A virtual celebration from Playbill Pride for global digital LGBTQIA+ audiences and their allies debuts the last weekend of Pride month. The Progress of Pride Spectacular offers musical performances, archival footage of past marches, and more when it premieres June 26.
Supported by Nissan, the 60-minute celebration will air above and on Playbill’s YouTube at 8 PM ET. While free to watch, donations are encouraged to support Heritage of Pride (Pride NYC).
The Progress of Pride Spectacular is hosted by Lea DeLaria (On the Town, The Rocky Horror Show) and includes performances by DeLaria with Helen Sung on piano and Dylan Shamat on bass, as well special appearances by BD Wong (M. Butterfly), L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop, The Danish Girl), and Alex Newell (Once on This Island).
The event also includes clips from Playbill’s OUTTakes, a four-part series leading up to The Progress of Pride. Offering an intimate look at Pride on Broadway, each episode features an artist-activist sharing stories of what Pride looks like through their eyes and performing songs that celebrate their personal connection with Pride. The featured performers: Anthony Rapp (If/Then, Rent), Caitlin Kinnunen (The Prom, Bridges of Madison County), Max Crumm (Disaster!, Emojiland), and Peppermint (Head Over Heels, RuPaul’s Drag Race).
Rounding out the lineup are Blake Hammond, Brad Bradley, Cherie B. Tay, Christine Dwyer, Claybourne Elder, Eric Ulloa, Harvey Fierstein, J. Cameron Barnett, Jenn Colella, Jerry Mitchell, Kathryn Gallagher, Mars Rucker, Nathan Lee Graham, and Vishal Vaidya. Heritage of Pride team members David Correa (Interim Executive Director), Sue Doster (Co-Chair), and Kazz Alexander (Community Relations Director) also appear.
The Progress of Pride is executive produced by Bryan Campione and Leonard Rodino. John McDaniel is the music director/producer, and Robert Araujo is the director of video production. The virtual spectacular also features music editing/mixing by Michael Croiter, additional videography by Dan Shein, video editing by Beatriz Bajuelos, and art design by Dean Greer. Glenn Shaevitz, Joshua Stone, and Shawn Kobetz are associate producers. Dan Meyer is script editor with additional sound mixing by Josh Giunta and studio film recording at GSI Studios.
Additional sponsors of The Progress of Pride include Mastercard, GEICO, City National Bank, L’Oréal, Nordstrom, and Hyatt.
Playbill Pride teamed with The Neon Coven June 17 to present Glimmer of Light, an in-person, live concert event in celebration of Pride 2021. An inclusive virtual iteration, featuring recorded performances and appearances by Ariana DeBose, Jo Ellen Pellman, RuPaul’s Drag Race's Jan Sport, Dorina Medley, and more, is currently available to stream on demand through June 30.
