AUGUST 15, 1997 GAY PEOPle's ChroNICLE

IN BOX

Cabaret show benefits Columbus AIDS Task Force

Columbus-Cast members of The Phantom of the Opera will perform in a benefit concert called "Phantom Voices," a cabaretstyle show to benefit the Columbus AIDS Task Force and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The concert will feature jazz, hip-hop, pop and new twists on classic hit tunes, and will be hosted by WSYX-TV Channel 6 news anchor Deborah Countiss.

For five years, 'Phantom Voices' has joined forces with Broadway Cares and local organizations around the country to raise money and awareness in the fight against AIDS," said Allen Kendall, one of the actors in the Phantom touring production.

"In memory of loved ones that have been lost and on behalf of those living with HIV and AIDS," Kendall continued, "we have each taken a personal interest in advancing this global responsibility; for only when we shine a light into darkness can myths be shattered and answers found. 'Phantom Voices' celebrates life through myriad forms of musical theatre and opera, and is our way of returning something to the communities that have opened their arms to The Phantom of the Opera. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Columbus AIDS Task Force for their dedication to the cause."

"Phantom Voices" is being made possible with the assistance of the producers of the

Summer camp, done the way it ought to be

by Lisa Gitlin

Kezar Falls, Maine-If you loved summer camp, you can return to that idyllic time at Camp Camp in Kezar Falls, Maine, a summer camp for gay and lesbian adults that is holding its first session between August 24 and 30.

If you hated camp as a kid, the organizers of Camp Camp say they will provide you with an experience that will alter your camp memories for life.

Camp Camp, located 45 minutes from Portland, Maine, is a scenic, secluded property nestled between two lakes. Clusters of cabins containing bunk beds and bathrooms will house between four and ten campers each. Same sex and co-ed housing are available. The cost is $675, but campers with special skills can work in exchange for reduced fees.

"We want people to live out their fantasies here," Perrotti said. “One guy told me he's always wanted to do an all-male version of that striptease scene in Gypsy, 'You Gotta Have a Gimmick.' He's all ready!"

Another theater enthusiast, Clevelander David Cantwell, is also looking forward to creating high drama at Camp Camp. Cantwell, who is involved with the Dobama Theater's offbeat "Night Kitchen" series, will work part-time at the camp as a drama expert.

"I actually want to do some of those goofy shows and skits that I hated when I was at camp as a kid," Cantwell says. "I think it could be really fun to take some of those traditional venues and put our own spin on them."

Camp Camp was conceived in Provincetown, Mass., the gay and lesbian vacation haven. During a single men's week-

SAM PAGE

Lifeguard Ben Page watches over the 'Camp' Camp waterfront.

"As soon as people arrive we want them to feel that this is their place," said program director Jeff Perrotti, a Massachusetts resident who grew up in Cleveland and attended Gilmour Academy. "Rainbow flags and other symbols will help assure them that they'll be safe here, that this is their home."

A whirlwind marketing campaign yielded thousands of inquiries, more than 400 of them from Ohioans. Booths at Columbus and Cleveland Pride festivals helped pique the interest of Ohio residents. Several will be attending Camp Camp.

At least 70 campers and 30 staff members between 19 and 60 years old will be on hand for Camp Camp's first session. About a third of the campers are women. Half the staff have been recruited from the Maine Teen Camp, which occupies the facility most of the summer.

"It's s great to have the teen camp employces working with us," Perrotti said. "Already they've learned a lot about gay and lesbian issues from our training sessions."

Camp Camp will offer typical camp activities such as swimming, biking, sailing, fishing, softball, crafts, theater, and singing around the campfire. The atmosphere will be hang-loose. Barking counselors and lightsout will be omitted from this camp experi-

ence.

end last fall, Camp Camp founder Bill Cole attended a workshop entitled "Achieving Your Dreams," during which he expressed a desire to start a summer camp for gays and lesbians. Cole told workshop participants that he was not interested in making money from such a venture, that he just wanted to contribute to the gay community.

The enthusiasm with which his idea was received moti-

vated Cole to begin networking as soon as he got home. His national reputation as a summer camp enthusiast resulted in the Maine Teen camp offering to share its space with his dream camp.

"We're all looking forward to this so much," Perotti says. "We'll either recapture the wonderful memories of summer camp or undo the horrible ones. It's interesting: Women were more likely to approach our Pride booths with big smiles and tell us that summer camp was the only place they'd felt they really belonged. Gay men were more likely to look at us and say, 'Uh-oh, is this going to be another trauma?'

"But regardless of your summer camp memories, this is a welcoming environment,” Perrotti said. "If you dreaded summer camp, here's a chance to experience camp the way it should have been."

Camp Camp will accept admissions all the way up to opening day. Buses to the campgrounds will leave from New York City, Boston, and Portland, Maine.

For more information about Camp Camp, call their toll-free number at 888924-8380.

tour, Fifth Third Bank, the Broadway Series and CAPA, the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. The concert will be held on Monday, August 25, at 7:30 in the Capitol Theater at the Vern Riffe Center at 77 South High Street. A dessert and coffee reception with a silent auction will follow the performance which will also be attended by the

cast.

Ticket prices are $15 for the performance only and $25 for the performance and the reception. Tickets may be charged through any Ticket Master location or by calling 614431-3600. A limited number of patron seats are available for $100 and can be obtained by calling Jennifer at the Task Force at 614488-2437.

Lavner plays for St. Hope

Canton "My songs and humor are drawn from my own experiences as a short, lefthanded, Jewish lesbian from New York," says Lynn Lavner, who will be in Canton on

Lynn Lavner

Saturday, August 23 to perform at a benefit for St. Hope, a Stark County organization providing housing for people with AIDS.

Billed as "America's most politically-incorrect entertainer,” Lavner has performed at events as diverse as the 25th anniversary gala of the National Organization for Women, and the International Mr. Leather Contest, as well as at AIDS fundraisers, women's festivals and college campuses throughout America. She has been playing the piano and writing songs since she was seven years old, of which she says, "Jewish people from New York are expected to do this... preferably if they are self-taught and unable to read music." She has released four CDs on Bent Records, among them her live-concert recording Butch Fatale.

Lavner is a widely known as a leather

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lesbian, and she had referred to leather as "just another stripe in the rainbow flag.

"It is the strongest statement I can make to remind myself and others that what we are is a human rights movement that stands for the acceptance and encouragement of free sexual expression among consenting adults, whatever others may think of it and whatever someone else's taste may be," Lavner said to the gay weekly Sydney (Australia) Star Ob-

server.

Lavner's appearance in Canton will take place at the Canton Players Guild, 1001 Market Ave. North. Tickets are $20, and are available by calling 330-454-4681 in Canton, or 330-305-0650 in Akron.

An Open Book moves

Columbus-Less than three years after opening An Open Book in the Short North neighborhood, owner Michael Lindsey is moving to a larger space, three doors north at 761 North High Street. The new store should

be open by September's Gallery Hop on September 6. A grand opening party will be held on Friday at 7 pm at the new store. Paula Martinac, author of Chicken, will be present to read from her book and sign copies.

"It's very exciting, and something that I hoped would happen, eventually," Lindsey said. “We are just bursting at the seams in our present location.”

The space currently occupied by An Open Book is a cozy 832 square feet, about the size of a small onebedroom apartment. The new location has 1,900 square feet, which, besides allowing customers more space to browse, will enable Lindsey to broaden the selection in each department. "We will add new departments based upon input received from our customers," Lindsey said.

Although many independent bookstores have closed in the last several years as a result of more and more book superstores, Lindsey is optimistic about the future of his store. Even the pending opening of a Barnes & Noble close by at Lennox Town Center does not have him worried.

"We have flourished since opening in 1984, and don't plan on changing any of the principles of how we operate-which means always keeping the customer first," he said.

As for the Barnes & Noble management team, "They came to us," Lindsey said. "It was a wonderful gesture. We plan on working together."

For more information on the grand opening, or author visits, call An Open Book at 614-291-0080.

Compiled by Kaizaad Kotwal and Doreen Cudnik.

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