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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE July 7, 2006

ANTHONY GLASSMAN

Enjoy galleries, exhibits, performances, concerts, stilt walkers, jugglers, parades, food, flowers, incredible entertainment and activities for kids. Listen to live jazz, hip-hop, folk, techno, steel drums, classical, rock, polka, rockabilly and more. Experience opera, theater, ballet, Irish step dancing, breakdancing, contemporary dance and more. All transformed by the power of technology. That's Ingenuity 2006 and it's happening this July in The Festival Village

at Prospect Ave. & East 4th St. Seize the dates.

YOU'VE GOTTO SEE THIS!

iNGENUITY

CLEVELAND FESTIVAL OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY

July 13-16

Prospect Ave. & East 4th Street Downtown Cleveland, OH

for more information, visit us at: www.IngenuityCleveland.com

Thank you to our Founding Partners:

Abington Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Murphy Foundation, Cuyahoga County Commissioners, City of Cleveland, Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland,

The Plain Dealer, American Greetings, Forest City Enterprises, Medical Mutual, IMG Creative, Liggett Stashower, CoolCleveland.com

THE PLAIN DEALER

MISS A DAY MISS A LOT.

MiX1065 Majic His

Thank you to our Media Sponsors:

CLEVELAND.COM

,104.9

WCLV

classical FAM WON.COM

THE WAVE

107.3

HIV

FOX8 wviz

WWW CLEVELAND

ideastream

Cleveland NorthernOhioLive Scene

Magazine

If you or someone you know is living with HIV/AIDS, the Ryan White Title I Program offers free medical and social support services to eligible persons who are uninsured or underinsured in Northeast Ohio.

Case Management •

Dental Services •

Home Delivered Meals • Home Health Care Hospice Care ⚫

Medical Laboratory Testing

Mental Health Counseling ⚫ Nutritional Counseling

Outpatient Primary Medical Care •

Prescription Medication Assistance •

Substance Abuse Treatment •

Support Groups

•

Transitional Housing Assistance • Transportation Assistance ⚫

we can

help.

•

CMJ

MUSI

Hot gay guitarist Bob Uhoda blends harmoniously with straight bandmate Eric Dolence at an Audible Thread show after Cleveland Pride. The band will perform at Ingenuity.

Art/tech/queer

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-Rumblings and grumblings from Cleveland's queer community surrounded the inaugural Ingenuity: Cleveland Festival of Art and Technology last year.

Why were there apparently no queer artists? Why was everything so, well, straight?

That seems to be less of a problem this year. With the increase in size of the festival, LGBT artists seem to be popping out of the woodwork.

In fact, one of the most powerful men in the festival next to founder James Levin is Trad A. Burns, who is in charge of production at the festival, overseeing a staff of over 60 people and responsible for all aspects of staging, lighting, sound, power and more.

When outsiders think of theater (myself included), the tendency is to perceive actors as the ones likely to be gay, and the production staff more likely to be heterosexual, perhaps because of the hands-on, technical aspects. We're dead wrong, however.

"Each of us are artists," said Burns, whose work across the country and throughout Cleveland has made him one of the most sought-after lighting designers in the nation. "Theater requires you to have the ability to create magic and transform the most simple things into something purely artistic."

"I actually know more gay designers and technicians than I do actors," Burns noted. However, he doesn't believe that there was really a conscious effort to make the performances more queer-inclusive.

"I think we produce and present work that represents the best of what Cleveland has to offer in the arts and cutting edge technology," he opined. "As the festival's work grows it only makes sense that LGBT work becomes more prominent."

"On the staffing side, we do have several LGBT members," he said, pointing to Maura Haas of Wild Plum Productions, who is the production stage manager for the Family Village, and other lighting designers, technicians and stage managers.

The festival, which covers Prospect Avenue and its side streets and alleys from Ontario to East 9th, and East 4th Street from Prospect to Euclid, incorporates dozens of performances in various indoor and outdoor venues.

Among the more notably queer events are the July 15 tribute to H. Leslie Adams, gay Cleveland native composer, which will be at the United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue at 9 pm.

On July 14, there will be a production of Linda Eisenstein's Tunnel of Love, and the band Audible Thread will rock out. Anne E. DeChant will perform on July 15, as will Verb Ballets under the guidance of artistic director Hernando Cortez.

On July 13, Michael Medcalf's Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theater will be one of the opening acts of the festival, and Jonathan Sheffer's Red (an orchestra) will perform on July 14.

Admission to the main body of the festival is $10.

For

more

to

information, go www.ingenuitycleveland.com. That site also includes a complete list of locations and performances. ปี

For additional information about The Planning Council and Ryan White Services, call:

216-348-3986

www.cuyahogacounty.us/ryanwhite

All inquiries are strictly confidential.

Services are funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Information provided by: The Cuyahoga Regional HIV Services Planning Council.

Michigan

Continued from page 8

theater, dance, and irreverent comedy. Take in Staceyann Chin, co-writer and performer of the Tony-nominated, Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, and Between Lines Dance Company. Amy Ziff of Betty performs her new play, Accident and Jeanette Buck presents her critically acclaimed play There Are No Strangers featuring Holly Twyford. Sunday Afternoon Comedy is back by popular demand with the always-beloved Marga Gomez, Elvira Kurt, and Karen Williams.

Before, during and after, there arehundreds of workshops, sporting events, films, dances, and open mics. Shop in the crafts market and connect in networking areas for women of color, women in recovery, teens, and other

communities. If this all sounds like too much, just hop a ride on a tractor-pulled surrey. Sit back and enjoy the view: thousands of women in all shapes and sizes wearing everything from tie-dye to corsets to nothing at all.

Women who have been to Michigan before will recognize this is a year not to miss. Those who have yet to experience the mother of all women's festivals should make this the year to check it out. You'll leave understanding the promise of those four simple but compelling words: "See you in August."

The price for a full week of camping, meals, 40 performances, film festival, workshops and all programming and services is $350 to $410 (sliding scale) if purchased before July 15; $385 to $435 afterward. Entrance fees are reduced for the days after the festival starts, from Wednesday through Sunday. See www.michfest.com for details, or call 231-757-4766.