As part of a changing tide across the U.S. towards tolerance and acceptance of LGBT people, the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and the Cream City Foundation will welcome the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) to Uihlein Hall on Sunday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. for a special production of it gets better, a co-production of Speak Theater Arts and the It Gets Better Project. The performance will be the culmination of a weeklong residency in Milwaukee area schools and community-wide outreach events that are focused on ending bullying and encouraging a conversation about LGBT rights and the climate for LGBT individuals in the community.
The it gets better production is a performing arts response to the difficult issue of bullying, one of the most challenging issues among today's young adults and adolescents. From February 25 through March 2, Milwaukee will become a place of thoughtful discourse and learning when the company artists will visit schools and facilitate community dialogue toward reducing bullying and helping to ensure that all young people grow up in a safe, supportive climate.
Community partners on the project currently include Associated Bank, Baird, Cream City Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Rockwell Automation and United Way.
The It Gets Better Project was founded in September 2010, when the first It Gets Better video was uploaded to YouTube, igniting a worldwide phenomenon. That video offered a desperately needed message of hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. It urged them to tough it out through the bullying and other challenges that confronted them in their teenage years, and described the positive future they could experience as adults. It told them that no matter how difficult things may be today, "it gets better." The team at the It Gets Better Project is thrilled to collaborate yet again with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles in bringing the It Gets Better message to the stage.
Tickets go on sale this Sunday, January 19 at 12:00 pm and are $20 for general public and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the Marcus Center Box Office located at 929 North Water Street, Downtown Milwaukee, by phone at 414.273.7206 or at MarcusCenter.org or Ticketmaster.com.
The Marcus Center is also looking for singers of all voice types to join in a special featured section of the performance. This will be a powerful collaboration between IGB company artists and community singers culminating in a critical on-stage performance in the it gets better production. Singers interested in participating may email our community choir coordinator Tim Ruf at Tim_ruf@sbcglobal.net.
To learn more about the performance and the week of activities visit: http://www.marcuscenter.org/show/it-gets-better/
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