Five screenplays with GLBT themes or characters have been named finalists in the first Great Gay Screenplay Contest sponsored by Pride Films and Plays, and will be performed as staged readings in the Great Gay Screenplay Weekend on November 20 and 21 at the Center on Halsted. PFP's Executive Director David Zak says "It has been a fantastic first year for this contest, and I know audiences will thoroughly enjoy getting to see these works performed live."
The staged readings are directed by Pride Films and Plays Artistic Associate John Nasca.
Tickets for each program are $10 or $5 for students or industry professionals. A Screenplay Weekend Pass may be purchased for $15. Tickets may be bought on line for Program A, Program B, or the weekend pass, or by calling 1 800 838 3006.Chris Mason Johnson, Writer-Director (Skirt) freelanced as a Script Analyst and Editor for Miramax, Dimension, Fine Line, ABC Family and Disney, and rose to the position of Head of Development at Open City Films in New York. In addition to Skirt, Johnson is developing Static, a psychological horror-sci-fi set in a small California town. He was a mentor in Film Independent's Project:Involve and has taught screenwriting at Amherst College and Rutgers.
Gary Polson (The Queen of Harts) is an active member of the LGBT community. Raised in the backdrop of small town religious conservatism, coming out was an adventure that continues to bring smiles along with some great writing material. Gary lives in Southern California with his partner and their twenty pound cat, Monster.
Kate Stayman-London, Writer (Skirt) is a current candidate for an MFA in Writing for Film and Television at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Her first solo screenplay, a baseball sex comedy called Slump Busters, was awarded the Frank R. Volpe Scholarship and the National Association of Theater Owners Scholarship. Stayman-London has strong roots in playwriting: at Amherst College, she studied with acclaimed playwright Connie Congdon, and she's currently writing the book for the next musical from this year's Ovation Award winner, Erin Kamler.
Writer / Director Louise Wadley (The Trouble with E) attended the National Film and Television School in London. Her short films have played at festivals around the world. Her screenplay She Sells Seashells by the Seashore is a semi-finalist in the 2010 Nicholl Fellowship Competition. She is aiming to shoot The Trouble with e in spring, 2011.
Founded in 2010 to foster excellence in great GLBT writing for the stage and screen, Pride Films and Plays links an international network of writers with professionals working in film and theater.Through readings, contests, classes, screenings and full Theater Productions, Pride Films and Plays engages artists and audiences in the full developmental process needed to make great artistic experiences. Great Gay Screenplay weekend is sponsored by Pride Films and Plays, Lampkin Music Group, the Queer Film Society, and Center on Halsted. For more information about the company, including details about the upcoming performances of the five finalists, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com.For tickets and information visit brownpapertickets.com or call 1800 838 3006.
The Great Gay Play Contest
We hope this will become an annual event that will benefit theater companies and audiences everywhere.
Find contest rules and submission materials here.His wonderful Corpus Christi is this Sunday at Mary's Attic, 5400 NortH Clark, at 6 p.m.
The most controversial and talked about play of the 1998 theatrical season begins: "We are going to tell you an old and familiar story."
But from that point on, nothing feels quite familiar again as McNally tells a story about Joshua, a gay man coming of age in Corpus Christi, Texas, that parallels the story of Jesus' birth, disciples, death, and resurrection in a remarkable and unforgettable evening that deals with love, faith, marriage and more.
Patrick Rybarczyk directs a cast which includes Jake Szczepaniak, John Highberger, Patrick Gannon, Beau Forbes, Lee Wichman, Scott Merchant, Steven Anderson, Spencer Davis, Tyler Dean, Justin LeClaire, Eric Casady, Nick Inzeo, and Frank Sawa.
Our Celebrity Host is Fausto Fernos.
For tickets call 1 800 838 3006 or go here.
And the very madcap comedy The Ritz is Sunday October 24 at Stage 773, 1225 W Belmont at 7 p.m.
John Nasca directs an exciting cast featuring Alexandra Billings, Michael McAssey, David Cerda, Ed Jones, Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, Michael Barr, Charles Berglund, Patrick Gannon, Eric Casady, Marie Clawson, Jonas Grey, Michael Hampton, Jonathan Helvey, Albert Huber, Nick Inzeo, Michael Korte, David Lipschultz, Jason Nykiel, Jeffrey Patrick Olson, Chad Ryan and Kevin Webb.
Our Celebrity Host is Honey West.
At the Ritz, the rates are low, the decor is rococo, and the clientele is congenial. Gaetano Proclo reasons this all-male bathhouse is the perfect place to hide from his murder-minded brother-in-law Carmine.
But what Gaetano and his fellow bathhouse patrons get is an exercise in wild, manic mayhem as he eludes "chubby chaser" Paul B. Price, entertainer Googie Gomez, and his wife Vivian. He also encounters The Ritz' gatekeeper Abe, habitué Chris, go-go-boys Tiger and Duff, detective Michael Brick, and his wife Vivian. The Ritz premiered in 1975.
Stage manager-Robert Hilliard, Assistant Director-Tiffany Nasca, Assistant Stage Manager-Christine Rivera, Hair & Make-up Design-Robert Hilliard, Graphic Design-Tiffany Nasca, Program Design-Michelle McKenzie-Voigt.
For tickets go here. or call 1800 838 3006.
Thanks to all the great actors and directors who worked on this series, and to Mr. McNally himself for sending his support along the way!
About Pride Films and Plays
Pride Films and Plays is dedicated to comprehending the history of great gay writing and fostering its excellence in new works for the stage and screen.
Pride Films and Plays, based in Chicago, links an international network of writers with professionals working in film and theater.Through readings, contests, classes, screenings and full Theater Productions, Pride Films and Plays engages artists and audiences in the full developmental process needed to make great artistic experiences.www.pridefilmsandplays.com
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