Kimmel Center to Present IT GETS BETTER LIVE ON STAGE, 11/3-8

Kimmel Center brings the nationally recognized It Gets Better Project to Philadelphia, sharing the inspiring message of hope in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who have experienced and survived bullying. Through a weeklong residency of the It Gets Better Project, which begins on November 4, youth led panel discussions and free community events relay the message of hope and perseverance to LGBT youth who have been harassed in their schools and communities. The weeklong residency culminates with a ticketed event of It Gets Better live on stage - a transformative concert, video and narrative experience featuring the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles in Perelman Theater on Saturday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Since its inception in September 2010, when founding partners Dan Savage and Terry Miller launched the first it gets better video on YouTube, the It Gets Better Project has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Today, over 50,000 it gets better YouTube videos provide global support to the LBGT community.

With Speak Theater Arts' Liesel Reinhart at the helm as director and writer, It Gets Better live on stage is a powerful narrative show that incorporates dialogue and solo musical performances with more than 45 area community partners helping to spread a beacon of hope. It Gets Better touring company includes Jason Currie, Tyler Houston, Tod Macofsky, Mario Mosley, Sacha Sacket, andJoshua Skidmore. The finale performance features 125 member local community choir with Philadelphia Gay Man's Choir, Sister Cities, Voices of Pride, Rainbow Choral of Delaware, and Anna Crusis Philadelphia Woman's Choir.

"You Have More Friends Than You Know," a song featured in the It Gets Better tour, was performed by the cast of Glee in the spring of 2013. Visit kimmelcenter.org/itgetsbetter for more information.

The It Gets Better Project fame has reached international proportions over the past four years. Spurred to create the video after hearing about the suicide of a teen bullied because of his sexuality, Savage and Miller's project has been endorsed by a variety of celebrities as well as President Barack Obama. The duo released a book in 2011 entitled It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living.

"We've got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage; that it's just some inevitable part of growing up. It's not. We have an obligation to ensure that our schools are safe for all of our kids. And to every young person out there you need to know that if you're in trouble, there are caring adults who can help...the other thing you need to know is things will get better." -President Obama, it gets better video (October 2010)

Tickets for the live concert experience are available at $21 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Streets (open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Kimmel Center Members enjoy a 10% discount on this event with the Promo Code KCMEM1415.

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