[NEohioPAL] 'Elegies for Angels Punks and Raging Queens' in today's ABJ!

Sat Dec 12 06:32:45 PST 2009

Hello all, 
Our concert reading of 'Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens' to benefit Community AIDS Network is coming up this Monday, December 14th at 7:30! 
Check out this wonderful article in today's Beacon Journal about 'Elegies...'
Then, if you haven't done so yet, go to www.firstgraceucc.org and make your reservation!!!
Don't forget about our Broadway Master Class with Bill Russell on Sunday at 3:30, his pre-concert conversation at 6:30 on Monday, and the after party at Square Bar in Highland Square!
http://www.ohio.com/news/79116067.html
AIDS Testimony PoignantFundraiser for area group on Monday has blues, jazz and rock with monologuesby Colette M. JenkinsBeacon Journal Religion Writer
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens may not sound like the typical title for a musical you would expect to witness at a church.But that is exactly what's being offered on Monday at First Grace United Church of Christ — testimonies of people affected by AIDS presented in free-verse monologues with a blues, jazz and rock score.''What better place to present this than the church? I've always viewed Jesus as a rebel,'' said Bill Russell, who wrote the play. ''He broke all the rules, opposing a culture of violence with his love. I think this is definitely what churches should be doing, raising awareness and helping people deal with loss.''The monologues are written from the perspectives of characters who have died from AIDS, from the ''regular Joe'' who visited a brothel to a grandmother who was infected through a blood transfusion. The songs (lyrics by Russell and music by Janet Hood) represent the feelings of family and friends dealing with the loss.J.T. Buck, arts director at First Grace, said he selected the musical because it fits the mission of the arts ministry. The local church has been exploring different ways to utilize the arts for about three years.''It is clearly a piece that brings together a diverse group of people from the community and it's benefiting a very worthwhile cause,'' Buck said. ''It raises awareness about a social issue Please see 'Elegies', B4Continued from Page B1that we still need to address and it educates people, helping them understand that this disease does not discriminate.''All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Akron's Community AIDS Network. The private nonprofit organization provides education, risk reduction, housing and social services to people affected by HIV/AIDS.One of the organization's board members, Jennifer Kay Jeter, is among the more than 40 people who make up the cast for the local one-night-only performance of Elegies. Jeter, who currently serves as the outreach/volunteer coordinator for the Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit counties, has undergraduate and graduate degrees in theater.Jeter delivers a monologue about a woman named Rafaela who has to rely on her only child to take care of her during her battle with AIDS. Jeter said she has a special connection to the character because she was the caregiver for her own mother, who died in 2003.''Rafaela is easy for me to identify with and her story is one that can help people realize that the people affected by HIV/AIDS are everyday people,'' Jeter said. ''This disease doesn't just affect the individual who is stricken. It radiates out to family members and friends and into the community. The Elegies are very effective in getting that message across.''Summit County Executive Russ Pry agrees that the musical is a great educational tool. As a supporter of the Community AIDS Network, he was compelled to participate as a cast member. Pry portrays Bud, a gay man who is dying of AIDS and whose partner also died of it.''There are still incorrect judgments being made about people with AIDS and it seems that people in general are taking this disease for granted,'' Pry said. ''If nothing else, I hope this musical will remind people that this is a serious disease that affects our community and we should do what we can to help prevent it and to care for those affected by it.''Stan Thornburg, who has been HIV-positive for 12 years, agrees. He is a regular volunteer at Violet's Cupboard (an Akron-based organization that works to enhance the quality of daily life of people living with HIV/AIDS and their families via support, education and counseling) and recently moved into a Community AIDS Network group home after losing his home to foreclosure.Thornburg, who lost his partner eight years ago to AIDS, portrays a man named Miles in the musical. Dying of the disease, Miles gives his partner permission to let go.''When this musical was written, in the early days of HIV/AIDS, people weren't surviving and there was a push to educate society about the illness. Now, we have medications to prolong our lives and it seems like discussion of the issue has waned,'' Thornburg said. ''It's an ongoing battle and if this musical can help get the word out that HIV/AIDS is still out here and that it is still affecting the lives of regular people, it will fulfill its mission.''The musical, which is meant to be a celebration of the lives of the people who died from AIDS, was inspired by Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology and the panels on the NAMES Project Foundation's AIDS Memorial Quilt. Each panel on the quilt is a tribute to an individual who has died of AIDS.A portion of the quilt will be on display at First Grace beginning Sunday through Dec. 27. Hours for viewing the quilt panels are during the performance; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays; 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Display hours on Dec. 24 are 6:30 to 8 p.m. and the final showing on Dec. 27 is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.The musical was developed in the late 1980s and was originally titled The Quilt.It has been produced several times in New York City during the past 20 years and played London's West End in the early 1990s. There also have been professional productions in Australia, Germany, Israel and other countries.The local presentation of Elegies is at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the sanctuary at First Grace, 350 S. Portage Path. General admission tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door, online at http://www.firstgraceucc.org/or by phone at 330-212-6709.
JT Buck
Arts Director
First Grace United Church of Christ
350 S. Portage Path
Akron, OH 44320

Office: 330-762-8469
Cel: 330-212-6709

jtbuck at ameritech.net

www.firstgraceucc.org

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