PRIDE GUIDE 1997 GAY PEOPle's ChroNICLE

B-23

'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more'

Chorus to present 'Wizard of Oz in Concert'

by Roger Durbin

and Curtis Proctor

Cleveland-The North Coast Men's Chrous will be presenting a story dear to the hearts of many gay men and lesbians as their Pride show this year.

The Chorus, directed by Timothy Robson, will present The Wizard of Oz in Concert on Saturday, June 21 in Cleveland State University's Waetjen Auditorium..

It's sure to be a romping, fun-filled evening as Dorothy (played by 16-year-old Emily Rae Davis), Toto (Ralph DiLudovico) and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion (Victor Lonzrick, Mark Snyder, and Vince Morvatz) meet up with the Wicked Witch (Neil Giewont, a wicked witch in any language). They are saved repeatedly by Glinda, the Good Witch (Melora Meadows) as they wend, dance, and sing their way to meet the Wizard himself (Gearrault Courwynne).

The evening's entertainment will be fun for everyone, so bring your parents, your kids, your friends, your favorite niece or nephew, and enjoy the show.

When Glinda sings the poignant lyrics from "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are," they mean something to everyone, young and old, who is not sure who to trust in this world. But the lyrics, we all know, carry a special meaning for us.

The entire chorus will play the roles of the Munchkins and the Winkie Guards, with small parts cast from individual members of the chorus. A show such as the Wizard gives the chorus a chance to stretch not only its reportoire, but its talent. Our singers get to act and dance, as choristers lovingly twinkletoe the ballet of the Lullaby League.

Group for lesbians and gays over 60 is going strong

by Douglas Braun

Cleveland Gray Pride is going strong. Our focus is on members of our community who are over sixty. Think for a minute-how many people over sixty do you know who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered? What issues are important to us as we age?

Gray Pride has monthly meetings for socializing, finding resources, and having fun. We have guest speakers who provide information on staying healthy and taking care of ourselves. You don't have to be 60 to come. Our meetings are open to partners, friends and supporters of any age. Over a hundred people are on our mailing list.

We are fortunate to be funded by the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging. The money comes from Title III-F of the Older Americans Act. We are the only lesbian-gay group in the country that has federal funding of this type. NorthEast Ohio Visions also gave us a generous grant. This has been immensely helpful for getting the word out about our activities.

We are collaborating with the Gay-Lesbian Oral History Project on a joint event, and we look forward to working with other groups. On June 18, our monthly program will be on legal issues and aging. The guests will be Sarah Moore, an attorney, and Mark Lehman, a social worker.

Other local groups that deal with aging include GLOWS, Gay and Lesbian Older Wiser Seniors, and OWLS, Older Wiser Lesbians. Don't forget about them.

Look for us at the Cleveland Lesbian-GayBi Pride festival. Check out our ad in this Pride Guide, or call us at 216-621-7201, extension

213.

Douglas Braun is coordinator of Gray Pride.

It's

NCMC

Simple

Melora Meadows as the Good Witch (I.) and Emily Rae Davis as Dorothy (r.) rehearse with the North Coast Men's Chorus In the ballroom of Judson Manor.

As a rare treat for Oz fans, the Chorus is putting back into the show "The Jitterbug," a swing number which wound up on the cutting room floor from the movie because MGM felt it was "too modern ... too daring for the times." Well, times have changedand the Chorus would dare, now, wouldn't they?

The North Coast Men's Chorus hopes to sell out the house for this production, so grab your tickets quickly. Tickets are $12.00 in advance through Chorus members and Advantix (241-6000, or 800-766-6048) or $15.00 at the door. Call the Chrous' voice mail, 216-473-8919, for discounted group

rate information. As usual, tickets will also be available from any chorus member, at Body Language on Detroit Ave. in Cleveland, or at Angel Falls Coffee Company on W. Market Street in Akron.

Showtime is 8 pm June 21 at Waetjen Auditorium in CSU's Music and Communication Building, 2001 Euclid Ave. A parking garage enters off Chester Ave. at East 19th St. behind the music building; another garage enters off East 21st St.

Roger Durbin and Curtis Proctor are board members of the North Coast Men's Chorus.

DOREEN CUDNIK

Michael Fraser-Myers shares a laugh with Judy Hudak of the Lakewood Office on Aging at a Gray Pride meeting in March.

Mixed chorus has two

June concerts

by Karen Weaver

Cleveland-Good Company, a gay, lesbian, and gay-supportive mixed vocal ensemble, will present a concert of American choral music on Sunday, June 1 at 4 pm at Archwood United Church of Christ.

The program, "An American Quilt," will be presented in memory of Jack Hennette, a friend and fellow musician who died of AIDS in December of 1996. Featured works will be Samuel Barber's "Reincarnations" and a number of folk songs, spirituals, and songs from the Civil War era.

As it has for the past two years, Good Company will also participate in the Pride Interfaith Service hosted by Chevrei Tikva. The service will be held at 8 pm on June 27 at the Shaker Heights Suburban Temple. Most recently, Good Company appeared at Cleveland's Human Rights Campaign Dinner in April. The group also performed last fall in a fundraiser to replace the heating

boiler at Archwood UCC, and at a joint AIDS benefit with the North Coast Men's Chorus and the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus at the National Association of Social Workers national convention in Cleveland. Good Company also sang as guests at last winter's North Coast Men's Chorus holiday concert.

The upcoming June I concert is one week before Archwood's highly-publicized annual Steeple Vigil for the Hunger Center, in which Pastor David Bahr sits atop the church's steeple until the church steps are covered with food. In addition to hearing a program of beautiful music, individuals can support Bahr's dramatic endeavor by bringing nonperishable food items.

Archwood UCC is located at 2800 Archwood Ave., off Pearl Road just south of 1-71 in Cleveland.

Karen Weaver is the director of Good Company.

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