2019 Tony winner André De Shields (Hadestown), Slave Play's James Cusati-Moyer, Jose Llana (The King and I), and Ain't No Mo' playwright and star Jordan E. Cooper will be part of the closing-night reading of Some Men at the upcoming Pride Plays at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The Terrence McNally play, directed by Logan Reed, will be the final reading of the festival on June 24.
The previously announced festival of play readings, running June 20–24 and spearheaded by Torch Song's Michael Urie and Doug Nevin, will amplify LGBTQIA+ voices in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.
The lineup include works in the queer theatre canon, such as plays by Paula Vogel and McNally, alongside newer works by artists such as MJ Kaufman and Daaimah Mubashshir.
Rounding out the cast of Some Men on June 24 will be Alton Alburo, Ken Barnett, Peter Bartlett, Will Blum, Arnie Burton, Daniel Butler, Billy Carter, Kevin Chamberlin, Dominic Colón, Michael Cyril Creighton, Ricardo Dávila, Tom Deckman, Stephen Derosa, Frank DiLella, Noah Galvin, Sam Gonzalez, Ryan Haddad, Randy Harrison, John Benjamin Hickey, Murray Hill, T.R. Knight, , Michael Mastro, Nick Mayo, Larry Powell, Everett Quinton, Lance Roberts, Thomas Jay Ryan, Calvin Leon Smith, David Ryan Smith, Stephen Spinella, Bobby Steggert, David Turner, Vishal Vaidya, and Marc Vietor.
Normally performed by a cast of eight actors playing nearly fifty roles, Pride Plays' one-night-only benefit reading of Some Men will be performed by a cast of forty.
The festival's opening night reading will be Thornton Wilder's Our Town, directed by Jenna Worsham and featuring a company of transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming, and gender fluid actors including Eve C. Lindley, Cece Suazo, Pooya Mohseni, JP Moraga, and others.
Among the actors slated to perform throughout the festival are the previously announced Michael Urie, Beth Malone, Taylor Trensch, Jason Tam, Maybe Burke, Pascale Armand, Jon Rua, and many more.
