Auction to Benefit Crew Members During Strike

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Following the success of their first fundraising event earlier this month, The Union Solidarity Coalition is hosting an auction for further support and has just announced bidding will close August 5, 2023, at 4:00PM Pacific Time. All proceeds from the auction will go to the TUSC Fund of MPTF (Motion Picture and Television Fund), benefitting film crew members who are at risk of losing their healthcare due to the AMPTP’s refusal to compensate WGA members fairly for their labor and the work stoppage that has ensued.

Auction items range from collectibles like an autographed poster of “Spaceballs” by Mel Brooks and Abbi Jacobson’s blue bodycon dress from “Broad City,” to community and career-building experiences like script evaluations from the Blacklist and a virtual writing workshop with Amber Tamblyn, to hand-made crafts by Seth Rogen, Lena Dunham and Justine Bateman. A curated New York dining experience by Succession’s Nicholas Braun aka “Cousin Greg” is up for grabs, as well as in-person meet-ups with celebrities, including eating corn dogs with “Fleabag” and “Stranger Things” Brett Gelman, and a private hang with Woody Harrelson. The lucky bidder on the latter will have two location options: Harrelson’s West Hollywood dispensary The Woods or his soon-to-be-open bar next door, Holy Water.

All items are one of a kind! This portion of TUSC’s celebrity auction closes August 5th. A new collection of art, collectibles, and personalized celebrity experiences will launch later in the month.

TUSC is partnering with MPTF and its EHIS (Entertainment Health Insurance Solutions). MPTF and EHIS will talk directly to members in need, and get them signed up for the health plan that best suits their needs. The TUSC fund will then pay the premiums to make sure that everyone in our industry has access to high quality healthcare no matter what.

Items available for bidding can be found at: https://givebutter.com/c/TUSCauction/auction

For more information on TUSC, please visit: https://www.tusctogether.com

Events for August

Cloudy Bay Hosts Exquisite Hamptons Moment

March Film Openings

Amazing Acting and Directing Seen In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

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I first met Jaime Lozano in 2016 when he presented Children of Salt to the New York Musical Festival. I also was introduced to Florencia Cuenca (Desaparecidas), his wife, who is one of the most emotional connected singers I have ever met. Her singing is effortless as is her vocal range. On September 7, at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts they previewed ¡Viva La Vida! Songs from Frida, The Musical, a new Broadway musical-in-development on the life of the trailblazing Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. There is a workshop production this year with a Broadway premiere scheduled for 2024. The show has lyrics by Obie-winning playwright Neena Beber and music and Spanish lyrics by the Lozano. Florencia sang one of Frida’s songs and brought down the house.

I also met Mauricio Martínez (On Your Feet!) who debuted one of Diego Rivera’s songs, which was truly heartbreaking. The lyric’s were taken from Rivera’s own words.

Florencia also sang one of the songs from El Otro Oz, a bilingual musical by Mando Alvarado, Tommy Newman, and Jaime Lozano. This Mexican folk-infused musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz.

Playing the lead Dora, Mayelah Barrera from El Otro Oz, should be signed to a Disney contract.

Also performing were Robi Hager (Spring Awakening) and Shereen Pimentel (West Side Story)

and Krystina Alabado (Mean Girls)

This was Jaime’s second concert of his residency at the David Rubenstein Atrium to share stories and songs from his multiple projects as he prepares his upcoming album Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 2. The next concert is September 15th.

Tomorrow more from Florencia Cuenca, Mauricio Martínez, Matías De La Flor (Camelot), Marina Pires (On Your Feet!) and the Familia

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The American Playwriting Foundation (David Bar Katz, Founding Artistic Director) and Building for the Arts NY (David J. Roberts, President; Jeffrey A. Horwitz, Board Chair) have announced a new Relentless Award for Ten-Minute Plays, created to support WGA members who are unable to work due to the current strike. Open to all current WGA members, the Award will grant each of the six winning authors $10,000. Their plays will be performed in a special benefit performance at Theatre Row by Relentless Theater Company actors including Wayne Brady, Billy Crudup, Vincent D’Onofrio, Gina Gershon, Walton Goggins, Natasha Lyonne, Sam Rockwell, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Liev Schreiber, and Yul Vazquez. Five finalists will also be named and awarded $1,000 each. Picket Play judges include Tanya Barfield, Eric Bogosian, Aleshea Harris, and Lynn Nottage.The American Playwriting Foundation believes that the survival of writers is essential to our society and that writers deserve respect and support—financially and artistically. APF is committed to offering that support, and to celebrating writers’ relentless spirit and invaluable creative contributions to American life.“Many WGA members began their careers as playwrights,” commented American Playwriting Foundation Artistic Director David Bar Katz. “The Relentless Award, the largest cash prize in theater, was created for the specific purpose of supporting playwrights so that writing for TV and film wouldn’t be their only option if they wanted to eat and pay rent. But during this time, when those avenues have been closed to them, the American Playwriting Foundation – the theater community, the first artistic home to many of these artists – is here for them and has their backs.”Submissions will be open now through September 5, 2023. Plays should be no longer than 15 pages and should be written specifically for this award. The required topic/theme of the plays is ‘Picketing/Striking.’ For full play submission guidelines, please visit https://theatrerow.submittable.com/submit/268258/the-2023-relentless-award-ten-minute-picket-plays.Submission dates for the Relentless Award for full-length plays will be announced this fall.The American Playwriting Foundation, established in honor of Philip Seymour Hoffman and his relentless pursuit of truth in the theater, has presented the Relentless Award annually to a playwright in recognition of a new work. In its mere eight years, the Relentless Award has become one of the most impactful awards in theater, launching some of theater’s brightest new artists who are revitalizing the American stage: Obie Award-winner and Pulitzer finalist Aleshea Harris, whose plays have been produced non-stop since her Relentless win; Clare Barron, whose winning play Dance Nation went on to become a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize; Harrison David Rivers, whose play The Bandaged Place was produced at Roundabout Theatre Company; and Sarah DeLappe, whose play The Wolves, with over 500 productions, has become one of the most produced plays of the last decade.Building for the Arts NY (BFA) expands access to the performing arts by providing creative space, learning opportunities, and hubs for artistic connection. BFA’s signature programs – Theatre Row, Music and the Brain, and the American Playwriting Foundation– nurture artists, audiences, and youth with a focus on accessibility and inclusion.

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Bombay Sapphire brought together all the elements to make a magical night in New York City this week.

Nearly one hundred invited guests joined at 1 Hotel’s The Osprey in Brooklyn on August 1 for a captivating event for Bombay Sapphire’s Locally Spirited Dinner Series. It was here that attendees were amongst the first in America to experience the collection of new, sustainably-sourced cocktails made in honor of qualities that help appreciate and better understand our balance with nature and mankind.

The incredible night made a perfect moment for reflective speeches from industry innovators that were showcased during delicious cocktails and exquisite food pairings developed in spectacular menu by MasterChef Australia contestant and author of Dudefood, Chef Dan Churchill and Eater. Drinks of the night included the Daffodil Dew Spritz, a bubbly refresher bursting with notes of fresh strawberry and lime that is perfect for celebrating spritz season, and the North Fork Vesper, a take on the classic martini.

Inspired by the certified sustainable 10 botanicals that make up Bombay Sapphire – like juniper, lemon, and angelica, the Locally Spirited series is a moment to reflect on the sourcing and impact of food and beverage consumption, as well as spearhead conscious innovations for the future.

“We are that blue bottle that everybody knows, but there’s a lot more to it underneath the surface,” Bombay Sapphire’s National Brand Ambassador, Ryan Wainwright, enthusiastically stated during the event as he reflected on the fantastic work the brand is doing in the current market.

Crafted with ingredients that are entirely sustainably sourced and prepared are now available in some of New York’s hottest bars and restaurants for the season for the public to experience.

Head over to the 1 Hotel today to experience your own inspirational cocktail or make stops at these other fantastic locations. For a more creative riff on the martini, look to the Excelsior at The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens at The Times Square EDITION which is named in honor of its local ingredients from New York State and features flavors of rose and lemon for a seasonal tang. With savory cocktails trending all year long, Bell Book & Candle’s Up on the Roof is a tipple for cocktail experimentalists to try, due to its inclusion of tomatoes, egg white, and basil for a zesty bite in every sip. Finally, to complete a dinner with friends or family or to simply have a sweet treat in the form of libation, reach for the Watermelon by Olmsted, a sour and sweet concoction created with vermouth, verjus, and fresh watermelon.

Watermelon by Olmsted

Bombay Sapphire Gin

Dry Vermouth

Blanc Vermouth

VerjusClarified Watermelon Juice

Pickled Watermelon

Excelsior by The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens at The Times Square EDITION

Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru

Bombay Dry Gin

Dry Vermouth

Rose Water

Lemon Bitters

Lemon Twist

Up on the Roof by Bell Book & Candle

Bombay Sapphire

Heirloom Tomato Water

Lemon Juice

Simple Syrup

Egg White

Basil Leaf Garnish

Daffodil Dew Spritz by The Osprey

Bombay Sapphire Gin – Strawberry Infused

French Aromatized Wine

Dry Vermouth

Champagne

Lime

Strawberry

North Fork Vesper by The Osprey

Bombay Sapphire Gin

Vodka

Sauvignon Blanc

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G.H. Harding

GOT TO GO DISCO — (Via Deadline) Ian Bonhôte, director of 2018 doc McQueen and co-founder of Pulse Films, is heading to the dance floor for his latest documentary.

Bonhôte, who now runs Misfits Entertainment, has teamed with Queer Eye producer Scout Productions for docuseries Teardrops On The Dancefloor.

The series will take a look at the evolution of dance music from its early roots in 20th-century club culture through today’s pop culture.

It will offer a deep dive into the work of some of today’s most successful DJs and an exploration of their influences over fifty years of music, dancing and raving. Inspired by club culture stories curated by remix and dance music marketing executive Brad Mason LeBeau, the series will take a look at the cultural and historical context in which dance music was born and then grew.

Bonhôte also directed 2020’s Rising Phoenix and is working on an upcoming film about Christopher Reeve. Scout, meanwhile, has recently made docuseries Mer People for Netflix and The Secrets of Hillsong for FX and Hulu.

Rob Eric, Joel Chiodi, David Collins and Michael Williams serve as executive producers for Scout Productions; Dee Ryder serves as EP for Misfits Entertainment working alongside Bonhôte and Lizzie Gillett along with independent producer Brad Mason LeBeau.

“Scout Productions has a strong track record of producing quality documentary series,” said Bonhôte. “By marrying our creative styles to bring this history to life, I am confident that together we will bring forth a docuseries that not only highlights the importance of this story but also showcases the profound influence of dance culture on our collective consciousness.”

“There’s no better partner at this moment than Ian Bonhôte and the Misfits team to tell this decades-spanning saga as Scout Productions continues to expand our documentary division with critical, thought-provoking and diverse stories. Our commitment to storytelling with heart matched with Ian’s outstanding direction creates a match made on the dance floor. From Donna Summer to Daft Punk, we’re excited to dive into the cultural, social, and political impact dance music has made on our world,” added Joel Chiodi.

A long-overdue concept for sure. We’ve been aware of this for awhile but held back news on it.

Brad LeBeau

Brad LeBeau is mentioned in the press release but from what we know, he’s been the pivotal force behind this project. His Pro Motion marketing/promotion firm just celebrated their 40th anniversary (July 5) and LeBeau -who’s been a DJ himself at both Xenon and Magique- knows his stuff and his history. He’s promoted projects from the likes of Shakira; Diana Ross; Janet Jackson; Depeche Mode; Christina Aguilera and many more and has curated many of the recent remixes of classic records.

It’s always struck me as odd that the name-DJs from the 70’s and 80’s – who did exemplary remix work – have largely been ignored. Names like Shep Pettibone; Larry Levan; David Morales; Tom Moulton; Sharon White; Steve Thompson; John Robie; Arthur Baker; and Glenn Friscia, among others, have sadly been forgotten. Marquee-name like The Rolling Stones; Phil Collins and Philip Bailey; Rod Stewart ; U2; Bruce Springsteen; Smashing Pumpkins; Debbie Gibson; and INXS have utilized their talents.

Check out this article from Vehlinggo on the evolution of the remix: https://vehlinggo.com/2021/03/23/the-evolution-of-the-remix/

More on this story as it develops.

SHORT TAKES — Big new from Tulsa re Mark Bego’s forthcoming Joe Cocker bio – With a Lot of Help from His Friends (Yorkshire Publishing). Stay tuned … 42 years ago from this week, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles was the first music video to play on MTV. The channel debuted August 1, 1981 … Whatever happened to Crimshaw? …

Scott Shannon; Jim Kerr; and Tom Cuddy

30 years ago this week Z100 began their infamous worst-to-first climb to the top – in just 74 days no less with Scott Shannon driving the train. Check out this story from Inside Radio: https://www.insideradio.com/free/exclusive-radio-icons-scott-shannon-and-elvis-duran-talk-z100-morning-drive-and-taking-risks/article_01750496-49f7-11ed-8a72-970f73c8780a.html …

Lizzo

Was never a Lizzo fan; something always seemed a bit off to me. This week’s revelations were indeed a huge surprise for certain. Also, the comments from doc filmmaker Sophie Nahli Allison, about stepping away from her camp, certainly didn’t help either. Check out the story from Deadline: https://deadline.com/2023/08/sophia-nahli-allison-lizzo-documentary-exit-bad-behavior-1235453802/ …

Kjersti Lon

Talk about an overlooked classic. Kjertsi Long’s “Boys In Jersey.” Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxuHJ2wlnuI … Heavy metal mania on the Today Show Thursday. I honestly don’t recall another heavy metal outfit performing on the Today Show, although the Foo Fighters come to mind. Thursday was Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth performing. The song was great, but certainly not as memorable as several Van Halen tracks. Standing by was Wolfgang’s fiancee and his mom Valerie Bertinelli. Hey, it helps to have friends in high places … The recent news of Taylor Swift giving her tour-support personnel bonuses was terrific and mind-blowing at the same time. Truth be told, this is something that rarely happens in today’s world let alone the music-industry. Good for her. Bravo! .. We’re back mid-week, next week.

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Jodi Ritzen; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Larry Flick; Steve Leeds; Liam Davenport; Jordan Runtaugh; Joe Lynch; Deb Caponetta; Randy Klein; Steve Walter; Donnie Kehr; Terry Jastrow; Mark Bego; Kent and Laura Denmark; Mary Ruth; Alexis Petridis; Melinda Newman; Daryl Estrea; Roy Trakin; Melissa Davis; Jane Blunkell; Amealia Jo; and ZIGGY!

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The world’s longest-running queer theatre marks a milestone 45th anniversary with a dynamic slate of productions and programming. The 2023/24 season features an epic from the queer canon, stages two new works developed at Buddies, and welcomes two productions from the Prairies. The mainstage season is accompanied by festivals, guest company productions, and a special 45th-anniversary presentation series, alongside opportunities for artistic development, celebration, and creative community exchange.

I know for sure there are a number of shows on the slate for next season that frontmezzjunkies is super excited to see. That is for sure.

And as the neighbourhood surrounding the theatre continues to change, Buddiesalso remains a critical space for events hosted by local queer communities and is making building improvements to better fulfill that role.

Managing Director Daniel Carter, who has programmed the season, remarks, “Welcome to our 45th season. Our 2023/24 programming offers moments of reflection, celebration, and in some instances destruction as we look back to honour our queer histories and look ahead to forge new paths for our queer future. Familiar and new partnerships animate our season, showcasing not only the wealth of queer talent in Toronto but also highlighting enthralling stories and performances from across Canada.”

Kicking off the season is a groundwork redux and Buddies co-production in association with Obsidian Theatre: daniel jelani ellis’ speaking of sneaking, originally created in the Buddies Emerging Creators Unit and further developed through Why Not Theatre’s RISER project. A mash-up of dance, poetry, and pantomime that tracks the journey of young Ginnal to a place called “Foreign,” from Jamaica, the play is directed by d’bi young anitafrika, and was nominated for multiple Dora awards for its previous incarnation. Later in the fall, Buddies presents Albertan artist Tiffany Thomas’ The Rocky Mountain Special, a guitar-driven, one-woman highway opera taking the audience on a journey of self-discovery. The show will be paired with a different local band for each night of the run. In December, That Theatre Company stages Tony Kushner’s epic two-parter, Angels in America. Directed by Craig Pike, this timeless piece of theatre tackles the AIDS crisis head-on as New Yorkers grapple with life and death, love and sex, heaven and hell.

In the new year, Buddies welcomes back irreverent Winnipeg-based duoDasha Plett and Gislina Patterson with an anthology of works from their collective We Quit Theatre: i am your spaniel, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare by Gislina Patterson; 805-4821 (presented as a Google doc performance in 2021’s Queer, Far, Wherever You Are series); and Passion Play. The Rhubarb Festival returns for a 45th edition in February, fostering both artistic experimentation and international exchange. A production coming out of the residency program has its world premiere in March—Raf Antonio’s WHITE MUSCLE DADDY. A co-production with Pencil Kit Productions, supported by Charles Street Video, this fantasy-horror thriller uses projection art alongside performance to tell a chilling story of a vampiric predator, exploring the destructive impact of the white supremacist construct on queer desire.

While the building’s doors are always thrown open for the Queer Pride Festival in June, this year the festival atmosphere starts early with an eclectic 45th Anniversary Series, headlined by Vag Halen. Stay tuned for an assortment of one-off performances, readings, concerts, and parties in May, celebrating our histories and imagining the possible futures of this theatre and the communities who make it what it is.

Buddies also hosts, for the first time, The Toronto Fringe’s Next Stage Theatre Festival, with six shows ranging from sketch comedy to musical theatre landing in October. In the new year, the theatre welcomes back longtime guest company Theatre Rusticle, following 2020’s acclaimed adaptation of Midsummer NIght’s Dream. Allyson McMackon directs an adaptation ofThe Tempestin a physical piece that collides head-on with Shakespearean myth, magic, harsh history, and all the ways we make theatre.

Alongside its mainstage programming, Buddies continues its commitment to developing queer voices with programs like the Emerging Creators Unit; an emerging artist platform in QueerCab, curated by Julie Phan 潘家雯 ; and the return of The Disability Collective as Buddies’ Emerging Company-in-Residence. Residency artists Bilal Baig (Kainchee Lagaa, Jhooti), Celia Green (SOWWY), Julie Phan 潘家雯 (Never Walk Alone), and Heath V. Salazar (MARIPOSA) continue to develop their works with space and support from Buddies, and the legendary Bruce Dow joins the Seeding Work micro-residency to develop a new solo piece, A Funny Proposition, in collaboration with director Rob Kempson.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES + MAKING SPACE FOR CELEBRATION

As part of Buddies’ commitment to intergenerational programming, this year sees the launch of The Rainbow Seniors Project. This year-long program will be co-designed with leZlie lee kam and is dedicated to the artistic engagement of queer seniors, culminating in a Cabaret showcase to be presented as part of the annual Queer Pride Festival.

“The programming has had a huge impact on me because, as a rainbow senior, I feel that I am seen: my existence is acknowledged very specifically,” says previous Youth/Elders programming participant and co-facilitator lee kam. “It’s crucial that we continue doing this kind of work. We keep hearing that Rainbow Seniors have paved the way for queer and trans youth. We have, but we need to continue working together from an intergenerational and intersectional perspective.”

Over the summer, with renovations to the neighbouring Alexander Street Parkette blocking public access to the building, physical improvements are being made to the frontage and interior pathways of the building. These changes will increase access to Buddies’ physical space, and complement the complete renovation of the ante-chamber space and other accessibility improvements implemented over the last three years, including providing ramp access to both stages, acquiring hearing assist devices, installing more push-button-operated doors, and providing basic ASL training for front-facing staff.

Throughout the 2023-24 season, Buddies will continue to welcome parties, fundraisers, musicals, and more in Tallulah’s Cabaret.

A groundwork redux and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre production in association with Obsidian Theatrespeaking of sneaking

by daniel jelani ellisdirected by d’bi young anitafrika

September 19 – October 1, 2023

Ginnal is sure like never before: he must make it to Foreign. When he meets a Spider who sets him on the journey, Ginnal faces the cost of freedom.

Inspired by experiences of growing up queer in Jamaica and finding home in Canada, speaking of sneaking is a multidisciplinary mash-up of dance, poetry, and pantomime, where the archetypal Jamaican Ginnal and the mythical African Anansi meet.

First created in Buddies’ Emerging Creators Unit, and further developed with the Anitafrika Method for Why Not Theatre’s RISER (where it garnered five Dora nominations, including for outstanding production and outstanding new play), speaking of sneaking returns to the Buddies stage for a full production this fall.

daniel jelani ellis // creator, performer + producerd’bi.young anitafrika // dramaturg + directorFairy J // choreographerLexi Sproule // stage managerRachel Forbes // set + costume designerAndre du Toit // lighting designerStephon Smith // sound designer

The Next Stage Theatre FestivalPresented by Toronto Fringe

October 18-29, 2023

Experience the best in performing arts with the 16th Annual Next Stage Theatre Festival from October 18 to 29, 2023. The Toronto Fringe is delighted to be partnering with Buddies in this new chapter of Next Stage with six unique pieces by a dynamic set of artists covering dance, sketch comedy, music, and drama – all ready for their next stage.

Dance: Black in Canada (Shameka Blake and Artists in Motion)

Theatre: Bremen Town (Gregory Prest)

Sketch: Dead Parents Society – a dark sketch comedy revue (Shohana Sharmin)

Theatre: ECHO (Kole Durnford)

Musical Theatre: Guildwood (Braeden Soltys)

Theatre: Something in the Water (S.E. Grummett)

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presentsThe Rocky Mountain Special

by Tiffany Thomas

November 14-19, 2023

An elderly trans woman is haunted by her cringe-worthy younger self aboard the Rocky Mountain Special, a luxury coach from Calgary to Vancouver that she’s been riding for the last forty years.

A guitar-driven, one-woman musical tour-de-force about the quintessential Canadian urge to run from your past, The Rocky Mountain Special is a prayer for healing, a love letter to the lost kids of fragmented diasporas, and a playlist for the road-trip home.

Tiffany Thomas // Writer/Composer/Performer

Anna Dalgleish // Production Designer

A That Theatre Company production in association with Buddies in Bad Times

Theatre

Angels in America: a Gay Fantasia on National Themes

by Tony Kushner

directed by Craig Pike

November 23 – December 17, 2023

In a Reagan-era New York City beset by the AIDS crisis, a recently-diagnosed Prior struggles to make sense of his mystical visions and visitations, along the way colliding with friends, lovers, and a Mormon couple whose marriage is on the brink of falling apart.

At once sprawling and intimate, Angels in America weaves together religion, revolution, and queer (be)longing into an epic, two-part modern masterpiece that speaks to the indomitable human need for change.

That Theatre Company’s Craig Pike helms a new production of Tony Kushner’s seminal plays, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, revisiting a pivotal moment in our queer histories through a contemporary lens.

Jim Mezon // Roy CohnSoo Garay // The AngelChristine Horne // HarperBrenda Bazinet // HannahAllie Macdonald // PriorBen Sanders // LouisKaleb Alexander // BelizeWade Bogert O’Brien // Joe

Craig Pike // directorMichael Hart // stage managerBonnie Beecher // lighting designerSean Mulcahy // set designerMichelle Bohn // costume designerJohn Gzowski // sound designerSam Hale // assistant stage managerEmma Jo Conin // apprentice stage managementJeff Pybus // associate lighting designer

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presentsA We Quit Theatre Anthology

i am your spaniel, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare by Gislina Patterson / 805-4821 / Passion Play

by Dasha Plett and Gislina Patterson

January 16-21, 2024

A week of performances by We Quit Theatre and friends. Rituals for the discontented, diversions for the disenchanted, and a carnival for quitters! A conversation between trans best friends and lovers, and a sharing of the things they created, together and apart, in their basement apartments.

Last seen in a google doc performing an iteration of 805-4821 as part of Buddies’ Queer, Far, Wherever You Are series, Winnipeg-based duo We Quit Theatre takes over the Cabaret space with a collection of three works, including a trans coming out story made out of other stories; an errant lecture on Shakespearean text analysis; and a series of improvised erotic revisions of bible stories, immortalized to cassette tape live on stage.

This farewell performance of 805-4821 will be accompanied by a sharing of Sadie Berlin‘s Enchantment Island: This Alien Nation, a loose political exposé and response to We Quit Theatre’s piece.

A Theatre Rusticle productionThe Tempestby William Shakespeare adapted by the Companydirected by Allyson McMackon

January 18-28, 2024

Shakespeare meets Theatre Rusticle’s physical poetry once again in The Tempest. Their inimitable style cracks open the bard’s final play unearthing a story about freedom, love, and paths to truth. Told by five performers traversing 15 plus characters, Theatre Rusticle collides head-on with Shakespearean myth, magic, harsh history, and all the ways we make theatre.

The Company // Lindsay Anne Black, Brefny Caribou, Jill Goranson, Kelsi James, Brandon Kleiman, Beck Lloyd, Trinity Lloyd, Jessica Lutness, Allyson McMackon, Sarah O’Brien, Michelle Ramsay, Annie Tuma

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presentsThe Rhubarb Festival

February 2024

Back for its 45th year, Rhubarb transforms Buddies into a hotbed of experimentation, with artists challenging our notions of what art-making and art-watching can be. As Canada’s longest-running new works festival, Rhubarb is the place to encounter the most adventurous ideas in performance and to catch familiar and unfamiliar artists venturing into uncharted territory.

Buddies continues to strengthen international ties with Rhubarb’s curatorial performance network, fostering exchanges of artists and works between performance festivals around the globe.

https://buddiesinbadtimes.com/rhubarb

A Pencil Kit Productions and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre production, with the support of Charles Street Video

WHITE MUSCLE DADDYby Raf Antonioco-directed by Raf Antonio and Tricia Hagoriles

March 20-31, 2024

Soon after Jeremy Río clocks in for his first graveyard shift at an exclusive LA gym, he meets Eugene, a fitness influencer who seems to have the life of Jeremy’s dreams—one that’s double stuffed with money, muscles, and parties galore. What begins as an envious crush quickly morphs into an insatiable hunger that threatens to tear Jeremy’s life apart.

A cinematic theatre piece, WHITE MUSCLE DADDY uses projection art, live camera feed, and shadow play to spin a chilling yarn about the politics of queer desire.

Raf Antonio // playwrightRaf Antonio + Tricia Hagoriles // co-directorsKhanh Tudo // director of cinematographyClaren Grosz // producerNicole Eun-Ju Bell // projection designKeshia Palm // dramaturgy

Tickets & info: https://buddiesinbadtimes.com/season/2023-24/

For more go to frontmezzjunkies.com

Hamptons in Style at Jill Zarin’s Luxury Luncheon by Ticket2Events

My View: Isaac Mizrahi…If You Think You Know Him From QVC…..Think Again!

Float Factory’s Fantastic Summer with Star-Studded Influencers

The Glorious corner

Crisp & Green Brings Sizzles with Dazzling Menu to Brighten Up Your Lunch Options

Embrace The August Super Moon

Ken Fallin’s Broadway: Saying Good-Bye To Paul Reubens

The 42nd Annual Battery Dance Festival