On The Purple Circuit With Bill Kaiser Volume 11, Number 4 THE JEFFREY SOLOMON / MARJORIE CONN ISSUE Welcome to On the Purple Circuit! Our informal network exists to encourage, promote, and and Ragged Blade and Chris Jackson from St. Louis and the celebrate GLBQT Theatre and Performance throughout rest of the shows preceding my arrival. Again, I want to the world! congratulate Frank Barnhart for his achievement and for letting me become a part of it. The Festival will be back in This is The Jeffrey Solomon/Marjorie Conn Issue. They were 2004, so contact [email protected] Meanwhile, Frank is NYC two of the many stars that performed at The Columbus directing MEMBERS OF THE TRIBE and Dale Gregory is National Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival that I was able to directing THE EIGHT- THE REINDEER MONOLOGUES for attend part of in September. The entire Festival was ran with Act Out Productions in Columbus. a great degree of organization, professionalism, and community support. Kudos to Frank Barnhart and Act Out Sadly, I have some tragic losses to report. Pioneer Productions, publicist Dale Gregory, and their entire staff! playwright Sidney Morris has died in NYC. He was the author Truly this can be a model of how to run a festival of more than 50 plays including IF THIS ISN'T LOVE, and successfully. Audiences numbered more than 4,000 during many other wonderful plays some of which remain to be the ten-day festival with 24 productions to see. It was a feast produced. Arrangements for a memorial service are still of talent for the theatre patron! pending at this time. To honor Sidney, contributions can be sent to Zappalorti Society, 14 E 28 St., #1014, New York, NY It was a thrill to meet old and new friends of The Purple 10016-7464, or to The Actor's Fund or Broadway Cares, Circuit including: the fabulous Sky Gilbert and his Cabaret Equity Fights AIDS. However, more significantly, if you are a Company from Toronto; Chris Burnside from Richmond; producer, you can contact agent Francine L. Trevens at Naughty Austin Company; Dee Shepard from Reality [email protected] for brochures on his plays that are Theatre in Columbus; Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett available for production. TnT Classics also has other books and TAP-IT from Madison; Marjorie Conn, Jeffrey Solomon; including work of Jane Chambers, Robert Chesley, Arch among many others. Brown, Doric Wilson, and more. Sidney was a great supporter of The Purple Circuit and I will miss my visits with After seeing Marjorie and Jeffrey's solo shows and the other him greatly. fine productions I realized this is what theatre should be all about! Marjorie has a number of great shows of her own in Other losses include the passing of the great actor and addition to the show she performed in Columbus: Pat Bond’s humanitarian Michael Greer of FORTUNE AND MEN'S LORENA HICKOK & ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: A LOVE EYES and THE GAY DECEIVERS as well as stage, comedy STORY. This immensely talented woman is a mainstay in and cabaret. Michael was also a good friend of The Purple Provincetown with her Conn Artists organization and Circuit and ONE Institute & Archives in LA. ONE is tentatively performs in NYC and elsewhere during the off season. I urge planning a memorial service for him in early 2003. We are everyone to see her if ever you are within traveling distance trying to contact people close to him for assistance and of where she is performing. Three of her plays are available information. If anyone can help in that endeavor to remember in LOST LESBIAN LIVES, which you can get for $10 plus this fine man, contact me at 818-953-5096 or $1.50 per book by mail to Marjorie Conn, 476 Commercial [email protected] St, Provincetown, MA 02657. For booking information: contact Conn Artists at [email protected] or 508-487-2666. Also passing was our founding father Harry Hay. Harry was involved in the arts among his important political work in Jeffrey Solomon was also a revelation at The Festival with creating our community movement. Memorials were held in his talent and energy. Both his hilarious and heartfelt SANTA SF in November, and at ONE Institute in December. CLAUS IS COMING OUT and the equally poignant th MOTHER/SON were well received in Columbus. SANTA I also want to mention that it was the 5 anniversary on CLAUS won the coveted Purple Circuit Award for best show November 15 of Jim Kepner, the founder of the International of the Festival, which I'm sure was a hard choice, but a Gay & Lesbian Archives. He was a storyteller and historian popular one for the judges among so much talent and of the gay and lesbian movement. diversity of productions. Jeffrey is touring SANTA CLAUS to San Diego, LA, Philadelphia, and Washington DC in 2002. I will miss all of these dear men, as well as the men and He is available to tour to your city. Contact his producer Gary women who have died from HIV/AIDS, robbing our creative Shaffer at 732-286-3948 or [email protected] community of kindred spirits. We must do what we can to cherish and remember them and their achievements. Kudos I was sorry to miss Jade Esteban Estrada's ICONS, the to David Reid who handles AIDS Watch, a cable TV project dynamic comedian Karen Williams (who is on the Advisory remembering the names on World AIDS Day, Dec 1 each Board for The Performing Arts Collection at ONE Institute), year. www.aidswatch.org the people from DRAMA! in New Orleans, Jerry Rabushka Volume 11, No. 4 Page 1 Michael Kearns new play COMPLICATIONS is a drama with information is subject to change, and shows may be a backdrop of AIDS. He and Highways are to be commended extended. Remember to see a gay or lesbian show tonight. for presenting this edgy piece that reminds us so many years into this dreadful pandemic that it is still with us and the *After Dark by Steve Kluger. A warmhearted romantic people around the world. comedy of two lost souls who find each other in a diner at 4 am five days before Xmas, Actors' Theatre, Washington DC, On a happier note, I want to welcome a new theatre opened November 8, 2002. 800-494-8497 company to The Purple Circuit. The OUT Theatre in Long All That - solo show with lesbian actress Maria Richardson, Beach, Calif. has produced its first production on November Whitmore-Lindley Theatre, N. Hollywood, Calif., October- 3, 2002. Lesbian one-acts under the collective title TRUTH, November 2002. Entertainment, London, October 2002 TONI & ZENITH, an evening of art echoing life. Kudos and Almost Live from the Betty Ford Clinic with Michael West, “break legs” to Caitlin Crest and the rest of the company. the personification of comedy in this solo show of celebrity Check them out at [email protected] or pretensions and addictions, Douglas Fairbanks Theatre, www.theouttheatre.org NYC, October-November 2002 Altered Ego with Will Clark. Stories of love, sex, the gay Another positive development is the growth of Teatro porn industry and secret identities, Bailiwick Repertory, Berdache of Calgary, Alberta. They are doing great work Chicago and toured elsewhere, October 2002 since they formed a gay/lesbian theatre company in June *Amnesia by John Fishera bitchy music critic suddenly loses 2000. I am impressed with that and kudos to creative his gay identity and embarks on a journey into the straight directors Steve Gin and Larry Smith. You can reach them at world to find it! Theatre Rhinoceros, SF, opens January 16, [email protected] or 403-245-0127. 2003. 415-861-5079 *Aurora Borealis by Timm Holt. Facing old age in the gay There is so much information that sometimes I am community in New Orleans. DRAMA! New Orleans, opened overwhelmed and apologize for any omissions. I urge people November 22, 2002. [email protected] to send me information - especially for theatres and shows - *Backyard Fruit by Andy Corren. A new comedy set in you haven't read about here. I also need volunteer North Carolina. Sacred Fools Theater, LA, October 2002 corespondents in many parts of the country, especially in SF, Befriending Beau by David Gaard. A play about the empty Boston and New England, Atlanta, and other parts of the lives of three gay LA teens who have been abandoned by south. If you are interested, contact me. With all that has everyone but themselves. Chashama, NYC, September- been happening, The Directory of Venues has not been October 2002 updated. I hope to work on that project soon. Below the Belt by L. A. Butler. A gender-bent farce when a dyke wakes up with a penis and has to deal with the new Also, to our subscribers and friends, I thank you for all your equipment. Split.Id at Flight Theater, Hollywood, Sept. 2002 support. However, we will need more financial support to Benedictions by Judy Simpson Cook. A play about faith, continue the printed edition of OTPC in 2003. So please sexuality, family, loss and our common humanity. Winthrop subscribe, renew, or contribute now with a check payable to University, Rock Hill, SC, October 2002 "Bill Kaiser", 921 N. Naomi St., Burbank CA 91505. I am Bent by Martin Sherman. Off-Tryon Theatre Company, seriously considering having only the Web site edition Charlotte, NC, September 2002 [www.buddybuddy.com/pc.html] if I cannot receive more Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend by Richard Francis.