Theatre West Presents LOVE IS A JOURNEY: A Collection Of LGBTQ Shorts For Pride Month

Theatre West will present Love is a Journey: A Collection of LGBTQ Shorts in June for Gay Pride Month.

Theatre West presents its first-ever evening of LGBTQ-themed short plays and monologues. "Love is a Journey" explores the bond between longtime partners and the dedication of lifelong companions, the heat of erotic attraction and the intensity of platonic friendship. Six playwrights, eleven short plays and monologues, one unforgettable event.

Co-producer, Benjamin Scuglia, states, As a playwright and passionate theatre artist, I am committed to bringing LGBTQ voices and the stories of my community to the stage. When I realized Theatre West, where I am a member, had never produced an LGBTQ event, and with 2019 L.A. Pride quickly approaching, I saw an opportunity to put queer stories on our stage and to showcase our writing and acting talent. 'Love is a Journey' examines, tests and ultimately celebrates the bonds between long-term friends, committed partners and even strangers meeting for the first time.

Theatre West started in 1962 when 12 actors got together to create a LA workshop theatre so they could all work in an atmosphere that would support each other's individual growth as artists. They already had successful careers working in film and TV. They wanted a safe place to experiment, work, fail, learn and contribute.

The original members started meeting for workshop in a member's apartment. They created an artistic board and invited more members to join. The artistic board was designed to be voted in by the membership to guide the artistic integrity of the work. Since some of the founding members had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era, they made sure that artists would always be safe at Theatre West by building a company that ran by democratic rule, represented by an elected body that had the members' best interests at heart. Since they were already working, no one was out as LGBTQ. That would have cost one their job. You had to live a public straight life during the 60s in Hollywood. Being out was as bad as being blacklisted.

Love is a Journey: A Collection of LGBTQ Shorts is part of Theatre West's Then and Now campaign, celebrating the company's long history of its major contributions to American theatre while experimenting with new projects at the same time. You couldn't be out then, but you can be out now!

Written by Garry Kluger, Dina Morrone, Linda L. Rand, Benjamin Scuglia, Ashley Taylor and Michael Van Duzer.

Starring Riley Ray Baker, Neil Eliot, Deanna Gandy, Jill Jones, Zachary Luna, David Mingrino, Dina Morrone, Shae Popovich, Alan Schack, Benjamin Scuglia, Bill Sehres, Sheila Shaw, Ashley Taylor, Stephen Monroe Taylor, Tammy Taylor, Sandra Tucker, Michael Van Duzer.

Produced by Garry Kluger and Benjamin Scuglia.

Love is a Journey: A Collection of LGBTQ Shorts will run on June 2 at 2 pm and June 8 at 8 pm at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Tickets are pay what you want ($10 suggestion donation.) All proceeds benefit Theatre West. Parking in lot across the street for $5 cash. www.theatrewest.org. Box office 323-851-7977.

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