Taylor Iman Jones, Hennessy Winkler, Savy Jackson & More to be Featured in QUEERING THE GALA Concert

RING OF KEYS will bring QUEERING THE GALA to Joe’s Pub. 

Ring of Keys, a 501(c)3 artist service and advocacy organization and the only national network of queer women, trans, and gender non-conforming professional artists working on and offstage in musical theatre, has announced its first-ever gala to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the organization. Queering the Gala: a benefit for Ring of Keys will take place on Monday, January 29, at 9:30pm at Joe’s Pub in New York and streaming worldwide.

 

The gala will include the latest installment of the organization’s Queering the Canon series, with Queering the Canon: Alan Menken. The program will pair the well-known songs of Menken with newly commissioned songs by queer women, trans, and non-binary musical theatre writers, all to be performed and authentically inhabited by queer vocalists and musicians. The new canon songs are penned by writers Nicolette Blount (she/her) & Nico Juber (she/her); Kristen Goodman (she/they); Mel Hornyak (they/them) & Elliot Valentine (he/him); SMJ (they/them) & Natalie Myrick (she/they); Zeniba Now (she/her); Morgan Reilly (she/her); and Will Shishmanian (he/him). 

Performers include Grant Evan (they/them) (Fulton Theater, Jerry Orbach Theatre), Savy Jackson (they/she) (Bad Cinderella), Taylor Iman Jones (she/her) (Head Over Heels, Six), Emily Trumble (she/her) (Soft Power), Garnet Williams (she/they) (Long Wharf Theatre, Imagination Stage), Hennessy Winkler (he/him) (Sweeney Todd, Oklahoma! National Tour), and Gwynne Wood(they/she) (1776). A full slate of performers will be released at a later date. 

In addition to the concert, the evening will include a silent auction featuring exclusive items, customized experiences, and food and travel packages. Audiences will also hear from Keys and other artists who have been positively impacted by Ring of Keys’ work. 

The event will be directed by Mack Brown (they/them) (I Can Get It For You Wholesale, Classic Stage Company, Roundabout Directing Fellow), with music direction by Julianne B. Merrill (she/her) (My Son’s A Queer, A Strange Loop), casting/creative consulting by Peter Dunn (he/him) (Hamilton, Freestyle Love Supreme), and stage management by Sarah Jones (she/they). Queering the Gala is co-produced by outgoing Ring of Keys Executive Director Aislinn Frantz (she/her) and Ring of Keys Co-Founder Andrea Prestinario (she/her). 

Tickets can be purchased at https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2024/q/queering-the-gala/ 

Artists are subject to change without notice.

To learn more about Ring of Keys, the Keys, and upcoming events, please visit www.ringofkeys.org 

MORE ABOUT RING OF KEYS

RING OF KEYS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit artist service organization that fosters community and visibility for musical theatre artists - onstage and off - who self-identify as queer women, transgender, and gender non-conforming artists. The only national network of its kind, RING OF KEYS elevates its Members (“Keys”) through their digital platform, Queering the Stage concert series, and Directory, which serves as a hiring resource for organizations and individuals seeking to hire queer women and TGNC artists from its database of over 800 individuals.

RING OF KEYS provides a visible, supportive community for its Members, with a focus on networking events, a monthly Workshop Series, job-sharing, and monthly meet-ups. 

RING OF KEYS collaborates with arts organizations and community partners to mobilize the industry to advance the musical theatre landscape and queer the stage.  For more information, including on how to become a “Key” Member, visit www.ringofkeys.org 

 

ABOUT JOE’S PUB:

JOE’S PUB, a program of The Public Theater and named for its founder Joseph Papp, opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community, and artistic freedom. The organization also offers opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that helps musicians develop original theater works; Joe’s Pub Working Group, an artist development initiative; The Vanguard Award & Residency, a yearlong series that celebrates the career of a prolific and influential artist; and nationwide programming partnerships. Commissioned artists have included Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, Jean Grae, Daniel Alexander Jones, Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Allen Toussaint, and more. The venue’s food and beverage partner is the venerated NoHo Hospitality Group, helmed by acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini. With its intimate atmosphere and superior acoustics, Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. Support for New York Voices provided by the National Endowment of the Arts.

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