The city of West Hollywood’s 40-day One City One Pride festival is a tribute to diversity that is itself wonderfully diverse in the wide variety of arts programming it offers.
Continuing through June 30th are an exceptional range of over 90 events, exhibitions, performances, and interactive programming, all built around the 2016 festival theme of “Into the Streets,” which explores LGBTQ activism and history. The festival’s theme recalls an early rallying cry of LGBTQ rights groups “Out of the closet and into the streets.”
From theater to art exhibitions, concerts and conversations, there’s something for everyone to explore and enjoy as a part of the inclusive program.
Running through June 26th is Hollywood Fringe/One City One Pride. The City of West Hollywood is collaborating with The Hollywood Fringe Festival to present a full line-up of exciting LBGTQ-themed theatrical productions. Partnership shows include God’s Waiting Room, Life’s A Bitch and So Am I, The Gay Guide to Tinseltown, Sarah G’s Spot: The #1 Ballsy Woman, Snatched…Stories from Down There, Reclaimed Freedom: Fact or Fiction, Skin of Honey/Piel De Miel, and The Collection by Harold Pinter/Anniversary by Rachel Bonds. For dates, times, locations and prices, see http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/weho.
Opening June 10th from 6 to 9 p.m., and running through June 17th, Gallery 825 hosts the 9th annual Out There group exhibition. The subject asks artists to explore West Hollywood’s commitment to the LGBTQ community. Out There was juried by William Escalera and Francisco George, and features cutting edge mixed media, paintings, photography, and sculptural work by artists including Robyn Alatorre, Debi Cable, Kathy Curtis-Cahill, Bibi Davidson, Dwora Fried, Shelley Heffler, Tom Lasley, Shana Mabari, Lena Moross, Johnny Naked, Hung Viet Nguyen, Kenn Raaf, Osceola Refetoff, Cory Sewelson, Skye Amber Sweet, Scott A. Trimble, and Monica Wyatt, among many others. The gallery is located at 825 N. La Cienega, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10-5. For more information, see http://www.gallery825.com/exhibitions.html
June 12th, starting at 10:45 a.m. is the renowned LA Pride Parade, and as a part of the parade itself, FATA – From the Archives to the Archives – Queer Signs of the Times 1965 – 2010. The pride parade is produced and presented by Christopher Street West, and runs from Crescent Heights to Robertson Boulevard along Santa Monica Boulevard. When watching the always-popular parade, don’t miss Queer Signs of the Times 1965-2016, a stellar art project that takes place within the parade, which includes 75 re-created protest signs taken to the streets in a mock protest rally. The re-created signs date back as far as 1965.
Mid-week, author Felice Picano talks about the strong gay presence in Hollywood during the 1930’s on June 15th at 7 p.m. Held at the West Hollywood City Council Chambers, located at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd, this free event also features a short reading excerpted from the novella “Wonder City of the West.” For more information, see http://bit.ly/GayHollywood30s
On Sunday June 19th from 4-8 p.m. the book launch for the ONE Archives exhibit running through July 10th takes place in Plummer Park’s Long Hall. The C*ck, Paper, Scissors Book Launch and Collage Workshop centers around the first catalog to examine queer collage practices in an historical context. It was published in collaboration with the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art. Supporting this seminal achievement is a free collage workshop led by feminist artist Suzanne Wright. Long Hall is located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., where the exhibit is also displayed.
The last weekend of June serves up more strong OCOP events, including the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights’ Pride Play Reading Festival, two rehearsed reading programs featuring LGBTQ-themed plays. Six short pieces will be featured on Saturday; a single full-length project presented on Sunday. Both free programs will take place at the Plummer Park Community Center, Rooms 5/6, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.
Both a film screening and Summer Sounds concert will also take place on Sunday the 26th. The screening of the film I Stand Corrected takes place at 2 p.m. in West Hollywood’s City Hall at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd. The film tells the story of Jennifer Leitham, who transitioned from being known as John Leitham during a 2001 concert tour with Doc Severinson. Leitham was recently chosen as one of LA Weekly’s most interesting people of 2016, and was featured in the Vanity Fair special edition Trans America issue. A Q&A with filmmaker Andrea Meyerson will be held following the film. At 4 p.m., Leitham will perform at the City of West Hollywood’s free Summer Sounds concert series outside in the City Hall Community Plaza. There’s no RSVP required, but more information can be found at http://bit.ly/SSJL2016
Continuing through June 27th is “A Brief History of Drag,” a fascinating photography exhibition that chronicles both the Los Angeles and WeHo drag scenes from the late 1800s to the present. Installed on the second floor of the West Hollywood Library, this exhibition includes work by Austin Young, whose “Portrait of Anyone Who Shows Up In Drag, Los Angeles Edition, 2016,” a 7.5 x 7.5-foot composite photograph, features more than 100 people in drag. The exhibition is a collaboration between the City of West Hollywood WeHo Arts and One City One Pride with the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Advocate & Gochis Galleries, and CAP UCLA with assistance from the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives. See more at: http://www.weho.org/residents/drag-angeles-one-city-one-pride
The Lesbian Speakers Series/WeHo Reads/One City One Pride will present Natalie Goldberg in conversation with West Hollywood City Poet Steven Reigns on the 30th anniversary of Natalie Goldberg’s classic Writing Down the Bones – Freeing the Writer Within. This free event will take place June 30th at 7 p.m. in the West Hollywood City Council Chambers at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. More information is available at: www.weho.org/wehoreads
For more information on all events and RSVP links, visit:
www.weho.org/pride
and
http://weho.org/home/showdocument?id=26443 (PDF format)
Great comprehensive coverage, and hope to see you tonight!