Help Mark Reimagine 'I Love You Because' - a Queer Retelling

Hey Everyone!

Tickets can be found here

I am working with the creatives of I Love You Because - Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham, as well as Director Colin Hanlon (OOBC of the show!) and Music Director J. Oconer Navarro (Here Lies Love!) to reimagine a critically acclaimed off-Broadway show called I Love You Because, centered around two gay characters.

While most of the work has already been done, I am seeking funds in order to fully realize this concept. I am hoping that reaching out to my community and the theatre community at large will help us realize this project!

It's very scary to ask for financial help but I am taking the chance that my community knows I will be acting with these funds in good faith. Please find all details below, and if you can't donate - no worries! - share share share! - and feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

Love and gratitude,

Mark

So WHAT are we doing?

I am looking to provide a proof of concept that takes a traditional story, and frames it through the queer experience. So many times, gay stories are focused around trauma (AIDS Epidemic, Hate Crimes, Infidelity as a theme) but what if we were able to just tell stories of the human experience, that just happen to be focused on a Gay Couple?

The show is set in NYC and in its retelling, we wanted to re-evaluate and feel representative of the city we live in - I am looking to explore a more diverse, authentic reflection of NYC as it truly is; respecting the rich fabric that people of different colors, sexualities and gender expressions can provide when telling a story.

WHEN will it be?

On August 25th and 26th at 7PM at The Green Room 42 , NYC we will share this project with the public. You can get tickets here but if you aren't in NYC I am working to configure a livestream as well!

WHERE is the money going?

The money will go to rehearsal spaces for both actors and musicians (separately), promotional and marketing materials, technician fees and Livestream charges incurred from the venue.

Most importantly (to me), I want to pay the musicians and actors. Our desire is to hire top tier talent so that our proof of concept can be the best showing, in an effort to book future venues. While ticket sales might cover some of this, as it stands -even if we sell out both nights, we will be operating at a Net Loss. I want to ensure the artists devoting their time are being compensated accordingly!

WHY are we doing it?

From this proof of concept, I also hope to provide future opportunities for queer artists to be able to tell queer stories in front of captured queer (and not queer!) audiences.