The Old Globe Presents First CoLAB PRIDE Celebration, with Diversionary Theatre and San Diego Pride

The Old Globe's first coLAB PRIDE Celebration, in collaboration with Diversionary Theatre and San Diego Pride, will feature live-streamed performances of short plays by LGBTQ+ playwrights Shairi Engle, Jaime Estepa, Katherine Harroff, and Miki Vale, with additional material created by Teen-Versionary and the Stonewall Salon-two of Diversionary's arts education programs serving teenagers and the older generation, under the direction of Diversionary's Director of Arts Education and Outreach and this event's co-producer, Skyler Sullivan.

These will be performed live during the San Diego Virtual Pride Festival on July 18 and 19 by professional actors as well as featured select participants from Diversionary's Virtual Summer Acting Program and the Silver Squad. Join us in this groundbreaking collaboration with Diversionary Theatre and San Diego Pride with a special sneak peek on Saturday, July 18 and the complete performances on Sunday, July 19 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. PDT on The Old Globe Arts Engagement Facebook and The Old Globe YouTube, as well as on the digital platforms for the San Diego Virtual Pride Festival.

For more information on the San Diego Virtual Pride Festival schedule, please visit https://sdpride.org. For more information on Diversionary's Virtual Summer Acting Program, please refer to www.diversionary.org/teenversionary.

"The history of Pride is long and rich," shared Freedome Bradley-Ballentine, The Old Globe's Director of Arts Engagement. "Born from the ashes of the Stonewall uprising in 1969, Pride has been instrumental in advancing human rights for not only the LGBTQ+ community but for all of society. In these times we need PRIDE more than ever. The Globe is honored to be a part of the San Diego Virtual Pride Festival, partnering with Diversionary Theatre, to make theatre that matters for those that seek Pride beyond our physical boarders."

"Diversionary is thrilled to partner with San Diego Pride and The Old Globe this year to create some fresh content that reflects San Diego's diverse voices," stated Skyler Sullivan, Director of Arts Education and Outreach at Diversionary Theatre. "This year, our arts education programs serving teens and older adults focused on creating original material honoring this year's festival theme: 'Together We Rise.' We hope you enjoy it, and happy Pride!"

Additionally, Matt M. Morrow, Diversionary Theatre's Executive Artistic Director, affirmed, "The San Diego theatre and not-for-profit community have always been exceptionally collaborative. The partnership we have forged between The Old Globe's coLAB program, San Diego Pride, and Diversionary will go a long way in bringing greater visibility to the unique story of the LGBTQ+ family. Diversity is central to who we are, and I'm ecstatic for this to be on full display at this year's Virtual Pride Festival."

The coLAB workshops are a program of The Old Globe's Department of Arts Engagement. coLAB is focused on the collaborative art-making process between community members and artists, uniting storytelling and playmaking. The goal is to develop original pieces and showcase them in established community festivals.

coLAB is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation, with additional financial support provided by The City of San Diego.

NOTE: All in-person Globe productions and events have been postponed until further notice; all dates are subject to change. In the meantime, the Globe develops and presents a wide array of free online programs to continue reaching the San Diego community. These include the world premiere of Bill Irwin's In-Zoom, available now on our YouTube channel and our website; On Book: The Old Globe's Shakespeare Reading Group; a free commissioned short-plays project Play At Home; outreach from familiar Globe artists in Act Breaks and Flashbacks; The Old Globe Coloring Book; and Soap It Up with students from The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Barry Edelstein continues his hit presentation Thinking Shakespeare Live! and a special ongoing series Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets!

The indefatigable Arts Engagement Department has pivoted several community-based projects online and has created new programs. Included are weekly offerings of Playwrights Unstuck with Globe-commissioned playwrights; The Living Room Play Workshop; collaborative program Word Up!; Community Voices playwriting workshop; and Behind the Curtain and its offshoots, the Spanish-language Detrás del Telón and Behind the Curtain: Technical Assistance forum. Globe to Go videos, a part of School in the Park, are online, as is Reflecting Shakespeare TV, a digital version of the transformative initiative. The popular Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio moves online this year, and is joined by new program Creative Youth Studio and Theatre Design Studio.

Visit www.TheOldGlobe.org for schedules and updates!

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