PROUD OUT LOUD Comes to Theatre West in June

For its Third Annual Proud Out Loud celebration, Theatre West will present a weekend of programming honoring the achievements of five-time Tony Award winning playwright and librettist Terrence McNally (1938-2020).

On Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 8:00 p.m., Theatre West actors will present a an evening of readings from McNally's plays along with a few songs from some of the musicals for which he provided the librettos. We'll include readings from Master Class, The Lisbon Traviata, Some Men, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, The Perfect Ganesh, and a few surprises.

On Sunday, June 23 at 2:00 p.m., there will be a screening of the Emmy nominated American Masters documentary about McNally, Every Act of Life, produced, written, and directed by Theatre West member Jeff Kaufman. Following the screening, there will be a discussion and talkback.

Every Act of Life. Documentary/Biography. Written and directed by Jeff Kaufman. Produced by Kaufman and Marcia Ross. From The Orchard. (Color, 2018, USA, 93 minutes, not rated) Featuring F. Murray Abraham, Christine Baranski, Tyne Daly, Edie Falco, John Glover, Anthony Heald, Nathan Lane, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Rita Moreno. The life of Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally (Master Class, Ragtime): 60 years of groundbreaking plays and musicals, the struggle for LGBTQ rights, addiction and recovery, finding true love, and the relentless pursuit of inspiration.

The weekend's events are produced for Theatre West by Michael Van Duzer.

Admission for both events is free. Donations will be gratefully accepted.

Theatre West is located at 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. This is near Universal City, North Hollywood, and Studio City. There is a privately-operated parking lot across the street (fee required; credit card only). Phone: (323) 851-4839. Website: http://theatrewest.org

Established in 1962, Theatre West is celebrating its 62nd year as the oldest continually running professional theatre company in the city of Los Angeles. It is a membership collective of actors, playwrights, directors, and technicians. Theatre West's alumni members include Ray Bradbury, Beau Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Betty Garrett, Martin Landau, Lee Meriwether, Jack Nicholson, Carroll O'Connor, Sherwood Schwartz, Joyce Van Patten, and Paul Winfield. Theatre West has produced more than 300 plays and musicals. Of these plays, nearly 70% are original works developed in its workshops and many have led to Broadway, regional tours, and feature films including A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri; A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber; Our Man in Santiago by Mark Wilding that transferred to Off-Broadway in the Fall of 2022; and our co-production of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground that went to Broadway in 2023.. Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Peter Glenville Foundation, The Green Foundation, Kaplan-Loring Foundation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, and L.A. Parent Magazine.