Anne Fraser Thomas Joins Tituss Burgess, Lady Rizo and Spencer Day at The Meeting* Tonight

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre will present its newest edition on Thursday, March 15 at 9:30 PM. The Meeting* – the monthly gathering of the I.O.S. (International Order of Sodomites) – is a gay romp through politics (sexual and otherwise), social news, music, comedy skits, and other important life-changing information. Justin Sayre and The Meeting* were named one of the Top 10 nightclub shows of 2011 by Time Out New York and received a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance. Each edition of The Meeting* honors a different gay icon; the February show will include a tribute to Diana Ross and will feature special musical guests Spencer Day, Lady Rizo and Tituss Burgess.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre operates under the myth of the “gay agenda” and is structured as any organizational meeting for homosexuals would be – business of the day, upcoming events and social issues are discussed, ridiculed, and interwoven between comedy sketches, musical numbers, and other “homo-hijinks.” In addition to writing the show, Justin serves as the Chairman of the I.O.S., the centuries-old secret organization of homosexuals and their friends. He says, “I wanted a show where we could have a good laugh at ourselves, while getting some information out there. The Internet is great and easy to create a virtual community, but I think so much more is done in person, face to face. Plus if you can get a laugh, well that's just heaven.” Audience response has been ecstatic.

Past “agenda items” have addressed current issues such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in “Serving In Silence: The Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Story,” the continuing romantic saga of gay penguins at the San Francisco Zoo, and a guide to the so-called “Gay Panic” defense. The monthly events have featured popular guest stars such as Frank DeCaro, Natalie Joy Johnson, Kenny Mellman, Randy Rainbow, Maude Maggart, Jack Ferver, Murray Hill, Jeffery Self and Cole Escola, Molly Pope, Steve Hayes, Bridget Everett, Poor Baby Bree and more.

In June 2011, The Meeting* presented Night of A Thousand Judys at Joe’s Pub honoring the iconic entertainer Judy Garland, its second annual all-star benefit for The Ali Forney Center – the nation's largest organization dedicated to serving homeless LGBT youth. The sold-out evening featured performances by Jackie Hoffman, Daisy Egan, Paul Iacono, Gay Marshall, Jeff Hiller, Emily Bergl, Ryan O’Connor and more. Night of A Thousand Judys, again directed by Ben Rimalower, will return to Joe’s Pub on June 11, 2012.

Yale University presented a special edition of The Meeting* this spring as part of their Pride Month. Justin’s official monthly podcast of The Meeting*, co-hosted by I.O.S. Secretary and MAC Award-winner performer Matt Sigl, is available at www.themeetingpodcast.blogspot.com.

Justin Sayre demonstrated a supernatural instinct for “camp” at an early age. Justin is a child of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania who moved to New York believing it was still 1947. He was terribly misinformed. In 2006, Justin received rave reviews for his solo show “Without A Song.” As an actor, he has worked and studied with some of the finest professionals in New York. As a gay, Justin has excelled at scarf placement, devilish quips, and a healthy but firm love of the American musical. He has also performed at Comix, Symphony Space, “Our Hit Parade” at Joe’s Pub and at the Leslie/Lohman Gallery for their Tennessee Williams 100th Birthday Celebration, curated by illustrator Robert W. Richards. Justin contributed a story about Justin Bond for Radical Faerie Digest – one of the oldest gay publications in the country. In 2011, two of his short plays were presented by the “Fame and Shame on the LES” performance series. Last summer he was chosen as a 1st year fellow for the Queer |ART| Mentorship, working with Everett Quinton of Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company, to develop a new play. In September, he will host a special centennial performance event to celebrate Harry Hay, co-founder of the Mattachine Society, at New York’s Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies. A new show of Justin’s original skits will be presented at Ars Nova on April 20 and 21. Justin also writes for the screen with writing partner James Hawkins.

Tituss Burgess is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BA in Music. He is currently recurring on “30 Rock” as D'fwan. He recently starred as Nicely Nicely Johnson in the new Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. He originated the role of Sebastian the Crab in Disney's The Little Mermaid, Jersey Boys (OBC) and Good Vibrations (OBC). Regionally he was seen in The Wiz (Cowardly Lion, La Jolla), Songs For A New World w/ Jason Robert Brown, Brian d'Arcy James and Alice Ripley. He played Father in Children of Eden, Jim in Big River and a host of others. In the concert world, Tituss has served as soloists with the Prague Symphony Orchestra as well as for Academy Award Winner,Ennio Morricone. Television: "2009 Tony Awards," “The View,” “The Today Show,” "Good Morning America," “Late Night with David Letterman.” His cast albums include The Little Mermaid and Jersey Boys. His solo CD Here's to You is available on iTunes.

Spencer Day – the acclaimed vocalist, songwriter and pianist – recently released his third CD Vagabond, his debut for Concord Jazz. He performed selections from the album on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and other national TV outlets His artistic sensibility borrows from numerous sources: jazz, musical theater, soul, folk, traditional pop and contemporary pop. The song "Movie of Your Life" won San Francisco Academy of Art University’s 2005 competition for best original song. Spencer co-wrote the score and starred in the new musical, Someday, Love, which premiered at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theater. He has opened for Rufus Wainwright at the Napa Valley Opera House and appeared in London’s West End, the Hollywood Bowl, Tanglewood, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, The Sheldon Concert Hall in St Louis, the Dakota in Minneapolis. the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Singapore Sun Festival. A perennial favorite in the Bay Area, Spencer has headlined at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Yoshi's, the Rrazz Room, the Great American Music Hall, and the Herbst Theatre. In New York, he earned raves for performances at the Town Hall, Joe’s Pub, The Jazz Standard, and the Canal Room.

Lady Rizo, called a "Cabaret Superstar" by New York Magazine, is a comedienne and chanteuse who revives the genre by creating vintage arrangements and theatrical explorations of pop songs from every decade. In January 2010 she won her first Grammy on a duet with acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma that was released on a Holiday album featuring Diana Krall, James Taylor and Alison Krauss among others. She also sings and records with multi-platnum recording artist Moby and was nominated for an MVPA for the choreography the video for the single New York, New York featuring Debbie Harry. She is the Mistress of Ceremonies for current hotspot The Darby, a decadent modern supperclub in the West Village, where she has performed for music luminaries like Prince, Beyonce and Jay-Z. A proud recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in 2010, she has performed her sold out show monthly at Joe's Pub since 2009 and was commissioned for a full length piece by The Public Theater that premiered in the New York Voices series in 2011.

“If you fancy yourself a smart, funny homosexual, you simply have to attend The Meeting*”, according to Frank DeCaro of Sirius XM Radio, “But while you’re sitting there sipping a Brandy Alexander, don’t imagine yourself to be smarter, funnier or gayer than host Justin Sayre because you’re not. He’s as sharp as they come, hilarious as all get out and even Oscar Wilde would have told him to butch it up – which makes this fearless leader of the I.O.S. a most commanding presence on stage.”

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre will be presented at The Duplex, located at 61 Christopher Street at 7th Ave, New York, NY 10014, on Thursday, March 15 at 9:30 PM. There is a $10 cover charge and a two-drink minimum. You must be 21+ years of age to attend. For reservations, please visit www.theduplex.com. The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre is produced by Adam J. Rosen and Dan Fortune.

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