Save the Date! March 22 NYC Benefit for Dublin Gay Theatre Festival

Miss Fitt (aka Brett Douglas) and me, on our way to the gala in Dublin '08

Greetings from the Ambassador of Love! At least that's what I call myself. I'm Kathleen Warnock, NYC-based playwright and editor, and as of the 2008 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, I hold the title of Official Ambassador of the Festival.

Times are hard (this is not news to anyone) and the economy has tanked even worse in Ireland. So I’m hosting a benefit for Festival on Monday, March 22 at TADA Theatre (which my home theater, EAT has graciously handed over for the evening) at 7:30pm-ish. It’s going to feature New York artists who have performed in Dublin at the festival, and it’s sure to be a gay old time, so to speak.

So far, the artists who have signed on to appear include Elizabeth Whitney (of Wonder Woman, The Musical fame, pictured at left); Moe Bertran (performing a monologue from David Pumo's Love Scenes, pictured below); Chesley Award winning writer Dan Bernitt, and we'll also have a few short plays: My own "The Adventures of..." (pictured below, with the cast of Jamie Heinlein, Jason Alan Griffin, and Hunter Gilmore), Kevin Brofsky's "Tom Cruise, Get off the Couch!" and Mark Finley's "Swans Are Mean." I'm working on other fun guests & surprises, and will update the blog copiously for the next few weeks.

(And then I'll probably just stop. I have no problem blogging for a short-term purpose: see my previous Eat in Ireland blogs.)

In addition to the fabulous show on March 22, I also want to give people who CAN’T make it there a chance to help out our pals in Dublin. So we're selling some books. People can buy their tickets at the event, but you can also purchase them online, (via PayPal) and raise additional funds by purchasing a share in a basket of fabulous books, plays & music!

And what books are on offer, Kathleen? Well, reader, I've realized that I know lots of wonderful LGBT playwrights, fiction writers, musicians, memoirists, poets and performers. So I started asking if they'd consider donating an inscribed copy of one of their works to a “Big Basket o’Gay & Lesbian Plays, Books & Music” that would be a gift at the end of the evening. And the response has been wonderful! Each day, the mail brings new treasures that YOU should definitely want to own.

Just this week, I've received such treasures as:

• a signed copy of "Lives of the Circus Animals" by Christopher Bram
• a signed copy of the literary magazine "At Rise" with a one-act play by Robert Patrick (RARE!)
• a signed copy of the award-winning graphic novel "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel
• signed copies of "Niagara Falls" and "Questa" by Victor Bumbalo
• a signed copy of the "Hairspray" coffee table book by Tony-award winning author Mark O'Donnell
• a signed copy of the "Corpus Christi" program from the fine folks at 108 Productions
• a signed copy of the script of "Corpus Christi" from Terrence McNally

• From Doric Wilson: A copy of has masterwork Street Theater signed with a DVD of the Eagle production; a copy of Now She Dances! signed plus a preface not included in the publication; a copy of the original 1980 publication of Forever After signed

...and on their way are contributions from BETTY the Band, the Five Lesbian Brothers, Meryl Cohn (Ms. Behavior), Emma Donoghue, Moises Kaufman, Mark Finley, Chris Weikel, Kevin Brofsky, Eddie Sarfaty, Bob Smith, and many more! And if you ask nicely, I may throw in a copy of Best Lesbian Erotica 2010. Now that's a heckuva prize, no matter where you sit.

Since Paypal won't let me sell tickets to a raffle, the kind folks at the Dublin Festival have given me a link that goes directly to their page, where you can purchase both tickets to the raffle ($5 each 3 for $10) and tickets to the benefit performance $20 each.

TO BOOK TICKETS TO THE EVENT, or to PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS, go directly to:
www.gaytheatre.ie.

And there's a link in the upper left hand corner! I've given up on PayPal, or they've given up on me. However, never say die, and buy a ticket!

I'll make it a point to update this blog regularly through March with additional guests, prizes, amusing anecdotes and pictures.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, or would like to help out.

"Help out?" you say. "Why Kathleen, I'd LOVE to! What can I do?"

Here, let me hug you, dear reader. And if you'd like to lend a hand, here's what we need:

1. For you to spread the word amongst your friends: gay, straight, Irish, Irish-American, actors, writers, musicians, gadabouts and everyone else you think might enjoy the event and/or raffle.
2. For you to help out backstage or front-of-house on the night, or to donate something we can stock the bar with: a bottle of whiskey (Irish, of course!), beer (Guinness, Smithwick or Harp will do!), soda, water, or some other tasty treat.
3. To cheer loudly in the audience when the Friends of the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival strut their stuff, and join in a chorus of "Seasons of Love" at the end of the night.
4. Consider taking your vacation in Dublin the first two weeks of May. I guarantee you'll have a blast and see some amazing theater.

So that's about it for the moment. Please spread the word, and if you can't join us in person on March 22, we hope you'll be there in spirit.

Love, peace, & hair grease,

Kathleen W.
Ambassador of Love