Queens Theatre Presents The Stonewall Legacy Project

(Queens, NY)—This June and July, Queens Theatre (QT) will present The Stonewall Legacy Project, five free, virtual events on Thursday nights in June and July led by celebrated LGBTQIA+ artists. Through sharing essential art, diverse experiences, and creating a necessary space for community and conversation, The Stonewall Legacy Project will honor the spirit of the Stonewall uprising and its half-century legacy by exploring where we've been, where we are now, and where we're going.

QT will present the virtual series every Thursday at 7:00pm (ET), from June 17th through July 15th. All events are free and open to the public, but RSVP/tickets are required. Visit https://queenstheatre.org/the-stonewall-legacy-project/ to learn more. Individual RSVPs are required for each event to receive tickets.

The series features: a film screening of The Duchess of Grant Park on June 17th; a drag performance, The Stonewall Legacy Digital Drag Project, on June 24th; a live solo show, Invisibility: A Journey of Pasta, Prayer, Protest, & Peru, on July 1st; a live solo show, Second Helping, on July 8th; and, a presentation of four Queer, Latinx short films on July 15th. Several will be followed by live talkbacks on Zoom, as noted below.

“Queer Art and Queer spaces have been threatened and diminished during the time of COVID,” said QT's Director of Community Engagement Dominic D'Andrea (he/him/his). “In reflecting on what it would look like to serve the LGBTQIA+ community, honor the legacy of 50+ Stonewall, 30+ years of Queens, and responding to the needs of our community coming out of COVID, holding space for Queer art and uplifting the artists is essential right now."

“Queer space has always been important, but more so now coming out of isolation and out of the past four years. We need these safe spaces for healing, for growing, for reconnecting, and for creating; amongst those with who we share similar queer experiences,” said Ava Davis (she/her/hers), a Black Trans artist/activist, and creator of the Duchess of Grant Park. “At the start of the pandemic, I consoled myself with the fact that there would be an explosion of creativity once we started to return, and we are beginning to see that, and it is beautiful!”

Calendar of Events

The Duchess of Grant Park - Thursday, June 17, 7:00pm (ET)

A feature length film, The Duchess of Grant Park, by Ava Davis, on June 17. The Duchess of Grant Park is a love story about the neighborhood of Grant Park, and a story about finding one’s purpose. The Duchess declares Grant Park as her duchy. James, a journalist making a documentary, has chosen the Atlanta character of The Duchess although he knows nothing about her. Through the course of the story, James learns more about the Duchess, her history, and her connection to the neighborhood.

"The Duchess of Grant Park pays homage to Marsha P Johnson’s lasting work (after throwing that first brick) with STAR and the support of queer homeless youth. The support of LGBTQ youth has become my own life’s mission, as Her Grace, the Duchess of Grant Park,” Ava Davis said.

The one-hour film will be followed by a live Zoom talkback with Davis.

RSVP at: https://queenstheatre.org/event/the-stonewall-legacy-project-the-duchess-of-grant-park/

The Stonewall Legacy Digital Drag Project - Thursday, June 24, 7:00pm (ET)

A 90-minute drag performance by The Stonewall Legacy Digital Drag Project, featuring Wanda Whatever, Prinx Silver, Vagenesis, Nancy Nogood, Boudoir LeFleur, and China Moon. A video program of filmed performances created during COVID-19 isolation, this showcase will feature inclusivity in drag styles, bodies, and themes. It spotlights how drag thrived during a time of extreme circumstances and uncertainty.

“Queer venues and spaces almost always come first in the line of fire. They know they must take almost every precaution to guard themselves against systemic discrimination and targeting,” said Wanda Whatever, aka Jordan Stovall (they/them). “You don’t have to look any further than Stonewall for that, and it’s still happening. For many queer people, including drag artists, these venues are not only financial lifelines, but lifelines of mental health, community, being seen, feeling validated - the very art of drag shows others out there that they are not alone.”

RSVP at: https://queenstheatre.org/event/the-stonewall-legacy-digital-drag-project/

Invisibility: A Journey of Pasta, Prayer, Protest, & Peru - Thursday, July 1st at 7:00pm (ET)

Invisibility: A Journey of Pasta, Prayer, Protest, & Peru is a live Zoom solo show featuring Richard Cardillo, who takes us on a magical, mystical and multicultural ride through his childhood growing up in a large Italian-American family, his youth and young-adulthood as a monk in a Catholic monastery, coming out as a gay man, and his 10 years working and learning in Peru. With equal measures of celebration, sadness, self-discovery, and sex antics, Invisibility will take all on an unforgettable journey.

“I see an urgency right now to revive this show. As we have seen more isolation than ever, it is incumbent on queer artists to re-ignite the spirit of Stonewall, recommit to elevating the voices of our queer family, and give witness to the power that our queer community possesses. My sincere hope is that ‘Invisibility’ can be a catalyst for increased visibility and the celebration of ourselves,” said Richard Cardillo (he/him/his).

The one-hour Zoom event will be followed by a live talkback with Cardillo.

RSVP at: https://queenstheatre.org/event/the-stonewall-legacy-project-invisibility-a-journey-of-pasta-prayer-protest-peru/

Second Helping – Thursday, July 8th at 7:00pm (ET)

A live solo show featuring Kelly Dunham (they/them), the typical ex-nun nonbinary storytelling nerd comic so common in modern Brooklyn. Kelli has appeared on Showtime and the Discovery Channel, the Cinderblock Comedy Festival, the Moth Mainstage, the CinderBlock Comedy Festival, and nationwide at colleges, prides, fundraisers and even the occasional livestock auction. When genderqueer comic Kelli Dunham's extreme mid-western reliance met the death of two partners in a row, the result was part stand-up comedy, part sit-down tragedy with love and body fluids in the cracks in between.

The one-hour Zoom event will be followed by a live talkback with Dunham.

RSVP at: https://queenstheatre.org/event/the-stonewall-legacy-project-second-helping/

Queer Latinx Short Films – Thursday, July 15th at 7:00pm (ET)

Dominic Colón (he/him) is an award-winning actor, writer, and producer from The Bronx, and Francisco Cabrera-Feo, a staff writer on a new HBOmax show, present four film shorts in the one-hour event (followed by a talkback with Colòn and Cabrera-Feo):

· Crush by Dominic Colòn - This HBO award winning short film is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. CRUSH tells the story of a closeted, Queer, Latinx kid from the Bronx who comes out to his crush at Prom. CRUSH won the 2011 HBO Short Film Script Competition and played on HBO and on five different continents, and played at film festivals, including the HBO/New York Latino Film Festival.

· SKIN by Dominic Colòn - A gay, Latinx man who after extreme weight loss is scared to have sex with his boyfriend without a shirt on.

· YUNIOR by Francisco Cabrera-Feo - A deeply closeted teenage boy finds himself shaken when his older brother’s girlfriend shows up with an out and confident gay male friend.

· POR TI by Francisco Cabrera-Feo - After ditching school with his secret boyfriend, Julian realizes he might not be the only one in his family hiding the truth.

“These short films are stories of liberation! Liberation from fear, and how fear can prevent us from living our best lives! We are so proud to be screening as part of the Stonewall Legacy Project,” said Dominic Colòn (he/him/his).

RSVP at: https://queenstheatre.org/event/the-stonewall-legacy-project-queer-latinx-short-films/

For further details and full bios and social media information about presenters, visit Queens Theatre at https://queenstheatre.org/the-stonewall-legacy-project/.

Visit Queens Theatre’s YouTube channel to view past performances, and to subscribe. Follow Queens Theatre on Facebook at (www.facebook.com/queenstheatrenyc), Twitter (@QueensTheatre), and Instagram (@QueensTheatre).

About Queens Theatre

Queens Theatre (QT) is a performing arts center located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY. Its mission is to provide high quality performances and programs that are accessible to the residents of Queens, the most diverse county in the nation. The Theatre's work reflects and celebrates its community. QT theatre presents dance companies, produces, presents, and develops new works of theatre, family programming, community engagement events and initiatives, and offers a range of education programs onsite, in schools and in senior centers. In 2016, Queens Theatre launched, and has since expanded, Theatre For All (TFA), a ground-breaking initiative to advance the inclusion of disabled people in the performing arts. Since COVID-19, Queens Theatre has produced a range of digital programming – readings of new plays, wellness checks with performances for seniors, original dance showcases, a Storytellers series, an online round of its TFA training program for Deaf/Disabled actors, and more.