'Rise Up And Shout!' Brings Audience to Their Feet

Flashy costumes, heart-felt songs and impressive dance moves were among the on-stage antics experienced at Rise Up and Shout: Voices Of The Next Generation. The show, currently in its sixth year, brought a colossal crowd to the Barnsdall Gallery Theater over the weekend.

Guests trickled in, stocking up on refreshments and grabbing an official program, illustrated by Los Angeles-based portrait artist Don Bachardy. A brief behind-the-scenes video was shown before esteemed producer Brian Gleason took the stage, thanking the crowd for coming out, explaining how great it was to be together as a community for the night. 

“We come here tonight to welcome and bless the gifts of the next queer generation,” said Gleason as he welcomed the cast of the show. The curtain lifted and the performers emerged, bringing the audience to their feet.

The introduction of the event’s official host, Prince Poppycock (John Quale), known for his theatrical performance on the 2010 season of America’s Got Talent, brought forth a round of applause as he kicked off the night with a touching version of the song, “Corner of The Sky.”

Poppycock was followed by a variety of artistic song, dance, and spoken-word performances from cast members: Tyler Houston Oldham, Homo*Sapien, Maria Falgione, Nick Sweet, Rol Matalon, Leopold Nunan, Akinyola Adabale, Omar Perez-Then, Cleo Anderson, Isaac Hilburn, Trevor Page, Sean Krimmel, Gus Garzon, Lindon Warren, and Barrett Crake.

Following the show was a reception where refreshments were served and the cast and crew mingled while audience members raved about the performance.

for Rise Up And Shout! were held back in February and the selected performers have been preparing for the show ever since.

“We introduce the performers to acting coaches, vocal coaches, therapists, and others working in the community, who have a lot of experience with artists, with issues surrounding LBGT people, and with proven experience and leadership skills,” Gleason said.

The biannual nonprofit event, co-sponsored by the city of West Hollywood, seeks to give LGBT young people a creative voice and welcome them into a supportive gay community.

"So often, young LGBT folk move into the larger cities or come from suburbs and really begin their gay life without any real kind of recognition of their struggle," Gleason said. "Rise Up and Shout! is a welcoming ceremony for these youth into our LGBT community.”

As an event known for impacting the community, Saturday’s audience included many return members. “A lot of people from organizations like PFLAG, Project 10, and Jeff Griffith Center come out to see these young performers, and not just applaud them, but welcome them,” said Gleason.

Proceeds from Rise Up And Shout! benefited the performers and co-sponsors (City of West Hollywood, Metropolitan Community Church, Jeff Griffith Youth Center, Frontiers Magazine, PFLAG, California Men’s Gathering, City X1) who work to create and maintain the well being of the LGBT community.

For more information on Rise Up And Shout! and how you can become involved with the program, visit: www.riseupandshout.org

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