Lea DeLaria To Headline THE BASH At City Theatre

City Theatre has announced that Lea DeLaria will headline its signature fundraiser, THE BASH, at City Theatre on Saturday, May 17, 2025. This year, The Bash will serve both as a fundraiser and an opportunity to officially celebrate the organization's 50th Anniversary season of work.   

“City Theatre is thrilled to welcome Lea to the stage” said Co-Artistic Director Clare Drobot. “Lea, who was the first openly gay comic on television in America, is an accomplished Jazz performer who has performed in concert venues all over the world.” 

Lea DeLaria is perhaps best known as ‘Big Boo' from Orange is the New Black (3 SAG Awards). She also played the role of “Bernadette” in the Broadway cast of POTUS, a title that may sound familiar to Pittsburgh audiences as the production opened City Theatre's 2024-25 season, setting box office records and delighting critics and patrons alike. 

Co-Artistic Director Monteze Freeland, who is directing the Bash performance, stated: “As a teenager I was introduced to Lea's signature talent and she has been an artistic inspiration to me for decades. To have her bold, raw and in your face style at City Theatre is fitting as she is the personification of the work we put on our stages. This will be a night that Pittsburgh will remember for years to come.”

This year, The Bash will be a one-night only cabaret-style event featuring music from Hedwig and the Angry Inch and other favorite musical numbers that have found their way to City Theatre's stage over the years. The all-star cast features audience favorites Julianne Avolio (An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake, Cry It Out), Maria Becoates-Bey (Fat Ham, Intimate Apparel, Crowns, Constant Star), Shane McLaughlin (Ghosted), and Jerreme Rodriguez (Somewhere Over the Border, Clyde's). Camille Rolla will serve as music director and local favorite Dixie Sherwood will host the evening.

After the performance, stick around for an afterparty not to be missed. Tickets for this event can be purchased at the City Theatre box office, on its website at www.CityTheatreCompany.org, or by calling the box office at 412.431.2489. VIP tickets are already sold-out.

ABOUT Lea DeLaria  

Lea was the first openly gay comic on television in America, and is an accomplished Jazz performer who has performed in concert venues all over the world. She is best known as ‘Big Boo' from Orange is the New Black (3 SAG Awards). Lea can currently be seen in the indie feature film Potato Dreams of America, and in the  Indigo Girls jukebox feature film, Glitter & Doom. Lea recently starred in the Off-Broadway Revival of Tennessee Williams' play, The Night of the Iguana, directed by Emily Mann. TV credits include Girls5Eva, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, East New York,The Blacklist, Physical, Reprisal, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Shameless, and Broad City. Film credits include Cars 3, Support The Girls, and First Wives Club. Broadway credits, POTUS Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (Bernadette), The Rocky Horror Show (Eddie/Dr. Scott) and On The Town (Hildy), Obie and Theatre World Awards. @realleadelaria www.leadelaria.com

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