Mark Salyer

Over the past 12 years New Stages has produced dozens of live stage shows, classes, workshops and media projects to benefit the ever growing LGBTQ Senior Community in West Hollywood. Stepping Stones, their intergenerational project sponsored in-part by the City of West Hollywood;s Arts Division.

NewStages, a multi-generational arts initiative that connects artists in the LGBTQ+ community to tell their stories, is presenting Stepping Stones, a new program that is making its debut this month to coincide with the celebration of Pride Month.

NewStages, a multi-generational arts initiative that connects artists in the LGBTQ+ community to tell their stories, is presenting Stepping Stones, a new program that is making its debut this month to coincide with the celebration of Pride Month.

Starting on November 2nd and for 8 consecutive weeks on Zoom, New Stages will feature the class Queer Theater: From the Freaks to the Geeks, taught by Mark Salyer and with special guests including playwright Robert Patrick (Kennedy's Children) talking about Caffe Cino and director Randee Trabitz (“The Mystery of Irma Vep”, “Blacktop Highway”, “The Solid Life of Sugar Water”) who will discuss the plays of Charles Ludlam and the Ridiculous Theater. 

Beginning with their New Year's show in January, NewStages, a Los Angeles based theater company for seniors, has had a busy year, in lieu of Covid, with thousands of seniors tuning in to their online programming.

New Stages, a Los Angeles-based arts program for seniors will present Secret Lives, four episodes of stories, creative writing and music during June. The final episode will air on Tuesday, June 30th ,  with a watch party scheduled for 7:00PM Pacific Time.

Pride Month celebrates the progress of the LGBTQ+ community in their journey toward liberation. But many elders in the community experienced periods of their lives where they had to keep their lives and loves secret and hidden.

When Covid lockdowns were announced, many live performances were re-envisioned as virtual experiences. A group of seniors at the LA LGBT Center were determined to proceed with their productions, even when it meant learning some new technology.

“Ladies Most Deject,” a dramatic featurette directed by Martha Elcan, will compete for top prizes at the upcoming Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) which will run Sep. 8-13, 2020. It will be part of the festival's Narrative Shorts Block II and will be virtually screened beginning on Sep. 8.

When Covid lockdowns were announced, many live performances were re-envisioned as virtual experiences. A group of seniors at the LA LGBT Center was determined to proceed with the spring production, even when it meant learning some new technology.

'Ladies Most Deject,' a dramatic short film directed by Martha Elcan, will screen at the 3RD Annual Female Filmmakers Fuse - Film Festival, Thursday November 14, at 10PM. The festival runs from November 14 - 16th at the Sheraton Hotel in Old Town Pasadena.

'Ladies Most Deject,' a dramatic short film directed by Martha Elcan, will screen at 2pm on Friday, October 18 at the Regal Theatre at LA LIVE in downtown Los Angeles.

On the day the Obergefell Vs. Hodges ruling was announced, a group of LGBTQ seniors was busy rehearsing a show. There was so much excitement about the legalization of gay marriage, the performers could barely concentrate. This group of people, ages 60 - 91, had seen the full spectrum of gay rights, played out in their lifetimes.

The LGBTQ movement has had its heroes and heroines - the people who fought, and sometimes died, for the sake of liberation. Sometimes, it's the everyday people, living out lives in a non-accepting world, who are the real heroes.

The LGBTQ movement has had its heroes and heroines - the people who fought, and sometimes died, for the sake of liberation. Sometimes, it's the everyday people, living out lives in a non-accepting world, who are the real heroes.

New Stages is a Los Angeles-based arts program for LGBTQ seniors with an emphasis on music, storytelling and theater. This year's showcase performance, California Dreams, directed by Mark Salyer with musical direction by Debbie Lawrence will be at the Renberg Theater in Hollywood, June 12 and 14, at 7:00 PM. Admission is free.

New Stages is an arts program for LGBT seniors, but it isn't your typical arts and crafts fare. Teaching artists Mark Salyer and Kay Cole have worked for the last four years to help LGBT elders tell their own stories and find their own voices. This year's showcase performance, Working OUT, will be presented at the Renberg Theatre at the LA LGBT Center's VIllage at Ed Gould Plaza, June 4 and 5th at 6:00 PM. Admission is free.

LOS ANGELES, CA(Marketwired - Apr 5, 2016) - Where I'm From, a new 30-minute travelogue series created by Executive Producer Mark Salyer of Appalachia Right At Ya Productions, is giving young individuals an all-access pass to small town life in the United States. Unearthing the hidden treasures tucked away in American soil, the show will feature Conner Wharton, a 17-year-old girl with Southern Belle charm, as she connects with friends from around the country. Together, they discover amazing adventures right in their own 'backyards'.

A group of 17 performers are busy rehearsing at the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza for a show about life in West Hollywood. They dance, they sing, they laugh and cry. Ranging in age from 55 - 87, this troupe, otherwise known as NewStAGES, is creating the story of Life in the First Gay City, performed June 28 at the Renberg Theatre, from their own experiences.

production of A Chorus Line, which garnered the Tony, Pulitzer Prize, Drama Desk, and Theatre World awards -among others.  Other credits include:  director/choreographer: 22%, Love Songs, Spelling Bee, Rose Bowl Queens, Bark! No Strings, Desperate Writers (Off-B'way/LA), Flunky, The Dining Room, Nuncrackers, Judy's Scary Little Christmas, Frog & Toad, A Chorus Line, choreographer: Hunger, Nightmare Alley, Atlanta, Great Expectations, Triumph of Love, Dancing at Lughnasa. Pasadena Playhouse: 110 in the Shade, Do I Hear A Waltz. Hollywood Bowl: Mame, Bernstein's Mass, My Fair Lady, Music Man, Camelot, Reprise!, Three Penny Opera, City of Angels, Company, 20th Century, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Most Happy Fella. Other Los Angeles: Atlanta, Paint Your Wagon (Geffen); Grave White Way (Hudson Theatre); Dogeaters, Gaytino (Kirk Douglas Theatre); Six Dance Lessons (Falcon, Geffen, B'way); Snoopy, Blockheads (London West End). Film/TV: Country Rules, Santa Clause 3, Six Dance Lessons…  Website: www.kaycole.net