Celebration Theatre

This year we’re so excited to be participating in the One Institute’s Circa: Q***r Histories Festival with LA LGBT Center!
Join us for “Sticky Rice” by Boni Alvarez
Wednesday October 16th
Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre
Organized by Celebration Theatre

will take place during LGBTQ+ History Month during October at low or no cost to the public at locations all across Los Angeles County. Sign up to receive updates at circafestival.org.
More info: https://circafestival.org/
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You heard right, folks! The Grammy Award Winning Motown Legend Thelma Houston is our guest of honor at the Disco Ball Brunch for Celebration!

Join us Sunday, September 29th from 12-3p at Micky’s West Hollywood!

Tickets: celebrationtheatre.org/brunch

A Mississippi native, Thelma Houston is a dedicated music creator and philanthropist who started out in the 1960s performing gospel music with the Art Reynolds Singers. In 1967, Houston signed to Capitol Records (home of the Beatles, Nat King Cole, and Nancy Wilson), and had her first hit song with “Baby Mine.” Houston released her first solo album, Sunshower, on ABC Dunhill in 1969, which was written and produced by the legendary Jimmy Webb.

After this critically acclaimed debut, Houston signed with Motown Records. Always a pathbreaker, at Motown, she claimed the top of the pop, R&B, and dance charts with her signature rendition of "Don't Leave Me This Way." This Gold Record classic gave Houston the distinction of being the first solo female artist at Motown to win the GRAMMY Award for "Best R&B Female Vocal Performance."

In early 2020, Houston collaborated with Morrissey on "Bobby, Don't You Think They Know." Also released the same year was the dance single "Turn Your World Around" (Radikal Records) with Bimbo Jones. The song quickly rose on the Billboard Dance Charts to No. 7. As an artist who is always focused on creating, Houston teamed up once again with Jimmy Webb during the COVID-19 pandemic for the song called "Someone is Standing Outside." Recent shows include CBS's Motown 60: A GRAMMY Celebration. Houston’s performance brought down the house. She also recently performed on the BET special DJ Cassidy's Pass the Mic. During Black History Month in February, she was honored by the 2022 City of Los Angeles African American Heritage Month Program as a Living Legend—which she truly is.

Throughout the year, with appearances from Tokyo to Las Vegas to London and beyond, Houston continues to captivate audiences with her exhilarating performances and warm anecdotes. She continues to inspire new generations of artists with her vocal mastery, wit, and spirit of collaboration.

Houston is known for her charitable causes and tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS. In 2003, the City of West Hollywood proclaimed January 29 as "Thelma Houston Day." Houston has contributed her talents to numerous causes, including Divine Design for Project Angel Food, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and the Minority AIDS Project, to which she donated her $20,000 winnings from the TV show Hit Me Baby. She has been active with the NAACP and is a longtime supporter of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Executive Director, Richard Ayoub of Project Angel Food, "We have been fortunate to benefit from Thelma's support for many years and are truly grateful. It’s a testament to her artistry and ingenuity that she would create a way to bring us closer together during these troubled times and give."

May of 2024 finds Ms. Houston making it all the way into the Semi Finals of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” TV show.

For more information on Thelma Houston, please visit and connecThelma Houstonk: www.FaceBook.com/ThelmaHoustonOfficial
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Android version found via the link in our bio or on our website (who knew it takes 48-72hrs to populate on the Google Play Store search, not me!).

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Announcing our consultants for “Tales of the Transcestors” !

Stephanie Nohelani Teves (she/hers/‘oia) is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and S*xuality Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she teaches courses on Indigenous feminisms and q***r theory. Her articles have appeared in American Quarterly, the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, The Drama Review, and the International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, received the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral and Dissertation Fellowships, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University in 2017. Teves is the author of Defiant Indigeneity: The Politics of Hawaiian Performance (2018) and co-editor of Native Studies Keywords (2015). Most recently, Teves is the PI of the LGBTQ Kupuna Oral History Project and is a Lead Researcher on a National Science Foundation ADVANCE Catalyst grant. She lives with her ʻohana in Honouliuli, Oʻahu.

Kieran Duhl (they/she) is a Black Q***r, non-binary artist, scholar and writer. They work at the intersection of education and organizing, with a passion for Islam, Black Feminist theory and praxis, and community building. Their appointments currently include managing a program for first-year underrepresented college students at Ohio State University and a position as one of the 2024 Sarah Hegazi Fellows for Q***r Crescent. As a Muslim revert, finding Q***r Muslim community has proved to be an incredibly valuable and meaningful resource to Kieran, and they are looking forward to supporting Celebration Theatre in bringing to life and uplifting stories of Q***r/Trans ancestors. BA in Journalism and Black Studies from Ohio State University.

Emma Pauly (they/she) is a PhD student in UCLA’s Department of Classics whose work centers on the q***r and divine body in Greek tragedy and archaic poetry, with a broader interest in antiquity’s reception, translation, reworking, and reclamation through contemporary theater and performing arts. They have also worked as a dramaturg, translator, and performer, obtaining an MA from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s International Acting Programme. Their translation of Euripides’ Bacchae (the focus of much of their research) has been published in The Mercurian and received staged readings in venues such as the University of Chicago’s Rhetoric and Poetics Workshop. The most recent iteration of this work is on display at this summer’s Celtic Classical Conference in Cardiff, Wales.

Announcing our selected writers and creative team developing new works for “Tales of the Transcestors”:

Azad Namazie (they/them)
Azad Namazie (they/them) is delighted to write for their first theatrical production after spending many years writing speculative poetry. Azad is a trans Iranian-Chilean multimedia artist and archivist from Los Angeles, CA. Their writing has appeared in or is forthcoming at Q/A Poetry, Rust & Moth, About Place Journal, and Mizna Journal. Azad also recently curated a pre-show archival exhibition of photographs, posters, zines, and related ephemera for A Third Space and works at the BLKNWS LibraryCafé. .epub

Blaire Battle (they/she)
Blaire Battle(they/she) is overjoyed to be back at Celebration Theatre after their debut in Billy to His Friends. As a writer, Blaire has been a Screencraft semi-finalist for their TV pilots with long-time creative partner Graham C. King. They have also written and co-written several works with their production company, The Stranger Kind. These include the space fantasy webcomic Song of the Rainbow Sea, the q***r sci-fi rock opera Dreamverse, and the post-apocalyptic transgender radio play The Transient Bliss of Death by Fallout. Keep up with Blaire’s q***r multimedia chaos on ig .battle or follow on all platforms.

Kaila Tacazon (they/he)
Kaila Tacazon (they/he) is a Native Hawaiian and Southeast Asian theatermaker. He has previously written for Aeneid Theatre Company's original show, "So Glad You Called," and multiple 24-hour play festivals with Modern Minority Theatre Company. This year, they directed an all-q***r and trans A Midsummer Night's Dream with Thespihonest Theatre Company. In addition, they directed Lane St. Sebastian's original q***r tragedy, apokalupsis, for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. He is a graduate of USC's School of Dramatic Arts and works as a teaching theatre artist.

June Carryl (she/her), Writer Mentor:
June Carryl was raised in Denver and attended Brown University, where she studied Political Science and English Literature. Her plays include N*GGA B*TCH (developed at Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre and the Vagrancy), THE WRONGED PARTY (2022 IAMA Theatre's Shonda Rhimes Unsung Voices Commission), COLOSSUS (2023 Ojai Playwright's Conference, semi-finalist 2021 O'Neill Playwrights Conference), BLUE (2023 Scotsman First Fringe Award, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), FLORENCE & NORMANDIE (Playwrights Arena and UCLA Diversifying the Classics) and GIRL BLUE (developed at CTG L.A. Writer's Workshop). An actor as well, her theater credits include Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret (Celebration Theatre), Gerty Fail in Failure: A Love Story (Coeurage Theatre), the Nurse in Romeo & Juliet (A Noise Within), A.C.T's Insurrection: Holding History, Berkeley Repertory's Civil S*x and Thick Description's Venus. Film and Television credits include: “Kemba," "Y: the Last Man,” “Helstrom,” and “Mindhunter.”

Nico Pang (they/he), Director:
Nico Pang (they/he) is a trans-Cantonese writer, director, and theatre artist crafting stories for liberated futures. Nico's artistry explores themes of ancestry, q***r and trans love, healing, and the ways we make and unmake family. Their work has been featured nationwide at East West Players, American Repertory Theater, LA Get Down Festival, and other venues. Most recently, Nico assistant directed a gender-expansive revival of A New Brain (Celebration Theatre) and acted in the world premiere of A Third Space: The Trans Conversation Project (Hollywood Fringe Festival). As a playwright, Nico's plays include Moonbow (Hantext at East West Players) and My Body Is a Season (SpeakEasy Stage). A facilitator and educator, Nico has coached poetry slam teams, developed q***r youth programming, and led trainings in the reproductive justice and trans liberation movements. They are based in Los Angeles through Boston, New Jersey, and the Chinese diaspora. IG:

. ***rbusiness

A wonderful time had by all at last nights HFF Discovery Fringe at Fringe Central

HFF24 DISCOVER FRINGE ARTS INDUSTRY 

Panel: What’s Next After Fringe?
Panel (l-r)
Carly Barnhill -
Darren Lee Cole   
Brittney S.Wheeler
Mohammed Ojarigi -
Larry Laboe -    

 


   

We’re doing a PRIDE GIVEAWAY with some of our favorite q***r businesses and q***r focused events over on Instagram!
Swing on over to your insta app to enter!

Submit to our giveaway for a chance to win:
🏳️‍🌈 2 flex tickets to any Celebration performance for the 2024-2025 Season

🏳️‍🌈 A magazine from Feminist and LGBTQIA+ magazine of art, culture and feminism

🏳️‍🌈A hat from Gay Pride Apparel

🏳️‍🌈2 Tickets to the upcoming Ben Platt Concert at The Greek Theatre, July 20th - with special guest Brandy Clark.

🏳️‍🌈An arrangement from q***r woman owned Succ On This

🏳️‍🌈A pair of tickets to Bspokela’s film festival on July 17th, Short Stacks (open bar happy hour with pancakes, followed by a screening of short films, then a short Q&A with the filmmakers, and awards)

Here’s how you can enter the giveaway:
💕Follow all of the businesses and platforms involved, we check 😉 = 1 entry each







💕Comment with a ( q***r flag pride emoji) = 1 entry

💕Share this to your stories and tag us! = 1 entry

💕 Comment and tag a friend you’re taking with you to our shows and to see Ben Platt and Bspoke LA’s film fest event = 2 entries

💕The more entries you have, the more opportunities you get to win!

We will close the giveaway at midnight PST on Sunday, June 30th and announce the winner Monday, July 1st!

Happy Pride

We’re doing a PRIDE GIVEAWAY with some of our favorite q***r businesses and q***r focused events!

Prizes and how to enter will be announced tomorrow! 💕💕💕💕💕💕

***rbusiness 🌈 ***rartists

June means Pride, but at Celebration Theatre it’s also the end of our fiscal year. The live arts have gone through so much these past few years and we’d love your help to end ours strong. Our total funding goal in June is $15,000. Purchase one of our exclusive tees for $75 or more to show your support and your PRIDE!

These t-shirts, designed by company member David Adly Garcia (davidadlydesigns.com), are otherwise only available to company volunteers, staff, and board. But it can be yours, too, with your generous donation. The shirt front features Celebration’s dynamic logo, while the back illustration (with vintage 1960s flair, think Stonewall Era!) depicts theatre masks with a word cloud selected by our company members and highlighting our mission: Entertain. Inspire. Empower.

Net donation proceeds directly benefit Celebration Theatre’s General Fund to support operating costs for our LGBTQIA+ theatre programs. Please be as generous as you can. We need you and appreciate your participation to help us continue serving our community!
Link in the bio for more info!

Celebration Productions Corporation d/b/a Celebration Theatre is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law (EIN 82-1111453).

Our CT alums are the real MVPs of our events! Thank you, Michael, for working both last year and this year’s event!
💕

BILLY TO HIS FRIENDS
A Staged Reading

Written by Cassandra Rose (she/her)
Directed by L. Elleseg (they/them)
Produced by Nate Mathis (he/him) .mathis

Cast:
Mario Burrell (he/him) as Oliver “Billy” Sipple
Ethan Crenshaw (he/him) as Harvey Milk
Brooke Seguin (she/her) as Ensemble 1
Camila Camaleón (she/her/ella) .camaleon as Ensemble 2
June Carryl (she/her) as Ensemble 3
Tom Trudgeon (he/him) as Ensemble 4
John Colella (he/him) as Ensemble 5
Blaire Battle (they/she) .battle as Ensemble 6

Marine and war veteran Oliver Sipple, or “Billy” to his friends, stopped an assassin from killing President Gerald Ford in San Francisco on September 22nd, 1975. Two days later, Harvey Milk outed him as gay to the entire world. Years later, a diverse group of visitors at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco are compelled to share Billy’s story as a reminder of what being outed has cost us...both then and now.

Running Time: 90 Minutes, No Intermission

Tix: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=237857 (link in bio!)

Celebrating New Works (CNW) is Celebration’s long-running new play reading series designed to shine a light on new and emerging voices within the LGBTQ+ community and the stories about/for them.

Join us and this incredible cast for a reading of BILLY TO HIS FRIENDS, A Staged Reading.

Wednessday, May 22nd at 7:30 PM
Davidson/Valentini Theatre
Los Angeles LGBT Center - ticket link in bio!

Written by Cassandra Rose (she/her)
Directed by L. Elleseg (they/them)
Produced by Nate Mathis (he/him)

Mario Burrell (he/him) as Oliver “Billy” Sipple
Ethan Crenshaw (he/him) as Harvey Milk
Brooke Seguin (she/her) as Ensemble 1
Camila Camaleón (she/her/ella) as Ensemble 2
June Carryl (she/her) as Ensemble 3
Tom Trudgeon (he/him) as Ensemble 4
John Colella (he/him) as Ensemble 5
Blaire Battle (they/she) as Ensemble 6

Link for tickets:

app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=237857

Marine and war veteran Oliver Sipple, or “Billy” to his friends, stopped an assassin from killing President Gerald Ford in San Francisco on September 22nd, 1975. Two days later, Harvey Milk outed him as gay to the entire world. Years later, a diverse group of visitors at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco are compelled to share Billy’s story as a reminder of what being outed has cost us...both then and now.

BILLY TO HIS FRIENDS
A Staged Reading

Written by Cassandra Rose (she/her) Scripts by Cassandra Rose
Directed by L. Elleseg (they/them)
Produced by Nate Mathis (he/him) .mathis Nathaniel Mathis

Marine and war veteran Oliver Sipple, or "Billy" to his friends, stopped an assassin from killing President Gerald Ford in San Francisco on September 22nd, 1975. Two days later, Harvey Milk outed him as gay to the entire world. Years later, a diverse group of visitors at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco are compelled to share Billy's story as a reminder of what being outed has cost us...both then and now.

Cast:

Mario Burrell (he/him) as Oliver "Billy" Sipple
Ethan Crenshaw (he/him) as Harvey Milk
Brooke Seguin (she/her) as Ensemble 1
Camila Camaleón (she/her/ella) as Ensemble 2
June Carryl (she/her) as Ensemble 3
Tom Trudgeon (he/him) as Ensemble 4
John Colella (he/him) as Ensemble 5
Blaire Battle (they/she) as Ensemble 6

Running Time: 90 Minutes, No Intermission

Tix: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=237857 (link in bio!)

Celebrating New Works (CNW) is Celebration’s long-running new play reading series designed to shine a light on new and emerging voices within the LGBTQ+ community and the stories about/for them.

Tales of the Trancestors is an interpretive theatrical telling of TGNC (trans and gender non-conforming) stories across history. Often utilizing music, poetry, and one-acts, our artists bring to life the diverse experiences of those who came before us.

This year’s iteration and theme explores and uplifts untold folklore, narratives, mythologies, and deities where the subjects transcend gender. Our focus is on q***r joy in all of its forms.

Seeking 3 TGNC2S Writers for an extended, guided writing process that will result in a full production with actors in August at the Los Angeles LGBT Center co-directed by Dean Grosbard (he/him) and Nico Pang (they/them)! Established writer mentors and religious/cultural scholars will be involved. Actor casting will occur in July.

This is a paid offer.

Instructions:
· Submit a Headshot/Resume.

· Submit a 3-5 page (maximum) Writing Sample of your best work.

· Submit a 1-2 minute video telling us about you, detailing a historical TGNC2S religious, cultural, or spiritual narrative or deity you admire and how you would bring the story to life on stage.

Please apply at https://wkf.ms/4dqrkkR (link in bio)

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, May 24, 2024, 11:59pm

American Mariachi by José Cruz González — Latino Theater Co. at The LATC Latino Theater Company’s Jose Luis Valenzuela directs this big-hearted, feel-good comedy with live music about familia, amor and tradición. It’s the 1970s and women can’t be mariachis…or can they? Lucha spends her days caring for her mother and yearning for more. Defying expectations, Lucha...