Queens Theatre Introduces QUEENS PRIDE AT 25

On Tuesday, May 30th, Queens Theatre will host "Queens Pride at 25", an event making the opening of a one week exhibition of photos, video and film of 25 years of Queens Pride by Richard Shpuntoff.

The exhibit will include Shpuntoff's award winning photographs of the first 12 years of Queens Pride, as well as footage from his filming of the Parade from 2001 - 2016, and two special screenings of Julio of Jackson Heights, the film that tells the story of the 1990 hate crime murder of Julio Rivera that became the spark that ignited LGBTQ community organizing in Queens.

In addition, beginning May 1, 2017, Queens Theatre will begin collection on an interactive element called the "Queens Theatre Pride Wall". Utilizing the hashtag #QTPrideWall on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, the public will be invited to share their photographs and stories for inclusion in this unique exhibition. Materials collected for the "QT Pride Wall" will be retained for a larger exhibit in conjunction with World Pride NYC in 2019. Visitors to the exhibit will also have the opportunity to contribute on site.

On May 30, the exhibition will open to the public with a reception from 6pm-9pm, and two screenings of Mr. Shpuntoff's documentary film, Julio of Jackson Heights. The screenings will take place at 7pm and 9pm, with a 15-minute Q&A with the director in between the screenings. The exhibition will remain open for public viewing during regular business hours until Friday, June 2 at 6pm.

This event and exhibition is presented free of charge by Queens Theatre and sponsored by New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm, with organizing assistance from Richard Shpuntoff and Queens Pride. "Queens Pride at 25 highlights a crucial chapter of NYC LGBT history," said NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights, Elmhurst), founder of the Queens LGBT Pride Parade and Festival. "This exhibit tells the story of how a tragedy and the battle for an LGBT inclusive curriculum led to the formation of the Queens LGBT Pride Parade and the birth of a movement. Julio Rivera's murder sent shock waves throughout the Queens LGBT community. Then, the battle over the Children of the Rainbow curriculum was the straw that broke the camel's back jolting so many of us out of the margins of society and into the fight for full equality. It is a story every New Yorker needs to know. I am proud to be a part of this history and to co-sponsor this important event."

Visit www.queenstheatre.org for more information, and call the Queens Theatre Box Office at 718-760-0064 Tuesday-Friday 12pm-6pm to reserve your tickets for the screenings. As always, there is FREE parking at Queens Theatre, and a free subway shuttle between the Mets-Willets Point 7 Subway station and the theatre starting at 5:45pm. About Queens Theatre Queens Theatre is the premier performing arts venue in Queens. Queens Theatre's mission is to provide quality and diverse performing arts activities that are economically and geographically accessible to the 2.2 million residents of Queens, the most ethnically diverse county in the nation, and the surrounding metropolitan region.

To foster greater cultural awareness and appreciation, the Theatre presents and produces programs that reflect this diversity and features international, national and local artists. Thus, Queens Theatre introduces every year a new season featuring theatre, dance, comedy, and family shows, as well as concerts and screenings. Queens Theatre also has been playing an important educational role in the borough and has reached 2,400 students this past season through free student matinees, after-school playmaking programs and the new Queens Theatre English Language Learners program. Learn more athttp://www.queenstheatre.org/.