary Foundation, Steven served as the Senior Annual Giving Officer. He was responsible for orchestrating Dr. Jane Goodall’s participation at Rotary’s 100th International Convention and serving as the primary contact for Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Rotary World Peace Symposium in the UK. He became an honorary member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco-Castro which is Rotary’s first LGBTQ+ Rotary club and Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove which sponsored his Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. Steven earned a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management with a concentration in Fundraising Management from Spertus College in Chicago, a Certificate in Fundraising Management through the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Executive Scholar Certificate in Nonprofit Management with Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Slo ‘Mo is a femme-founded and centered Chicago party project uniting LGBTQ+ people with joy generating events since 2011. From club nights to concerts to comedy, Slo ‘Mo aims to create spaces that are affirming, intergenerational and uplift local queer creatives and community. With a soundtrack that elevates R&B, house, disco and funk of the past and present, with a strong focus on women-powered music, Slo ‘Mo evokes nostalgia and works to honor its musical and queer roots.

Slo ‘Mo was founded by legendary Chicago event producer Kristen Kaza in 2011 at famed Logan Square cocktail bar The Whistler in 2011 and has since grown into a pillar of queer community programming in Chicago. Its monthly party currently takes place at Avondale’s Sleeping Village for an audience of 500 and more. Slo ‘Mo also produces Old Gold, an all-vinyl daytime party for people over 30, and in 2022 launched the Queer Fam Pride Jam, an all-ages festival honoring LGBTQ+ families and kids. Slo ‘Mo regularly partners with brands and institutions like the City of Chicago, the MCA, Navy Pier, Steppenwolf, Nike, HBO and more to provide equitable and joyful entertainment for Chicago. More at slomoparty.com

Brian Goodman Shooting Star Awards 

Tony Alvarado-Rivera (all pronouns, interchangeably), lovingly known as La Tony began their queer organizing in high school at Morton East High School in Cicero through the Gay and Straight Alliance. In 2000, La Tony was the recipient of the Kasey Reese and Javier Barajas scholarship in recognition of their queer/Latine high school activism with GLSEN-Chicago and for their work with the About Face Youth Theatre. In partnership with longtime friend Emmanuel Garcia and the Association of Latino Men for Action (ALMA) they established the Alvarado/Garcia Scholarship to support graduating high school Latinx GBQ seniors. As a young queer, Tony was hired by the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association (OPALGA) to coordinate a social support group for recent arrival and Spanish-speaking gay, bi, and queer men focused on HIV/STI prevention. This led Tony to do HIV/STI prevention training and outreach during the early 2000’s. In 2004, Alvarado-Rivera worked on safer schools, organizing and training with Laura McAlpine and Mary Morten. They were a founding member of the Coalition for Education on Sexual Orientation (CESO), now known as the Alliance. As a young genderqueer Latine person, La Tony was welcomed with open arms by Amigas Latinas and became an honorary “Diamond Girl”, one of their most cherished moments. As a cultural organizer, La Tony worked with Orgullo En Acción to produce the Latin@ PRIDE Picnic (2007-2010) and was the Mistress of Ceremonies for several Chicago DYKE March rallies over the years. Tony along with Aurora Pineda founded and facilitated PFLAG en Español, a social support group for Spanish-speaking parents and families of LGBTQ people.

After a stint working with the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network - National, La Tony began their tenure at the Broadway Youth Center (BYC) where they developed an award-winning LGBTQ Mentor Program that fostered healthy relationships and intergenerational dialogue among the LGBTQ community. It was at the BYC where they honed their practice in the frameworks of anti-oppression, transformative justice, and harm reduction. Alvarado-Rivera, a youth worker who began youth work as a young person, is now the executive director of the Chicago Freedom School, an abolitionist organization that supports and builds with young Black and Latine youth across the city. At CFS, she continues to build with, learn from, and mentor Chicago’s radical youth of color.

In 2020, Alvarado-Rivera was recognized with the Leader for a New Chicago award by the Field and McCormick Foundation. They were on Mayor BranDon Johnson’s transition team with the Education subcommittee. They are included in the recent publication of Let This Radical You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba and Saving Our Own Lives: A Liberatory Practice of Harm Reduction by Shira Hassan. La Tony served as an advisor and on the board of directors for Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP), a brave environment for LGBTQI+ youth experiencing homelessness to heal and share their stories through performance (2011-2018).

Moisés Villada (He/Him/Él) is a Queer, Latino, first-generation college student, from an immigrant working class family, cancer survivor, born and raised in Chicago. He has been working at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) since 2007. For over 17 years, Moisés has served the GSC through multiple roles including program coordinator, assistant director, interim director and, currently, as associate director. In his tenure at UIC, Moisés has mentored and supported thousands of LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. He has facilitated many professional development workshops and training focused on gender and sexuality; coordinated and curated LGBTQIA+ cultural and educational programming including art exhibitions; served on various campus committees; and provided administrative support to the department.

Moisés was honored this past April of 2024 with the Distinguished Achievements in the Field Award from the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals. Moisés has a long history of working with LGBTQIA+ organizations in the city of Chicago and neighboring communities including being an alum of About Face Youth Theater (AFYT). He was an AFYT participant from 2003 – 2005. He was ensemble member in Up Until Now (2003), The Gift and Other Stories (2003), On the Record (2004), The Gift and Other Stories (2004), and The Home Project workshops (2005). Additionally, he was a Youth Leadership Council member (2004), cast in the AFT educational tour (2005), and worked as a part-time marketing assistant staff member at About Face for the 2006/07 theatre season.

In the community, Moisés has volunteered his time as a scholarship committee member for the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) (2011-2013); volunteered for Entre Familia: PFLAG En Español (2004-2006); was a featured participant in two exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum: Teen Chicago (2004) and Out in Chicago (2011-2012); and was a six-year board member of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance where he served as the Youth Committee liaison and Communications Committee member (2010-2016). Most recently, he was a board member of the Avondale Neighborhood Association (2017-2020).

As a dynamic public speaker and facilitator, he enjoys using his communication and outreach skills to amplify the experiences of people’s multiple, intersecting identities to create awareness and empowerment. He is especially passionate about mentoring Queer youth and preserving the histories of LGBTQIA+ BIPOC communities. Moisés earned his Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Communications degree from Roosevelt University and his Master of Science in Marketing degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

About Face Theatre programs advance LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. The year ahead features local and national partnerships to expand its impact and elevate LGBTQ+ voices. A new touring show about gender, consent, and healthy relationships and a national partnership elevating Black Trans Women playwrights kick off the year.

About Face’s 2024-2025 season will kick off with a special engagement two-weekend run of its next touring show, We Could Be in association with Rivendell Theatre. Building on the company’s 29 year history of touring new plays and education programs to schools, community organizations, conferences, and workplaces, We Could Be is currently available for bookings in 2025. In November, About Face will be a featured partner with Long Wharf Theatre of New Haven CT, for the 5th year of Black Trans Women at the Center, a new work development program and virtual play festival. 

“We are proud to enter our 30th anniversary season with partnerships and vibrant community events that serve our mission,” states Megan Carney, About Face Theatre’s Artistic Director. “We designed the season to expand our reach and offer different and meaningful ways to connect, grow, and create change together. We’re excited to be out and about during this landmark year.”

We Could Be

in association with Rivendell Theatre

Conceived by & Creative Producer by About Face Theatre Education Manager Dionne Addai

Written by Kirsten Baity and Teddy Thomas

Directed by Alyssa Vera Ramos

October 16-27, 2024 | Opening: Friday, October 18

Showtimes: Mon (10/21 only), Thurs & Fri @ 8:00pm, Sat @ 4:00pm & 8:00pm, Sun @ 6:00pm

at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N Ridge Ave, Chicago

What if building your identity, seeking out knowledge, and facing conflict felt more like… a video game? Join two siblings as they navigate their curiosities and needs around crushes, gender, and feeling safe and confident in their bodies. Though they’ll meet shame – and their own anxieties – along the way, a solid support system keeps them resourced on their journey … and that includes YOU! Incorporating true stories from Illinoisians of all ages, mindfulness practices for everyday life, and honest conversation, We Could Be is an interactive new play that asks: In a world where societal expectations lay out your path, do you dare to choose your own adventure?

Pay-what-you-can tickets are on sale through the About Face Theatre website and the Rivendell Theatre website and box office.

The short run will be followed by a tour. About Face Theatre began touring interactive theatre productions to schools in 1997 to open up dialogue about sexuality and gender with young people and their allies. We Could Be is the latest offering available for bookings by contacting About Face Theatre.

Black Trans Women at the Center: A Virtual New Play Festival

Co-produced by Long Wharf Theatre, The Theater Offensive, and Breaking the Binary Theatre, in partnership with About Face Theatre, National Queer Theater, and Portland Center Stage

Curated by Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Ensemble member Lady Dane Figueroa

Experience the electrifying creativity and visionary talent of Black trans women playwrights as they take center stage in a captivating digital showcase of new plays. Black Trans Women at the Center is part of Long Wharf Theatre’s 60th Anniversary Season. To honor this fifth round of new work, Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Ensemble member Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi and team established partnerships with other theatres to expand the reach of the festival and introduce new audiences to the power and artistry of these plays. In Chicago, About Face Theatre Artistic Director Megan Carney and Education Manager Dionne Addai participated in planning meetings with the Long Wharf team. They also read through four years of plays from the project along with this year’s new work. After that, they collaborated with Lady Dane to select two of the plays for production through About Face.

The festival will stream from November 18 - 20. About Face Theatre, in partnership with Brave Space Alliance, will present a watch party of select works on Wednesday, November 20. This watch party will be free and open to the public.

The season continues in 2025.

More information on the rest of About Face Theatre’s 30th anniversary season, including its third Re/Generation Studio and productions will be announced this fall.

About Face Theatre was founded in 1995 to address the lack of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer (LGBTQ+) voices in the American theatrical canon. The company has evolved and adapted in many ways while staying true to the core principles of producing remarkable new plays, offering groundbreaking educational and leadership programs for and with queer young people, and demonstrating an unwavering commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance.

In 1998, the company launched About Face Youth Theatre and other education programs to provide arts-based community building and resources for LGBTQ+ youth. The programs became nationally recognized and continue to build community and opportunities across generations. Education programs at About Face include original play development, onsite workshops and skill building, employment and leadership development, and touring shows. About Face has continued to adapt its educational programming over the years to meet the evolving needs of LGBTQ+ youth and their allies.

The company started the Leppen Leadership Awards in 2001. Named in honor of founding supporter and consultant Michael Leppen, award recipients are people and organizations that lead with creativity and purpose to advance LGBTQ+ equity. Over the years, Leppen Leadership Award recipients have included Affinity Community Services, Emmanuel Garcia, Precious Brady Davis, Jane M. Saks, Windy City Media Group, Art Johnston and Pepe Peña, Victor Salvo of the Legacy Project, and Gloria “Mama Gloria” Allen, among others.

The company works with nationally recognized and emerging artists. About Face has a strong track record of launching world premiere plays that have big impact and go on to successful productions around the country. The company’s inaugural season opened with an adaptation of the Jim Grimsley novel DREAM BOY, written by AFT founder Eric Rosen, that went on to enjoy productions in Atlanta, Chapel Hill, and San Francisco. In 2002, the company produced I AM MY OWN WIFE with Moises Kaufman and Doug Wright which became a Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning production and went on to international acclaim. Following its 2003 premiere with About Face, Patricia Kane’s lesbian musical PULP has been produced in San Diego, Boston, Madison, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. In 2004, Tectonic Theater Project and Steppenwolf Theatre Company formed a collaborative partnership with AFT to produce an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s ONE ARM, which advanced to an Off-Broadway run. AFT’s 2011 world premiere production of Philip Dawkins’s THE HOMOSEXUALS enjoyed great box office success in Chicago prior to full productions in Detroit, Raleigh-Durham, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Buffalo. In 2012, AFT premiered the holiday musical WE 3 LIZAS, which has since been seen in Richmond and Des Moines. In the same season, the company co-produced Paul Oakley Stovall’s IMMEDIATE FAMILY which then had a run in Houston as well as at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum in 2015. AFT’s 2016 world premiere of Philip Dawkins’s LE SWITCH was subsequently produced in Minneapolis and San Francisco. In the 2021-2022 season, AFT workshopped and produced THE MAGNOLIA BALLET, written by Terry Guest which enjoyed a year-long rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network. Through the years, multiple new plays created by ensembles in the About Face Youth Theatre have been adapted and toured throughout the region accounting for 50% of the company’s reach in audiences. As of the completion of the 2023-24 season, AFT has achieved 94 productions, including 52 world premieres.

About Face has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Jeff Awards, After Dark Awards, and recognitions from the Black Theater Alliance and the American Theatre Wing. The company has also received the Esteem Award for Artistic Expression from PrideIndex.com, Special Recognition Award from PFLAG National (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays National), the Illinois Theatre Association Award of Excellence in Professional Theatre, the Human Rights Campaign Community Equality Award, a Human First Award from Horizons Community Services, a Champions Award from Gay Games – Chicago, and Induction into City of Chicago’s LGBT Hall of Fame.

About Face Theatre advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. Learn more at aboutfacetheatre.com

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