12th Annual NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS to Take Place at Joe's Pub in June

The 12th annual “Night of a Thousand Judys” – the Pride concert to benefit The Ali Forney Center written and hosted by Justin Elizabeth Sayre – will be performed at Joe’s Pub on Monday, June 3. The performance is at 7:00 PM, with a VIP post-show reception to follow. The Ali Forney Center is the nation’s largest agency dedicated to helping LGBTQ homeless youth. Called “a rambunctious, uproarious, unpredictable all-star concert” by The Wall Street Journal, “Night of a Thousand Judys” will honor the iconic Judy Garland with songs from her legendary career as movie star, recording artist and stage performer. The show is directed by Peter James Cook and choreographed by Jason Wise, featuring Drew Wutke as the event’s music director. “Night of a Thousand Judys” is produced by Dan Fortune and Adam J. Rosen, with Dan Fortune serving as executive producer. The event features artwork illustrated and designed by Daniel Nolen. Special guest performers will be announced soon. Tickets are now available.
 
“After doing this show for twelve years, I've come to think of June as Judy's month!,” comments Sayre. “It's such an exciting time putting this show together. Working out the songs and the singers. Beyond that, it's just exciting to work with the Ali Forney Center again. To take a moment, before the deluge of Pride Month inundates us with rainbows and slogans, and focus on the reason for the season. To sort out what our community means, what we stand and stand up for. I am honored and humbled to still be standing up for this amazing organization. And I am overjoyed to be standing up for Judy Garland. The perfect combination for Pride season.”
 
In previous years, the concert event has featured the talents of film and TV names Alan Cumming and Bridget Everett; R&B legends Martha Wash and Sarah Dash; jazz vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Cyrille Aimée and Jane Monheit; singer/songwriters Nellie McKay, Erin McKeown and Bright Light Bright Light, Broadway divas Lena Hall, Alice Ripley and Tonya Pinkins; leading men Adam Pascal, Telly Leung, and Daniel Reichard, nightlife fixtures Karen Mason, Maude Maggart and Karen Akers; downtown stars Cole Escola and Justin Vivian Bond; and New York personalities Michael Musto and Austin Scarlett, among many others.
  
The Ali Forney Center is the largest provider protecting LGBTQ+ homeless from the harms of homelessness. Through its 24/7 Drop-In Center, “Ali’s Place,” and a network of 13 emergency and transitional housing sites, the Ali Forney Center serves over 2,200 LGBTQ+ young people. As a leader in this space, the Ali Forney Center supports organizations to utilize their expertise to replicate their model of success across the country and around the world. 
 
“Night of a Thousand Judys” will take place at Joe’s Pub on Monday, June 3 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $75 (partial view), $100 (Regular), $150 (Premium) and $175 (VIP). The $150 Premium seats include preferred seating, and a ticket to Ali Forney Center’s Summer Oasis Party on July 24. The $175 VIP seats includes premium seating, a ticket to Ali Forney Center’s Summer Oasis Party on July 24, and an exclusive post-show reception. The event has a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person. Joe’s Pub is located at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street (at Astor Place) New York, NY 10003. Tickets are available at Joe’s Pub HERE.
 

Justin Elizabeth Sayre

(Writer / Host) is a playwright and performer who Michael Musto called, “Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg.” Sayre is a fixture of the downtown cabaret scene in New York, first with their long-running variety show, The Meeting (Bistro Award winner and two MAC nominations). They are currently in residency at Joe’s Pub at the Public with their new variety show, “Assorted Fruit.” As a playwright, Sayre’s work has appeared at Dixon Place, The Wild Project, Celebration Theatre, Dynasty Typewriter, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre. Their 12-part-epic Ravenswood Manor, a camp-horror-soap-opera, was called “a sharply written and well-acted exemplar of the horror-comedy genre” by The Los Angeles Times. Sayre has written a series of YA novels, Husky, Pretty, and Mean, released by Penguin Books, and From Gay to Z: A Compendium of Queer Culture, just released by Chronicle Books. Sayre has written for television, working with Michael Patrick King on his hit CBS comedy, “2 Broke Girls” and Fox’s “The Cool Kids.” Sayre also appeared on HBO’s “The Comeback” with Lisa Kudrow. They are an NYCLU artist ambassador and a 2023 MacDowell Fellow. @justinelizabethsayre
 

Peter James Cook

(Director) is a director of plays, cabaret and site-specific performance. His work has been presented at Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, The Brick, the New York International and Philadelphia Fringe Festivals, Stella Adler Studio, Dixon Place, P.S. 122, The Hangar Theatre, and Playhouse on Park. He has directed for companies including Virgin Voyages, Lesser America, The Play Company and Opera Theater of Yale College. Peter is a Drama League directing fellow, and Artistic Associate at Theatre for a New Audience.
 

Drew Wutke

(Music Director / Piano) is honored to return to lead the music of Night of a Thousand Judys. This New York City-based multidisciplinary artist and music director can be found performing with Tony, Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize winners at venues all over the world including Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub, and 54 Below. Select credits include Haarlem Nocturne with Andrè De Shields and Marc Shaiman; Pulitzer and Tony winner Michael R. Jackson for his Lincoln Center LCT3 concert residency; Stephanie Blythe/Blythely Oratorio (Live from Lincoln Center/PBS); and Fiasco’s Off-Broadway award-winning Into the Woods (Workshop MD). Solo shows include Kelli O’Hara, John-Andrew Morrison, Mason Park featuring Stephen Trask, Natalie Joy Johnson, Billy Gilman; co-creator: Kevin Smith Kirkwood’s “Classic Whitney: Alive!” concert series; BeBe Winans’ Born for This (Pre-Broadway Associate MD/Guest conductor); Middle Church’s MOSAIC series (with Matthew Johnson Harris); West End-aimed For Tonight; Jim Steinman’s Rhinegold starring André De Shields. DrewWutke.com. @drewwutke.
 

Jason Wise

(Choreographer) Favorite choreographic achievements include Anything Goes with Andrea McArdle and Sally Struthers at Gateway Playhouse and Ogunquit Playhouse, Mamma Mia! at ACT of Connecticut, Bayside: The Saved By The Bell Musical (New York Times “Critics Pick”), Showgirls: The Musical (Out Hotel), Full House: The Musical starring Perez Hilton (Toronto World Premiere and off-Broadway), Cole Escola’s Thicker Than Water (Ars Nova), and American Showstoppers: Irving Berlin, where he staged musical numbers for Brent Barrett, Lee Roy Reams, David Elder, and Karen Ziemba. More recently, he developed The Peter Gennaro Project in collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music, skillfully recreating four iconic television numbers by Peter Gennaro, additionally reconstructing Peter Gennaro’s ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ for Debbie Wileman’s “We Need A Little Christmas” at Carnegie Hall. Jason has shared his expertise as faculty and/or guest faculty at institutions such as Broadway Dance Center, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The American Musical & Dramatic Academy, The Joffrey Ballet School, The National Ballet School, Peridance Capezio Center, CAP 21, and Jacob’s Pillow, at the invitation of Chet Walker.
 

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