The world premiere of Dear Harvey at Diversionary Theatre. Photo by Michael McKeon.
Show Summary
We had a great time with "Dear Harvey" at FringeNYC 2010! At the Festival closing event, we received an "Overall Excellence Award for Ensemble." Thanks to everyone at FringeNYC and The Soho Playhouse.
All the "Dear Harvey" news up-to-date on Facebook
August 12 - We're mentioned in The New York Times!
August 12 - We're mentioned in Chelsea Now
Aug. 9 - Read about composer Thomas Hodges at FringeHIGH 5's Artspedia
Aug. 5 - Read "The Queer Fringe" article in Gay City News
Aug. 4 - "Dear Harvey" FringeNYC cast announced - Vash Boddie, Katharine McLeod, Mark Peters, Lynne Rosenberg, Ira Spector, Scott Striegel and Jacqueline Sydney.
"Dear Harvey" picked as one of the '10 Shows that stand out at this year's Fringe Festival' in Broadway producer .
Read a preview of "Dear Harvey" from
Diversionary Theatre, San Diego’s LGBT Theatre, will produce Patricia Loughrey’s tribute play Dear Harvey to the 14th annual New York International Fringe Festival, a production of The Present Company. More commonly known as FringeNYC, the Festival is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days with 1,200 performances in more than 20 venues. FringeNYC will run August 13-29.
Dear Harvey was chosen for FringeNYC from more than 800 submissions. Drawn from over thirty interviews conducted by Patricia Loughrey, Dear Harvey recounts the achievements and vision of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to a major public office in the United States. The tribute play weaves together the voices of a drag queen, a State Senator, an international gay rights activist, a nineteen-year-old composer and others with the personal and political writings of Harvey Milk to paint a portrait of a leader, and a vision for equality.
Commissioned by Diversionary Theatre, Dear Harvey had its world premiere at Diversionary in April 2009.
Other links of interest
: Send Dear Harvey to FringeNYC
FringeNYC PERFORMANCES
Here's our FringeNYC info:
Dear Harvey
Diversionary Theatre
Writer: Patricia Loughrey, Music by Thomas Hodges
Stories of Harvey Milk - the people he knew, the lives he changed. Intimate, surprising stories based on interviews with Harvey's nephew Stuart Milk, Harvey's campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, AIDS Quilt founder Cleve Jones and other friends and activists.
1h 15m National San Diego, CA
Drama FringeHIGH*
Staycation:
VENUE #16: The SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street
*FringeNYC has selected the show as one of its “FringeHIGH” events, scheduling a talkback for high school students after the Sunday, August 22 4:30pm performance.
BUY TICKETS!
 |
 |
| Front of the FringeNYC Postcard | Back of the FringeNYC Postcard |
Send "Dear Harvey" to FringeNYC!
We’ve raised most of the funds needed to support the FringeNYC production, but we need your help to meet our goal. PLEASE HELP US RAISE $2,000 by the start of the Festival on August 13. Help us take Dear Harvey to NEW YORK CITY! Donate any amount at GiveForward.com
.
Photos
 |
 |
| Patricia Loughrey | Thomas Hodges |
The cast of Dear Harvey at FringeNYC:
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Vash Boddie | Jacqueline Sydney* | Katharine McLeod* | Mark Peters* |
 |
 |
 |
| Lynne Rosenberg* | Ira Spector | Scott Striegel |
Member, Actor's Equity Association. Pending AEA Showcase approval.
Diversionary Theatre's World Premiere Production of Dear Harvey:
Visit the San Diego State University "Dear Harvey" photo gallery
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE & LISTINGS
Contact: Paul Siebold, 646-484-9633 • paul@offoffpr.com
Paul Siebold, Publicist
646-484-9633 • paul@offoffpr.com
Dan Kirsch, Executive & Artistic Director
619.220.6830 • dkirsch@diversionary.org
Diversionary Theatre, San Diego’s LGBT Theatre, Announces Cast for
Dear Harvey
A Tribute Play Written by Patricia Loughrey
August 20th – 28th (5 performances only)
The New York International Fringe Festival – FringeNYC
A Production of The Present Company
Tickets: $15. For tickets visit www.FringeNYC.org
Diversionary Theatre, San Diego’s LGBT Theatre has announced its cast for Patricia Loughrey’s tribute play Dear Harvey to be presented at the 14th annual New York International Fringe Festival (www.FringeNYC.org), a production of The Present Company. Executive and Artistic Director Dan Kirsch directs a cast of seven including Vash Boddie, Katherine MacLeod*, Mark Peters*, Lynne Rosenberg*, Ira Spector, Scott Striegel, and Jacqueline Sydney* and will include original music performed by composer Thomas Hodges. Five performances will be held at The Soho Playhouse (Venue #16), 15 Vandam Street, NYC from August 20-28. *Member, Actors’ Equity Association
Drawn from over thirty interviews conducted by Patricia Loughrey, Dear Harvey recounts the achievements and vision of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to a major public office in the United States. The tribute play weaves together the voices of a drag queen, a State Senator, an international gay rights activist, and a nineteen-year-old composer with the personal and political writings of Harvey Milk to paint a portrait of a leader, and a vision for equality.
“These stories about Harvey Milk are from the people he knew and the lives he changed,” said playwright Loughrey. “I’ve had the remarkable privilege of talking with people close to him, and it’s exciting to be able to share these intimate, sometimes surprising, stories with our community. We lost Harvey too soon, but in these stories, we get to hear the impact of his love and courage.”
Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in San Francisco’s City Hall in November 1978. Dear Harvey is based on interviews with Harvey’s nephew Stuart Milk, Harvey’s campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, AIDS Quilt founder Cleve Jones, California State Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, activist Robin Tyler, plus other community activists, and is supported with original music by Thomas Hodges and historical photos of Harvey Milk by Daniel Nicoletta.
Dear Harvey was given a professional concert reading at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in April of this year as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), and Loughrey was awarded a Core Apprenticeship at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis for the upcoming year. Since its premiere, the play has also had readings or productions in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Torrance CA and at San Diego State University (their production of the play went to the regional KCACTF in St. George, Utah). Harvey Milk would have turned 80 this past May 22nd, and readings or productions in Santa Monica, Staten Island, Bakersfield CA and Boston celebrated his birthday and California’s first Harvey Milk Day, a statewide day of recognition. This fall Dear Harvey will be published by Playscripts, Inc., and will have productions in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Albany NY.
An AEA showcase (approval pending), the FringeNYC production of Dear Harvey has already garnered some advance press, including a nod on Ken Davenport’s The Producer’s Perspective blog as one of the “10 shows that stand out at this year’s Fringe Festival.”
Dear Harvey opens Friday, August 20th and runs through Saturday, August 28th on the following schedule:
Fri., Aug. 20th @ 4:15pm
Sun., Aug. 22nd @ 4:30pm (a FringeHIGH talkback follows the performance)
Tues., Aug. 24th @ 5:45pm
Thurs., Aug. 26th @ 10pm
Sat., Aug. 28th at 8:15pm
The runtime for Dear Harvey is 75 minutes without an intermission.
Diversionary Theatre was founded in 1986 and is celebrating their 25th Anniversary Year during their 2010-2011 season. Their mission is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily. Dear Harvey was chosen for FringeNYC from more than 800 submissions.
More commonly known as FringeNYC, the Festival is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days with 1,200 performances in more than 20 venues. FringeNYC will run August 13-29.
(Milk painting © Julie Warren 2009 all rights reserved)
***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2010
Diversionary invited to bring “Dear Harvey” to FringeNYC in August
Diversionary Theatre, San Diego’s LGBT Theatre, has been invited to bring Patricia Loughrey’s tribute play Dear Harvey to the 14th annual New York International Fringe Festival (), a production of The Present Company. More commonly known as FringeNYC, the Festival is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days with 1,200 performances in more than 20 venues. FringeNYC will run August 13-29.
Dear Harvey was chosen for FringeNYC from more than 800 submissions. Drawn from over thirty interviews conducted by Patricia Loughrey, Dear Harvey recounts the achievements and vision of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to a major public office in the United States. The tribute play weaves together the voices of a drag queen, a State Senator, an international gay rights activist, a nineteen-year-old composer and others with the personal and political writings of Harvey Milk to paint a portrait of a leader, and a vision for equality.
“These stories about Harvey Milk are from the people he knew and the lives he changed,” said playwright Loughrey. “I’ve had the remarkable privilege of talking with people close to him, and it’s exciting to be able to share these intimate, sometimes surprising, stories with our community. We lost Harvey too soon, but in these stories, we get to hear the impact of his love and courage.” Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in San Francisco’s City Hall in November 1978. Dear Harvey is based on interviews with Harvey’s nephew Stuart Milk, Harvey’s campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, AIDS Quilt founder Cleve Jones, California State Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, activist Robin Tyler, plus other community activists, and is supported with original music by Thomas Hodges and historical photos of Harvey Milk by Daniel Nicoletta.
Commissioned by Diversionary Theatre, Dear Harvey had its world premiere at Diversionary in April 2009 (www.diversionary.org/dearharvey). The commission for the play was underwritten in part by The James Irvine Foundation, and the premiere was funded in part by Carlos Malamud.
Dear Harvey was recently given a professional concert reading at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in April of this year as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), and Loughrey was awarded a Core Apprenticeship at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis for the upcoming year. Since its premiere, the play has also had readings or productions in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Torrance CA and at San Diego State University (their production of the play went to the regional KCACTF in St. George, Utah). Harvey Milk would have turned 80 on May 22nd, and upcoming readings or productions in Santa Monica, Staten Island, Bakersfield CA and Boston will celebrate his birthday and the first California State Harvey Milk Day holiday. This fall Dear Harvey will be published by Playscripts, Inc., and will have productions in Los Angeles and Albany NY.
Diversionary Theatre was founded in 1986 and will celebrate their 25th Anniversary Year during their 2010-2011 season. Their mission is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily. “We are amazed and thrilled to be part of telling our history through Dear Harvey,” said Dan Kirsch, Diversionary’s Executive & Artistic Director. “Being part of FringeNYC will help our company connect with artists from all over the world. We look forward to representing San Diego and bringing the stories of Harvey Milk to a wider audience.”
A director and cast for the FringeNYC production will be announced at a later date. The performance venue and performance dates will be announced by mid-July. San Diego community member Carlos Malamud is supporting the Diversionary’s FringeNYC production with a challenge grant so that the Theatre can raise the funds required to participate in the Festival. To donate to the production or to learn more about Diversionary, contact Kirsch at 619.220.6830.
FRINGENYC Reviews
"Patricia Loughrey’s moving docudrama, wonderfully acted by an ensemble cast, is culled from intimate interviews with folks who knew Milk well (his campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, his openly gay nephew Stuart, AIDS Quilt creator Cleve Jones) as well as strangers he inspired." – Time Out New York (4 Stars)
http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/upstaged/2010/08/fringe-festival-review-dear-harvey/
"Something entirely new: a riveting, emotional exploration of the life and lasting impact of Milk through music, photographs, Milk's own words, and reflections from those who knew him." – Theatermania
http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm?int_news_id=29851&int_city_id=1&intPage=2#content
"Earnest, thoughtful, and frequently moving." – Show Showdown
http://showshowdown.blogspot.com/2010/08/fringe-festival-dear-harvey.html
"...real and meaningful, and showing Milk's legacy on today's young LGBTQ population." – NYTheatre.com
http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/review_fnyc.php?t=dear10570
"...an intimate portrait with a beating heart. The actors who bring these voices to life are all shapes, sizes, colors, and sexual orientations; and they're all marvelous. If this show goes on to a commercial run, though—and it absolutely should—stars could just as easily step into any of the roles, and on a rotating basis (à la The Vagina Monologues or The Exonerated)." – Hyreviews.com (3-1/2 stars)
http://www.hyreviews.com/fringenyc2010.htm#Show_Reviews
"what emerges is a sense of honor, an awakening to the value of our past history. We are shown how the struggles of that time have grown into the activism of today. Director Dan Kirsch has succeeded in staging a fitting presentation of this tribute." – QonStage.com
http://www.qonstage.com/QOnStage_articles/2010harvey_554/art_tpl_w-554.html
"A history lesson about Harvey Milk that everyone should see. It's like the Biography channel but on stage and totally engrossing." – TheaterIsEasy (Best Bet)
http://www.theasy.com/Reviews/FringeFestival/dearharvey.php
Click here for reviews for Diversionary Theatre's April 2009 premiere production of Dear Harvey.
Contact Information
Contact Diversionary Executive & Artistic Director Dan Kirsch about Dear Harvey at FringeNYC at dkirsch@diversionary.org
Contact playwright for production or reading information at info@patricialoughrey.com
The play has been translated into Spanish by Carlos Manuel. For readings or productions in Spanish, please contact Carlos, who will be the liaison to Patricia Loughrey.
Email:
Facebook: Carlos Manuel, Network: ASU Alum
Website:
- Home
- Season & Tickets
- About the Theatre
- Support Diversionary
- Other Events at Diversionary
- News
- Theatre Rental
- Planning Your Visit
- Actors and Writers
- Archives
- Gift Shop
and Save!
our work!
Subscribe to our FREE online newsletter!