LAVENDER NIGHT OUT Benefit Set for the Pasadena Playhouse Tonight

The Pasadena Playhouse presents Lavender Night Out a benefit in support of art, inclusion and equality featuring a Premiere Week performance of Diana Son's GLADD Media Award winning play STOP KISS tonight, November 6, 2014. The festivities start at 6:30pm at The Pasadena Playhouse, with the STOP KISS performance at 8:00pm followed by dessert and drinks with the cast and director.

Lavender Night Out supports The Pasadena Playhouse's Theatrical Diversity Project, which is committed to bravely serving and representing the LGBTQ and other communities that broaden the diversity, equality and inclusion of American theatre through new play development and main stage productions.

Lavender Night Out will feature key civic, cultural and business leaders who share an interest in the LGBTQ community. The Co-Chairs of the event are Parise Livanos and Anthony Guthmiller. The Host Committee includes Kin Cheng, Alison De La Cruz, Annie Goto, Travis Grimm, Lorri Jean, Kelly Lynch, Valerie Ploumpis, Aaron Stibel, and Jonathan Weedman. The Honorary Committee includes Diana Son and Art Manke.

Elizabeth Doran, Executive Director of The Pasadena Playhouse, says "Diana Son has created a brilliantly crafted play that taps into our greatest core commonality: compassion. Audiences may enter our theatre with different points-of-view, but they may discover a unified perspective upon exit: that in order to live in peace, we must come at all issues from a place of love of our fellow human beings. So many of our spiritual and social leaders have expressed this, and it is certainly something we understand naturally as children. Plays like this provide gentle reminders to us in an increasingly complex adult world. Seema Sueko, our new Associate Artistic Director, makes her mark with this, her debut as a director at The Pasadena Playhouse. She brings with her an expression through the work on the stage of some of our nearly 100 year old values at The Playhouse - community inclusion and compassion for all."

Lavender Night Out Co-Chair Parise Livanos says "Having grown up in the San Gabriel Valley, Arcadia specifically, I remember going to The Playhouse and seeing its impact on the community. In recent years I've noticed that The Playhouse's impact is not only stronger than ever, but it is making huge strides in reflecting the community on its stage as well. Thank you Pasadena Playhouse! I couldn't be more excited for this event and for this new chapter in The Playhouse's artistic story to begin."

Lavender Night Out Co-Chair Anthony Guthmiller says "The importance of the play STOP KISS at The Pasadena Playhouse goes beyond entertainment. The play's story is an important one. It will hopefully create dialogue which will in turn create more awareness to the very important issue of acceptance, tolerance and sensitivity in our community. 'Normalizing' the dialogue on topics that are 'controversial' to some is the only way that we can break down the stigmas associated with them."

Lavender Night Out patron levels with benefits start at $500 for two tickets. Single tickets are $100 and $250 (both include the show with post-show dessert with cast & director, but only the $250 level offers valet parking, pre-show dinner, and swag bags). Benefit tickets are available at PasadenaPlayhouse.org. For more information and sponsorships, contact Jan Saiget, Director of Institutional Advancement at 626-921-1158 or jsaiget@pasadenaplayhouse.org

Written by Diana Son and directed by Pasadena Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Seema Sueko, STOP KISS stars Sharon Leal (Bill Condon's Dreamgirls, Fox's "Boston Public," and Lionsgate's Addicted), Angela Lin (Broadway's Chinglish), John Sloan (Fox's "Happy Hour"), Brandon Scott (ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"), Amanda Carlin (Liar Liar), and Jeff De Serrano (A&E's "Longmire").

STOP KISS marks The Playhouse directorial debut of Seema Sueko, who joined The Playhouse staff in January 2014. Originally produced Off-Broadway at The Public Theater, with a cast including Sandra Oh and Jessica Hecht, this critically acclaimed play received the GLAAD Media Award for Best New York Production. STOP KISS tells the story of Sara and Callie, who are walking through New York City's West Village late at night when they share their first kiss. This leads to a vicious attack by an angry bystander, in which Sara is horribly injured. Throughout STOP KISS, relationships are explored, formed, and even ended. Diana Son elaborates on the depths of human emotion and compassion.

STOP KISS will play November 4, 2014 through November 30 with the official press opening on November 9. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

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