Hello fellow travelers,
Here is a little update on what we have been doing since the last show...
We completed 2009 with a sold-out show, standing ovations for 19 young, talented performers, a beautiful reception on the Barnsdall Theater hilltop overlooking Hollywood, and comments from audience members such as “It’s so amazing to see our community come together like this. We need more events like Rise Up And Shout.” In light of extraordinary response we are already in the planning stages for the next event.
In the spring of 2010, we undertook the effort to fully incorporate as an organization, and subsequently applied and received official non-profit status! This is a very exciting milestone for us, as it allows us to continue to provide more support for young gay artists. Speaking of support...
In order to sustain this great success we need your help. We are searching for adults and elders in the community who are looking to give something back and be a part of an important event and dialog,. If you have experience in fundraising, community outreach, mentoring, event planning or are simply motivated to contribute something to Rise Up And Shout, we need to hear from you (make link for feedback).
We hope you are having a great 2010, and will have an even better 2011 when you join us for the next Rise Up And Shout event!
A little about Rise Up and Shout!...
Rise Up And Shout! empowers gay and lesbian youth. Bridging the generation gap between the gay elders leading the community and the gay youth struggling through the coming out process, Rise Up And Shout! brings the two groups together in a year-long mentoring relationship. Through this process, the youth find, develop and finally showcase their unique voices in a performance event.
Rise Up And Shout! began in 2006 when Don Kilhefner, co-founder of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and Mark Thompson, former editor of The Advocate sat down together to try and figure out a way to reach the thousands of gay and lesbian youth in area schools, many of whom had no contact with the larger gay community. Kilhefner and Thompson put together a team of activists, artists and other leaders to reach out to the youth by bringing community directly to them. Through auditions, one-on-one and group support meetings, education, rehearsals and the production and direction of the performance itself, Rise Up And Shout! helped usher in the next generation of gay and lesbian youth.
For more information about the event please visit the documentary page to view the trailer or the about us page to learn more about the organizers. We will be updating the site with the latest information, but should you have any questions please don's hesistate to contact us.
