OUT AND PROUD Announced at Pride FIlms And Plays

Melissa Young's tour of the LGBTQ movement through song and comedy returns with a little help from Chicago's best Cabaret stars at the Pride Arts Center.

Celebrate Pride month with Melissa Young and Nick Sula as they return with Young's historical hit, OUT AND PROUD: A Rainbow Celebration. Nine years ago, Young performed the music of the World's most loved LGBTQ Icon's to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, June 28, 1969 and now returns to celebrate the progress our country has made over the last nine years with help from some of her friends! Daryl Nitz, Jeannie Tanner and Dan Riley join Young and Sula this time around with proceeds benefiting Pride Films and Plays. Pride Films and Plays creates diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, and filming one short film each season.

Starting with Stonewall and Judy Garland, Young will follow the LGBTQ Rights timeline, matching Icons to significant moments in history. Dolly Parton's Light of the Clear Blue Morning in 1977 aligns with Anita Bryant and the S.O.C., Bette Midler's Do You Wanna Dance aligns with a post Stonewall New York (1971-73) of Bathhouses and Gay owned Discos. The creation of the Pride flag 1979/80 and Diana Ross' I'm Coming Out! Young's passion for the history and where the movement is today comes across with laughter, heart and great love. $25, Reservations recommended. Young's been seen all around town at Davenports, Hydrate, the Park West, 3160 and Drury Lane Water Tower and out of town at The Dunes Resort, Don't Tell Mama in NYC, The Duplex NYC and The Stonewall Inn.

More information can also be found at www.melissayoung.com. & http://pridefilmsandplays.com/

About the Performers:

Melissa Young

Melissa Young is a cabaret singer, comedian writer and actor. Melissa is most known for her two solo cabaret shows, Lucky Star: A Madonna Celebration and Out and Proud: A Rainbow Celebration. Locally, she has performed at Davenports, The Skokie Theatre, Stage 773, The Park West, Drury Lane Water Tower Place, The Uptown Underground, 3160 and Mary's Attic to name a few. She has appeared in New York at the famous Don't Tell Mama, The Duplex and the infamous Stonewall Inn, she most played Sylvie in this summer's hit THE NANCE at Pride Films and Plays and will be Shirley in the Chicago Premier of DISASTER, THE MUSICAL at Chicago Theater Workshop. www.melissayoung.com

Nick Sula

Nick Sula is a pianist, arranger, and award-winning music director for theater and cabaret. Recent theater credits include Black Button Eyes Productions, Pride Films and Plays, Chicago Theatre Workshop, Porchlight Music Theatre, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. Member of the Chicago Cabaret Professionals, and an instructor, music director, and vocal coach in the Theatre Conservatory at CCPA/Roosevelt University. www.nicksula.com

Daryl Nitz Combining celebrity impressions with his outrageous comedy style, Nitz creates what Cabaret Hotline hails as "a blockbuster evening of entertainment." Amazing and amusing audiences with over 30 celebrity voices, Daryl's outrageous musical antics and impressions have been featured on WGN-TV, NBC-5 and CLTV-Metromix. Called a "Rat Pack Man for the New Millenium," Daryl is a master showman who recalls the glory days of the "supper club era." One of Chicagoland's most-sought after nightclub performers, Nitz has performed at The Park West, Preston Bradley Hall, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, Royal George, Steppenwolf Theater, City Winery, Skokie Theatre, Mayne Stage, and for the past 18 years, he's hosted, "the best party in town" at Davenport's Piano Bar. Daryl Nitz is truly a must-see performer who creates an unforgettable entertainment experience, prompting the Daily Herald Newspaper to exclaim that "watching Daryl Nitz perform is like watching a dozen different shows at once."

Jeannie Tanner

Jeannie Tanner is an award winning composer, honored with six ASCAP Composer Awards, and has seven Grammy-considered albums. She is a singer-songwriter and trumpeter who performs and records her original music - a mix of jazz, pop, R&B and Latin rhythms. Her most recent release WORDS & MUSIC was chosen by the Chicago Tribune as one of the top 10 recordings of 2017. Ms. Tanner's original songs have been featured in many television shows and movies including "Culinary Travels with Dave Eckert" (PBS/The Travel Channel), "Revenge" (ABC), "Single Ladies" (VH1 - produced by Queen Latifah) "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" (Bravo), "Young and the Restless" (CBS) and the Hallmark holiday movie "Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas." And, her music can be heard on local, national and international radio via traditional stations, Sirius XM and on the internet where she has her own Pandora station. Tanner was nominated for Best Female Vocalist at the 33rd Annual Chicago Music Awards, and is a full-time musician performing with her various ensembles.

Dan Riley

Dan Riley is a Chicago-based performer who has worked with numerous groups, most recently Pride Films and Plays, The Inconvenience and the Ravinia Festival. Dan also coaches and accompanies soloists and choirs in many styles of music. He sings with Holy Name Cathedral and the Lakeside Singers, and can soon be seen Sunday mornings singing for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. He studied at Harold Washington College and Roosevelt University.

Need more Chicago Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...