Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John, Carole Cook & More to be Honored in Memoriam at A SORDID CELEBRATION OF LIVES

The Del Shores Foundation will present a one-night-only event to tell stories, show clips and share memories of the lives well-lived of SORDID LIVES cast members Carole Cook, Sarah Hunley, Leslie Jordan, Rue McClanahan and Olivia Newton-John. The celebration will be live streamed as a benefit fundraiser on YouTube and Facebook on Sunday, July 23 at 4pm Pacific/7pm Eastern, hosted and produced by Emerson Collins and Del Shores. The reunion will feature appearances cast members from the original 1996 play, the 2000 feature film, the 2008 TV series and the 2017 sequel. The proceeds will be split with fifty percent to support the Del Shores FOUNDATION WRITERS SEARCH & Del Shores FOUNDATION WRITERS FESTIVAL and fifty percent to participating theatre companies who are associated partners of the Del Shores Foundation. Donations to the benefit can be made now at www.delshoresfoundation.org.

“It’s been a difficult year for the Sordid Lives family, and for me personally, losing my best friend Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John and Carole Cook,” explains Del Shores. “It’s been hard to process, but rather than have some sad in memoriam, I thought we’d gather the Sordid Lives family and mourn, in true Southern style, by telling all of our favorite stories.” Del Shores Foundation Program Director Emerson Collins adds, “so many of us Southern gays found Sordid Lives deep in the closet, so it fits right in with the Foundation’s mission to help new Southern queer writers to celebrate these amazing actors, performers and friends who helped tell our stories in the past.”

SORDID LIVES is a black comedy about white trash as a gay actor struggles to come out to his eccentric, dysfunctional Texas family. When the family matriarch trips over the two wooden legs of her lover in a seedy motel room, her funeral brings three generations of the family back together in a story about learning to love the family you have as they are, not as you wish them to be.

The celebration will feature SORDID LIVES play, film, series and sequel cast (in alphabetical order): Newell Alexander (“August: Osage County”), Rosemary Alexander (“Sordid Lives”), Bonnie Bedelia (“Designated Survivor,” “Parenthood,”), Beau Bridges (“Homeland,” “Messiah”), Emerson Collins (“RENT” on FOX, “The People’s Couch”), Dale Dickey(“Unbelievable,” “Claws”), Bobbie Eakes (“The Bold and The Beautiful”), Alec Mapa (“Ugly Betty,” “Doom Patrol”), Caroline Rhea (“Sydney To The Max,” “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch”), David Steen (“Django Unchained”) and Ann Walker(“Sordid Lives.”)

THE Del Shores FOUNDATION

The Del Shores Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit with a mission to find and facilitate the development of unknown southern queer artistic voices. The Foundation’s programs include the Del Shores Foundation Writers Search, open to writers who identify as LGBTQ+ and are Southern. Submissions are annual with cash awards given to the winning writer in the categories of Screenwriting, Playwriting and Short Film/Web Series. Additionally, the Del Shores Foundation created grants to support the development of each winner’s work. These include a grant to the budget of the first professional theatre company to produce the winning play, a grant to the budget for producing the winning short film/web series and a grant to support the winning screenplay writer’s introduction to film production companies.

The winner of the 2021 Writers Search Best Play, Jiggs Burgess’ The Red Suitcase, will have its world premiere with the P3 Theatre Company in association with the Del Shores Foundation, opening August 12, 2023 in Hollywood. It will be directed by Del Shores, assistant directed by Blake McIver and star Emerson Collins. For more information visit www.p3theatre.biz.

The first Del Shores Foundation Writers Festival took place in the fall of 2022 over four days in Dallas, TX.  It included full stage readings of the winning short, play and screenplay scripts featuring Dallas actors. The festival brought in all of the winners and available finalists in all categories for private workshops with industry professionals from theatre, film and television and held workshops open to the public. A highlight featured a one-on-one interview between Del Shores and acclaimed co-creator of the Greater Tuna quartet of plays, Jaston Williams. For more information on the Del Shores Foundation Writers Festival visit www.delshoresfoundation.org/writersfestival2022. 

SORDID LIVES HISTORY

At twenty-seven years old, The SORDID LIVES franchise is one of the longest running LGBTQ franchises. It began as a play in a sixty-four seat theatre named Theatre/Theater in Los Angeles in 1996. The play starred Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant, Rosemary Alexander, Newell Alexander and Ann Walker and ran thirteen sold-out months with thirteen Critic’s Choice Awards. The play has been produced by over 300 theatre companies nationwide. In 2000, the film adaption added Bonnie Bedelia, Beau Bridges, Delta Burke, Sarah Hunley and Olivia Newton-John and won many film festival awards with thirteen Audience Awards. The film became a cult-hit as it ran in limited release in theatres for almost three years before selling over 300,000 DVDs. In 2006, the play was revived in Los Angeles before launching a national tour. In 2008, the prequel “Sordid Lives: The Series” welcomed Caroline Rhea and Rue McClanahan and was released on LOGO and syndicated in seventeen countries. In 2017, the marriage-equality themed sequel reunited cast from the film and series in “A Very Sordid Wedding” with Carole Cook and a cameo from Whoopi Goldberg and twelve out LGBTQ actors including Emerson Collins, Alec Mapa and Levi Kreis. It opened as number one at the limited release box office before playing more than 60 cities. 

ABOUT THE TEAM 

Del Shores (Playwright/Director/Producer) is the writer/director/producer of the films “Sordid Lives,” “Blues for Willadean,” “Southern Baptist Sissies” and “A Very Sordid Wedding.” He wrote and executive produced the MGM feature “Daddy's Dyin'...Who's Got The Will?” He has written eight previous plays, all published by Samuel French, with four adapted for the screen which have run collectively for over seven years in Los Angeles. Southern Baptist Sissies won the GLAAD Award, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife won the NAACP Theatre Award, and both Yellow and Trailer Trash won the LADCC Award for Best Original Play and Best Production.  In television, Del wrote, directed, executive produced and created the LOGO series, “Sordid Lives: The Series.” He also wrote and executive produced on Showtime's “Queer As Folk.” Shores has performed standup in three national tours, all filmed for DVD.  His one-man play Six Characters In Search Of A Play won three film festival awards and is now a film available on BroadwayHD. Lifetime Achievement Awards from FilmOut San Diego and LA Weekly. www.delshores.com 

Emerson Collins (Producer/Host) is an actor, producer and director best known for four seasons of BRAVO’s “The People’s Couch” and “RENT” on FOX.  He produced and starred in the films “A Very Sordid Wedding” and “Southern Baptist Sissies,” winning Best Actor at the Red Dirt International Film Festival for “Sissies.” He produced and starred in the national tour of Sissies and produced the national tour of Sordid Lives. Emerson won the Desert Theatre League Award for Best Actor in a Comedy for the regional premiere of the one-man show Buyer & Cellar. Collins co-produced and recurred in LOGO’s “Sordid Lives: The Series” and produced “Blues For Willadean.”  He executive produced the “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” telethon for PEG raising almost $600,000 for LGBTQ+ groups. Emerson regularly appears nationally and internationally at film festivals and as a speaker on LGBTQ+ representation in film. www.emersoncollins.com 

ABOUT THE SCHEDULE

A SORDID CELEBRATION OF LIVES will live stream Sunday, July 23 at 4pm Pacific/7pm Eastern.

The livestream is free and reminders can be set for the livestream on

YouTube here: 

Facebook here: https://fb.me/e/1z0aKtUVI

For more information on the benefit and the Del Shores Foundation Writers Search, please visit www.delshoresfoundation.org

For more information and press interviews with Del Shores and Emerson Collins, please contact Emerson Collins, Program Director emerson@delshoresfoundation.org.

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