Photo Flash: San Diego Mayor Sanders Gets 'WICKED'

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders made a quick backstage visit yesterday to WICKED and posed for a photo with the cast onstage as they took a break from their rehearsal schedule. He recognizes Production Stage Manager and SD native Peter Van Dyke and the cast for their national efforts for equality - especially the Fundraising Benefit "DEFYING INEQUALITY," taking place at the BIRCH THEATRE Monday, August 24!

Mayor Jerry Sanders and his family were recipients of the 2008 San Diego Equality Award from Equality California. This year, the Equality California Awards event will honor Attorney General Jerry Brown, Diane Schrier and Stuart Milk (Harvey's nephew) at the Museum of Man on November 14th. The kick-off party for the 2009 Awards will take place at True North Tavern at 6PM before "Defying Inequality."

Monday, August 24 at 7:30PM; the First National Touring Company of WICKED will host "DEFYING INEQUALITY," an evening of cabaret performances promoting equality and civil rights. Held at the Birch North Park Theatre (2891 University Avenue), and produced by company members of WICKED, the event will feature members of the cast and crew as well as guest performers. This one-night only event will benefit Equality California, Empire State Pride Agenda, Garden State Equality and Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, four non-profit charitable organizations working to legislate equality and protect civil rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. All proceeds will be distributed evenly among the four organizations.

DEFYING INEQUALITY will feature musical performances that support WICKED's theme of acceptance and illuminate the musical's message that people should not be judged on first impressions, and that in these divisive times we must come together to support one another's rights throughout the country and around the world. Performers include Donna Vivino (Elphaba), Nina West (2008 National Entertainer of the Year), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie) SD's own Judy "The Beauty" Forman as well as many members of the WICKED cast.

Admission to DEFYING INEQUALITY is by donation. Donation levels are $35 and $50 for general seating. A $100 donation includes a cocktail reception at 6:00pm at a location to be announced, and $150 donation includes the cocktail reception and limited seating at the performance with members of the WICKED cast. Tickets are available through Equality California at www.eqca.org ; Broadway San Diego at www.broadwaysd.com or by phone at 888-937-8995, Monday through Friday 9:30am-5:30pm; and through the Birch North Park Theatre Box Office at www.birchnorthparktheatre.net or by phone at 619-239-8836. Service charges may apply to tickets purchased through the Birch North Park Theatre. A limited number of tickets will also be available at The Big Kitchen, 3003 Grape Street, San Diego, 619-234-5789 and the Obelisk bookstore at 1029 University Avenue in Hillcrest 619-297-4171.

Founded in 1998, Equality California (EQCA) celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, commemorating a decade of building a state of equality in California. In the past 10 years, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Working in partnership with California's LGBT Legislative Caucus, EQCA is committed to building a better future for all Californians by protecting youth, strengthening families and empowering communities. Each year at the Capitol, EQCA monitors thousands of bills and leads the state's efforts to defeat legislation that could have a negative impact on LGBT Californians and their families.

The Empire State Pride Agenda is New York's statewide LGBT civil rights and advocacy organization. Their mission is to win equality and justice for LGBT New Yorkers and their families. Through their education, organizing and advocacy programs, Empire State Pride Agenda works toward creating a broadly diverse alliance of LGBT people and their allies in government, communities of faith, labor, all sectors of the workforce and other social justice movements to achieve equality for LGBT New Yorkers and the broader goals of social, racial and economic justice.

Garden State Equality, New Jersey's LGBT-rights advocacy organization, was founded in 2004. Since then, it has enacted 200 LGBT civil rights laws at the state, county and municipal levels. The laws include 12 expansions of the domestic partnership law from 2004 to 2006; a civil union law in 2006; a law expanding the Law Against Discrimination to include the transgender community in 2006; and in 2008, a statewide law that simultaneously overhauls the state's anti-bullying law, expands the state's hate crimes law to encompass the transgender community, and toughens up the entire hate crimes law to strengthen the fight against all bias-motivated violence. Also in 2008, New Jersey became only the second state in the United States, after California, to mandate paid family leave to employees who need to provide care for their same-sex partners.

The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force (VFMTF) is a non-profit organization committed to gaining civil marriage equality for same-sex couples in Vermont. VFMTF formed in 1996 as a coalition of individuals and associations in Vermont who support the freedom for same-sex couples to enter into civil marriages. VFMTF works throughout the state to educate Vermonters about the importance of civil marriage equality for same-sex couples and their families.

Tickets for WICKED are available through the Civic Theatre Ticket Office or Ticketmaster. A limited number of seats will be made available prior to each performance through a public lottery.

Performance dates are July 29 - August 30 at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 3rd and B Street, 1100 Third Ave.

For performance schedule and more information, visit BroadwaySD.com.

Photo Credit: Joanne Brannigan