The Big Johnson / A film by Lola Rocknrolla / Screening Twice Daily Through Thursday, January 29 at Quad Cinema (4 West 13th Street, NYC) / Runtime: 95 Minutes
The legendary Dean Johnson has been appropriately lauded/labeledas a drag queen, rock star, LGBTQI+ activist, junkie, genius, escort…and then, John Doe. “Was it murder? Was it an accident?,” asks the filmmaker and a Who’s Who of Dean’scontemporaries. “We may never know,” this revealing documentary admits, “but Dean and ‘the Big Johnson’ changed New York City nightlife and everyone who knew him forever.” Providing insights and windows into a bygone (but still influential) time in the NYC downtown performance scene are Legs Malone, Mike Albo, Penny Arcade, Josh Atkins, Michael Musto, DJ Tennessee, and Daniel Nardicio.
Screening Sunday, January 25 at 1:30pm & 8:10pm; Monday, January 26 at 1:30pm & 8pm; Tuesday, January 27 at 12pm & 6pm; Wednesday, January 28 at 12pm & 8:10pm; and Thursday, Jan 29, at 12pm & 8:10pm. For more info on Quad screenings (including possible run dates extending past Jan. 29), click here or call 212-255-2243.
Applications Accepted Now for Staging Pride: Queer Youth Theater | Wednesdays, February 2 Through May 6 at The Hetrick-Martin Institute (2 Astor Place, NYC)
The NYC-based nonprofit National Queer Theater makes good on its mission to provide “a home for unheard storytellers and activists” via this free, after-school theater education program for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18. Presented in partnership with The Hetrick-Martin Institute (at their 2 Astor Place, NYC location), Staging Pride provides a space for “young NYC artists to make new friends and explore queer culture through theater.” Attention will also be paid to “the vital role of the artist activist in the on-going fight for LGBTQ+ rights.”
Participants will share dinner during each session, receive a transportation card for their travels, and earn a $200 stipend upon the program’s completion (which culminates in a student-written/performed production). Past iterations have featured masterclasses taught by guest artists such as RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Marcia Marcia Marcia and Yuhua Hamasaki.
Staging Pride will meet every Wednesday, 4:30pm to 6:30pm, February 2 through May 6. Applications are open through February 2 and available on National Queer Theater’s website (click here to visit).
—Compiled by Scott Stiffler
