Florida Agenda

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Rising Action Theatre founder, David Goldyn has stepped down as Producing Artistic Director and has been replaced with Andy Rogow. Rogow has been working at the theater as Producing Director since March of this year. Goldyn will remain on board as a consultant to the theater.

Goldyn founded Rising Action Theatre in 2006 with performances held at the nightclub Boom in Wilton Manors. A board of directors was formed and the Rising Action Theatre became a non-profit organization and moved to their own venue on Oakland Park Boulevard in 2008. Due to rising costs, the theater moved last year to the Sunshine Cathedral/MCC in Fort Lauderdale.

Rogow is well-known in the South Florida theatrical community. He is the former Artistic Director of the Hollywood Playhouse, which received many Carbonell and Curtain Up awards and nominations under his tenure. He is also a past-president of the Theater League of South Florida, having served on its Board of Directors for six years and founding the Producers Forum. For the past several years, he has worked as a freelance director.

Goldyn is moving on to pursue acting, teaching and producing interests in New York. He was involved in the Broadway Across America’s revival of last year’s “Promises, Promises” with Sean Hayes.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The Rising Action Theatre will be holding auditions for two fall productions: “As Bees in Honey Drown” and “Thrill Me” on Monday, July 11, from 7 to 10 p.m. and Wednesday, July 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with call backs to follow at 7:30 p.m. Auditioners should bring a headshot and resume and be prepared to read from a script. First time auditioners for Rising Action should prepare a two minute monolog. Plus, auditioners for “Thrill Me” should bring a 16-bar song and sheet music. The Music Director /accompanist will be present.

Shows and Cast Breakdowns:

“As Bees in Honey Drown”, a comedy by Douglas Carter Beane performing in September and October. Requires 3 men and 3 women: Evan Wyler (handsome young gay novelist in his late 20s – a witty, ambitious writer who just published his first successful book; Alexa Vere de Vere, a rich socialite woman of the world a self-described promoter of British rock stars an “Auntie Mame” in spirit and repartee, plus two additional men and women (attractive character actors and actresses who each play 3 to 5 roles).

“Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story,” a musical by Stephen Doglinoff, South Florida premiere performing in October and November. Requires 2 men: Nathan Leopold (at both ages 19 and 54) and Richard Loeb (age 19). Based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, the so-called “thrill killers” who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to commit “the perfect crime”. The story is told in flashbacks, beginning with a 1958 parole hearing.

The auditions and shows will be performed at the Rising Action Theatre, 1480 SW 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – The Rising Action Theatre presents Two Boys in Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night, from May 13 through June 12. The play was written by James Edward Parker, directed by Jerry Jensen and features Angel Perez and Nigel Revenge. Set in New York City in 1987, the play explores the sexual  etiquette of one-night stands and is  peppered with poignant, humorous and sly observations as its two boys yearn for a carefree time of days gone by. The audience becomes a “fly on the wall” as the couple expose secrets and yearning during their one-night fling. Please note that the play contains full-frontal nudity and has been critically acclaimed in New York City and London for its inherent truth of one-night stands.

Performances will be Fridays at  8 p.m.; Saturdays at 7:30 and 10 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. at the Rising Action Theatre, 1480 SW 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Individual shows are $35. Dinner and show packages (at either Old Heidelberg or Tropics Restaurant) are $60.

For info or tickets, visit www.risingactiontheatre.com or call (954) 561-2225.

Dough? A Dear!

Rising Action Theatre opened its doors in 2006, and Artistic Director and Producer David Goldyn is hopeful that local fans and supporters will open their wallets and check books to support local theater arts. Goldyn and his troupe are holding a fundraiser at The Manor Restaurant and Complex in Wilton Manors, with a theme that will tug at the lederhosen strings of the most jaded karaoke refugee. With actor David Leddick as Maria von Trapp, The Manor will host “The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long,” Friday April 29 and Saturday April 30 at 6:45 p.m. both evenings. Last summer, the restaurant/ lounge/nightclub/coffee bar that Paul and Bret built hosted gay comedienne and singer Lea DeLaria in a fundraiser for Goldyn and Rising Action: tickets then ranged from $39 to $59. This year, a more modest $15 gets you through the door (or bring five paying friends and get in free). Dress in costume as your favorite SoM character and you may win a prize (although Open for Business has concerns about the possibility of a Brown Shirt und Storm Trooper contingent strolling in from one of the local Levis-and-Leather bars – or worse, someone from NAMBLA sneaking in and belting out a chorus of “You Are Sixteen, Going On Seventeen”). Stay tuned.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

For the third year in a row, Dr. J. Michael Heider of Ultimate Smile Dental Center is the recipient of the U.S. Commerce Association’s (USCA) 2011 Best of Fort Lauderdale Award in the Dentists’ Office category. According to the Association, only 1-in-120 – less than 1% – of its 2011 Award honorees qualified to be Three-Time Award Winners. The USCA’s “Best of Local Business” Award Program is meant to recognize outstanding local businesses nationwide. The USCA identifies companies each year which have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category, and which enhance the positive image of small businesses through service to their customers and community. Next on their agenda: making people actually want to go to the dentist.

The Thais That Bind Us

Concerned about a hypothetical shortage of Far Eastern restaurants in the gayborhood and surrounding environs, Wilton Manors recently welcomed Tee Jay Thai Sushi to its pantheon of Thai eateries. The list (which is by no means exhaustive, and is not counting the literally dozens of Thai joints south of Sunrise, west of I-95, and north of Commercial) includes Siam Cuisine, Thai Bayshore, Sukhothai, Lemon Grass Asian Bistro, Heart Rock Sushi, and, of course, the venerable Galanga. Without the benefit of hard scientific data or empirical evidence to support or refute the hypothesis, Open for Business turned to the nation’s formerly highest-ranking LGBT elected official, former Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, to find out if there’s Something About Manao that makes gays Cuckoo for Khao Phat. “Not insofar as I know,” quoth His Honor. “On the other hand, who doesn’t like Thai?” Touché, Mr. Mayor.

Ride, Ride the White Pony

From our “Best First Date Idea of the Past Week” Department: This one from corn-fed KC-transplant Johnny (who made such an impression on your Kindly Scribe when we first met that I went through a plate glass window on the night he went back home), who relates that Brandon took him to Georgie’s Alibi this weekend to ride the mechanical bull the establishment had set up outside its main entrance (and, at 47 seconds, the aforementioned Midwesterner holds the record for longest fundament-in-the-saddle time). The novelty bottom-bruiser was set up in honor of the Florida Gay Rodeo Association’s (FGRA) Sunshine Stampede at Davie’s Bergeron Rodeo Arena, so, sadly, you can’t ride the bull on a regular basis – at least not in that way.

Quotable

“I pay my bills like a trained @#! ? &% pig.” Local drinking establishment proprietor during recent collections call.

If you’re Open for Business, you can contact Business Writer and Director of Sales, Cliff Dunn, with your story or press release at Business@Florida Agenda.com.

By MICHAEL FRENCH

Erin Pittleman stars in “Grey Gardens: The Musical”.

Photo: Courtesy, Rising Action Theatre

Ft. Lauderdale’s very own Rising Action Theatre’s production of the Grey Gardens: The Musical at the Sunshine Cathedral, offers a comically disturbing portrait of a mother and daughter’s’ relationship fraught with a paradox of emotions.

It is a “MUST SEE!”

Mother, Big Edie and daughter, Little Edie are iconic women — in an eccentric, precarious fashion — as the subjects of Albert and David Maysles’ documentary Grey Gardens. The Edies were the aunt and first cousin, respectively, of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. In the early 1970s, they lived in squalor and self-delusion at their dilapidated, family estate , Grey Gardens in East Hampton.

Some believe most women become like their mothers. The stage musical Grey Gardens emphasizes this transformation with that of “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale by casting the same actress, Erin Pittleman as both Little Edie and her mother at the zenith and collapse of their family fortunes. Mother and daughter share a love of music. The women, breaking into song emphasizes their tenuous, fragile grasp on reality.

It’s July 1941. Grey Gardens is a social landmark in East Hampton, Long Island, and home to quipping,sarcastic personalities. “We didn’t have a black sheep of our own, so we had to import one,” one of the Beales remarks of George Gould Strong,(Larry Buzzeo) Big Edie’s opportunistic, live-in piano player.

The play opens with Little Edie (Lisa Kerstin Braun) announcing her engagement to Joe Kennedy Jr. (Christopher Michaels), older brother of JFK. Big Edie’s plans to sing nine songs at the party indicates only one of the family fractures that makes Little Edie eager to marry and escape Grey Gardens.

Jerry Weinberg, as Big Edie’s father J.V. “Major” Bouvier, gives the song, “Marry Well” a real punch. Erin Pittleman makes Big Edie a larger than life figure prone to warbling in classic operatic style, or singing politically incorrect tunes such as “Hominy Grits.” She proves so innately likable she softens Big Edies’ hard edges and doesn’t seem to deserve the contempt of her daughter and father.

Even if you’re don’t know the story of Grey Gardens , you can feel their future is ominous, and anticipating the decline of the women’s lives in Act Two.

Lisa Kerstin Braun’s sweet voice conveys young Little Edie’s desperation. Her performance contains virtually no shared traits with the Little Edie at middle age. Her transformation is so bizarre, they’re like two completely different women. In many ways they are.

Act Two fast forwards to 1973 and becomes the tale of two charmingly, some what daft ladies vicariously living their lives in the shortening shadow of days gone by. Erin Pittleman plays Little Edie, while Dee Deringer-Piquette takes over as the now “Mrs. Haversham like, Big Edie. The ghostly song “Entering Grey Gardens” indicates the house’s filth: “The crumbling walls, the broken clocks/It’s like a 28-room litter box.” Big Edie’s teenage friend Jerry even wears flea collars on his pants to keep off the vermin! Neither Edie attempts to keep up appearances, further reflecting their decline.

Ms. Deringer- Piquette gives Big Edie enormous charisma, even though she is bedridden for much of her time on stage. Big Edie’s number “Jerry Likes My Corn” is both sweet , but hauntingly insane. At one point, the Edies aggressively volley their decades-long grievances at each other. Their simultaneous complaints to the audience have such yapping musicality, it could be a song.

Meanwhile, Erin Pittleman’s poignant, touching song “Around the World” reaches emotional heights, tugging at one’s heart strings. Songs connect audiences to the roles’ feelings, but Grey Gardens’ songs also express the Edies’ eccentric detachment from the world. Little Edie’s “The House We Live In,” is rousing, pitiful and comical. The ladies’ mental states, like their once regal home, Grey Gardens, have run riot and become, an unweeded garden that grows to seed.

For anyone who has been a caregiver to an aging parent, whom at times tests the limits of their child’s love, who has put their own dreams on the back burner, this tantalizing play will echo a prickly, familiar, rotating, conflicting melange of anger, guilt, resentment,and sadness which at the same time battles with love, compassion, and commitment.

“Grey Garden: The Musical” presented
through April 3rd at Rising Action
Theatre at Sunshine Cathedral, 1480
SW 9th Ave.,Fort Lauderdale,
954-561-2225

WILTON MANORS – From February 25 through April 3, the Rising Action Theatre presents “Grey Gardens, the Musical” with Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances starting at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances at 7 p.m. Show performances are held at the MCC/Sunshine Cathedral with tickets starting at $39. A dinner and show package is $64 with dinner being served at either the Old Heidelberg or Tropics Restaurant.

“Grey Gardens, the Musical” is based on the highly acclaimed 1975 Maysles Brothers film documentary. It is the story of Jackie Kennedy’s relatives “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter “Little Edie” and the overgrown, crumbling East Hampton mansion they shared for decades. Set at the Grey Gardens mansion, the musical follows the progression of the lives of the two Edies from their original social status as wealthy and polished aristocrats in the 1940′s to their eventual existence as penniless eccentrics in a crumbling home. But, the real focus is clearly on the unending psychological struggle between a mother and a daughter. The story is joyous, heartwarming, sad, and funny.

For tickets or more information, please contact David Goldyn or Jerry Jensen at the Rising Action Theatre at (954) 561-2225 or

www.Risingactiontheatre.com.

Forty two years and a whole different era ago, Matt Crowley’s groundbreaking play “The Boys in the Band,” opened in New York – that was 14 months before Stonewall, 14 years before we became AIDS attentive, and 30 years before “Will and Grace” made use of similar stereotypes for the peacock network.

It wasn’t the first gay play by any means. “The Children’s Hour” opened in 1933 and “The Killing of Sister George” in 1964, but those lesbian themed productions were basically tragedies where people died for their sins.

“The Boys” was comedy filled with laugh-out-loud oneliners. Yes, they were zingers with a sting, but a mainstream audience found it an enjoyable romp on the other side of the street. It was a soldout sensation, attracting a cross-over audience. No less a flag-waving, Republican-voting icon than Bob Hope attended and recommended it to others. It became the thing to see and was made into a successful 1970 film directed by William Friedkin (“The French Connection,” “The Exorcist”), the first American mainstream movie to revolve around gay characters.

 But in the 1980s it became fashionable to treat this play as something of an embarrassment, the equivalent of a gay minstrel show where the unhappy homosexuals strut and do their stuff for the amusement of the straight folks.

 Now that gay liberation has been around for a generation and even the Republican Party is beginning to make nice, the play is being revived in more ways than one. In March of this year a production opened in New York in an actual penthouse apartment where the audience was treated like guests to the birthday party that forms the focus of the evening.

And for the first time in over two decades, a fully staged production is being produced in Fort Lauderdale by the Rising Action Theatre at their new location in the Sunshine Cathedral complex.

The director is Michael Leeds, who wrote and directed the Broadway musical “Swinging On A Star.” The cast are mainly new to the Rising Action Theatre, but have a lot of stage experience elsewhere. There’s the refreshing alteration of having Larry and Hank played by Hispanic actors, a change that’s nicely integrated into the play by Leeds.

 ”The Boys in the Band” is a genuine ensemble piece, meaning the roles are interdependent and you need all nine of the actors to rise to a certain level for the production to work effectively.

I caught one of the first performances where the acting was very uneven and the cast hadn’t yet clicked as a group, but that could certainly improve as it continues its run.

For actors and the director, Crowley’s play demands a careful balancing act between scenes that are outrageously funny and ones that are painfully poignant. When I saw it, these actors were doing better with the laughs than the pathos, a situation that led to some jarring moments.

Is this play dated? There are popculture references that those under 50 may not get (Rosemary DeCamp anyone?), but if you think these characters and their dilemmas don’t exist in 2010, then tune into the reality show “The A List” on the Logo channel any Monday night and you’ll see that Michael, Harold, Emory and even Cowboy are alive and still bitchin’ away in New York City. Talk about embarrassments!

Matt Crowley never matched the success of his first play, but in 2002 he did write a sequel entitled “The Men From the Boys,” which picks up the same characters 30 years later. SPOILER ALERT: As the first play revolved around a birthday party, the sequel is a wake for Larry, the promiscuous fashion photographer who was in a tumultuous relationship with Hank the schoolteacher. Michael is still the host, still miserable, and still in debt, but laying off the booze. It’s his best friend Donald who now has that problem. Harold shows up late again and brings a blond “actor/ dancer/ waiter” as his date to the funeral. Bernard, “The African Queen,” is the most contented of the lot, and Emory is still slinging the outrageous one-liners (“The one good thing about Alzheimer’s is that you get to hide your own Easter eggs”).

Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7p.m. through Dec. 12 at Rising Action Theatre, Sunshine Cathedral located at 1480 SW Ninth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at by calling 1-800-595-4849, or visit www.risingactiontheatre.com.

Fort Lauderdale

ALIBI PRESENTS JACKIE BEAT

Jackie Beat will be performing live at Alibi in Wilton Manors on Sun., Nov. 7 starting at 9 p.m. Drag superstar, Jackie Beat has been entertaining audiences across the U.S. and in Europe for over 10 years with her razor-sharp comedy and hysterical song parodies. Jackie not only warps hits by Britney Spears, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Cher and many others, but she flawlessly sings her twisted new versions live. Her one-woman show, “Jackie Beat is a Whole Lotta’ Love” ran a record 18 months at NYC’s premiere cabaret, Fez; she returns every year with her award-winning, standingroom- only Christmas show. Jackie’s stand-up has been featured in comedy clubs across the country and on Comedy Central, VH-1 and MTV. She was recently a staff writer for the comedy series “Hype!”, has written for the Sci-Fi Channel, is one of Us Magazine’s Fashion Police top cops and is currently the voice of Bertha on Nickelodeon’s animated series, “Kung-Fu Spy Troll”. She has appeared on many TV shows and in several movies including “Flawless” with Robert DeNiro and the cult hit “Wigstock: The Movie”. Jackie has also been in many off-Broadway productions, performed on cruise ships and is the lead singer of the popular electroclash band, Dirty Sanchez.

“JEANS FOR LIFE”

AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Out of the Closet have announced a 2010 Jeans for Life campaign. The Jeans for Life program is a fun, easy way for everyone to donate toward the care of people living with HIV/AIDS. Drop off your donated jeans at: Sidelines Sports Bar, Georgie’s Alibi, Bill’s, New Moon and/or Rosie’s Bar and Grill from November 1st through 15th. When you place them in the Jeans for Life bin, you will be helping support both local and global HIV initiatives.

BIRTHDAY BENEFIT FOR MISS VICKY

Rising Action Theatre proudly presents a gala birthday benefit for Miss Vicky Keller’s 85th birthday on Tues., Nov. 16 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Sunshine Cathedral/MCC at 1480 SW 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The cost is $49.95 and includes: a cabaret-style show featuring 10 performers, hors d’ourvres, door raffle, a “Dress and Look Like Ms. Vicky” contest, a cash bar and a silent auction. Tickets are available at www.risingactiontheatre.com or at the door.

Miami

2010 AUTUMN CHARITY BALL

Saturday, November. 20 at the Genna Lounge, 529 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach from 9:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. This celebrity charity event, in support of Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, will include fashion shows, performers, awards, silent auctions and celebrity speakers. Ticket price is $65 per person. This is a black tie event and is expected to be sold out. Open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, fashion shows, celebrity speakers and will be recording for Mode Lifestyle TV from 8:30 to 11 p.m. After party from 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., free general admission. Admittance between 8:30 and 11 p.m. only with prior confirmed registration and ticket.

A percentage of all tickets and sponsorships for this event will be donated by Mode Lifestyle Magazine to Florida Breast Cancer Foundation. To purchase your tickets, visit: www.modelifestylemagazine.com.

For event registration visit www.modelifestylemagazine. com or send an email to registrations@ModeLifestyleMagazine.com or call 1-888-450-8561.

WHITE HORIZONS

The only official morning party, White Horizons is a true dance event that provides the absolute best in sound, lights, and deejays. With no lack of energy or spirit in the crowd, this event is a must for true dance music enthusiasts. Sunday after-after hours/Monday morning party, Mon., Nov. 29 at Nocturnal Nightclub, 50 NE 11th Street in Miami.

CIRQUE BLANC 10

The Women’s White Party, Fri., Nov. 26 at the Nikki Beach Club, One Ocean Drive in Miami Beach from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Cirque Blanc, the signature Women’s White Party event, explodes in a sea of white with the sounds of the hottest girl deejays (D.J. Irene Pardo and D.J. Meesh) in the country. Bid on items in the silent auction, stroll the gardens, mingle under the stars or share a romantic moment in one of the oceanside cabins.

WHITE PARTY

The crown jewel of HIV fundraisers where thousands dressed in white dance under the Miami moon. Celebrity performances, top deejays, a food court filled with some of Miami’s hottest restaurants, local bars, and casino on the most breathtaking renaissance gardens in the country. VIP bar and casino bar with wristband. D.J. David Knapp.

Saturday, November 27 at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, 3251 S. Miami Avenue in Miami from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. For more info: visit www.whiteparty.org.

Bay Area

FLAMINGO COUNTRY FAIR

A Country Fair this weekend at the Flamingo Resort. Plans include a chili cook-off, bake sale, barbecue, pie eating contest and a lot of games and more. Includes live country music. Book your room now, and flock over to the Flamingo, 4601 34th St. S in St. Pete for the biggest hoe down in the area. Sat., Nov. 6, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.

SISTERS BAKE SALE AND FOOD DRIVE

The Tampa Bay Sisters are hosting a bake sale, but not for cash — donate canned food or a new teddy bear, and you can pick up a delicious baked item from the Sisters’ table! The Sisters are always working hard for the community, so we hope to see you there. Flamingo Resort, 4601 34th St. S in St. Petersburg on Saturday, November 4 from 1 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

ROBYN AT THE RITZ YBOR

Singing sensation, Robyn will appear at The Ritz Ybor in Tampa on Sun., Nov. 7 from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., doors open at 7 p.m. After the huge success of 2007’s eponymous album which produced the int’l smash single ‘With Every Heartbeat’ and top 10 hit “Be Mine”, Robyn is back with her killer combination of natural pop nous and cool sassiness offering up an exciting mix of cool electronica, heartfelt pop songs and tracks that have all the hallmarks of becoming classic club hits.

Now’s your chance to catch all her biggest hits live. Tickets are $21.50 and can be purchased online at http://bit.ly/col0Jc. The Ritz Ybor is located at 1503 E 7th Av. in Tampa/Ybor City

BERLIN: A SQUARE ONE CREATIVE EVENT

On Sat., Nov. 13 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., The Ritz Ybor presents: Square One’s 3rd Annual Fall 2010 Creative & Performing Arts Showcase called “Berlin” featuring over 100 local artists and live performances by Bella Danza, VYB Dance Company, Mighty Mongo, 10th Concession, Shakemode, Anye Cole, Lindsay Vitola with a fashion show experience by Paul Raymond. The largest and most popular creative event in the area. Open to all ages and all guests are encouraged to wear the color purple. $2 donation at the door, $5 Access seating, $10 VIP access tables or VIP Access Balcony. “Berlin” will help benefit Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts. The Ritz Ybor, 1503 E 7th Ave in Tampa. For more information, visit www.squareoneflorida.com.

Central Florida

“GIRL’S NIGHT: THE MUSICAL”

A touching and hilarious look at the lives of a group of female friends, “Girl’s Night: The Musical” promises to have you laughing, crying and dancing in the aisles. “Girl’s Night” is bursting with energy and is packed with hits: “Lady Marmalade,” “It’s Raining Men,” “Man, I Feel Like a Woman,” and many more. So grab the girls and get ready to party. Runs from Nov. 4th through 7th at The Plaza Theatre, 425 North Bumby Avenue in Orlando. $39 reserved seating. Show dates and times: Thurs., Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 5 at 2 and 7 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 6 at 4 and 9 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.

2010 EQUALITY FLORIDA ORLANDO GALA

At the Orlando Museum of Art, 2416 North Mills Av. in Orlando. Nov. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. from 7 to 9 p.m. Must RSVP by Nov. 6. For more information, call (813) 870-3735. $100 suggested minimum donation.H CLASSIC WEEKEND – WET & WILD PARTY OrlandoBlackPride.com and WETPromotions.com presents 2010 Classic Weekend-Classic Friday – Wet & Wild Party Fri. Nov. 19th at Aqua Lounge, 2869 Wilshire Dr. in Orlando. Hosted by Neaundre and Norie. Deejays Surreal and Risque. $10 online until Nov. 14th at www.WETPromotions.com. Fri., Nov. 19, 2010 from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

“ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW”

Running now through Nov. 13th at the Theatre Downtown, 2113 N. Orange Av. in Orlando. Advance tickets are $18/$20 at the door. For all advance tickets, reservations and info, call (407) 841-0083 or visit www.theatredowntown.net.H “AIMING FOR THE MOON” Gidget Galore’s “Aiming for the Moon: My Meteoric Rise to Mediocrity” on Saturdays November 6, 13 and 20 at 8 p.m. Industry Night Monday, November 22nd at 8 p.m. Reserved seat tickets are $10 at the Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House.

PULSE TURNABOUT 2010

Pulse Turnabout 2010 is a benefit for Hope and Help Center of Central Florida on Thurs., Nov. 11 at Pulse, 1912 S Orange Avenue in Orlando from 9 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. It’s one of Pulse’s most-anticipated events of the year. Come out for a great time and cause and see a show that you will never forget. For more info, visit www.hopeandhelp.org.H

Kevin Coughlin and David Goldyn will be casting for an upcoming play, “Grey Gardens: The Musical” on Saturday, November 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. and Monday, November 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. Auditions will be held at the Rising Action Theatre (now at Sunshine Cathedral/MCC), 1480 SW 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Call the theater at (954) 561-2225 for more information or to schedule appointment — you can also just show up. Prepare two 16-bar songs and a short monologue. You may be asked to read from the script. Performance dates: February 25 through March 20, 2011, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Gay Theater Group Receives Grants from the Government

(Photo: Courtesy of Lea DeLaria – http://www.delariadammit.com/)

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

Lesbian Comedian/Singer Lea DeLaria from Broadway’s On the Town and The Rocky Horror Show, TV’s Will and Grace and the movie Edge of Seventeen performs a special benefit for Rising Action Theatre at The Manor, 2345 Wilton Drive, Wilton manors on Friday July 30 and Saturday July 31. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $39 for the main floor and balcony and $59 for VIP seating. DeLaria will entertain with song and comedy. DeLaria has distinguished herself in every form of entertainment she touches — Jazz musician, Broadway diva, actor, writer and stand-up comic.

The New York Times also called her Jazz Album “The Best Jazz Album of the Year.”

A review of a recent DeLaria show from CabaretScenes.com states, “Ms. DeLaria has a clarity, richness and warmth to her voice that draw her audience in, and an innate ability to swing even the most seemingly un-swingable of songs. There are times when her voice seems to slip quietly into your body and then melt. It’s almost the same feeling as when you take that first sip of a stiff drink (or, as Ms. DeLaria might prefer, the first puff of a joint) and feel the relaxation course through you.”

Recently, Rising Action Theater received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Broward for its Senior Readers Project. The project will begin again in September. Also, the City of Oakland Park has awarded Rising Action Theatre a $15,000 grant for its Audience Development Series.

The small theater that showcases about 10 shows per year was recently named Best Theater Company in a recent poll by the Broward New Times. This is the second year in a row that the theater won the award.

For more information about the theater or to purchase tickers to the DeLaria show visit: http://www.risingactiontheatre.com.