Shreveport Little Theatre, one of the oldest continuously producing community theatres in the United States, is currently sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, the 99-year-old organization has some pretty impressive friends. According to a press release distributed on Tuesday, May 19, SLT will be one of 23 community theatres around the country that will benefit from writer/director Del Shores’ #SORDIDLIVESTREAM, a star-studded live reading of Shores’ landmark play Sordid Lives that will be broadcast on Youtube and Facebook at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 31.
You can RSVP to the #SORDIDLIVESTREAM on Facebook here.
“We’re very excited,” said Shreveport Little Theatre Managing and Artistic Director Dr. Robert Darrow. “Shreveport Little Theatre has a special connection with Del Shores. And we need the support now more than ever, because we honestly don’t know when we’ll be able to reopen.”
Performers involved in the live reading include Del Shores, Beau Bridges, Emerson Collins, Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John, and many, many more. All performers are donating their time. Proceeds from the fundraiser reading and auction will be split among 23 community theatres around the country that work with The Del Shores Foundation. Supporters can donate to the fundraiser or bid on Sordid Lives memorabilia beginning on Monday, May 25.
Sordid Lives is equivalent to a PG-13 or “soft” R-rated film, due to strong language. The film tells the story of a gay actor who struggles to come out to his eccentric, dysfunctional Texas family.
The goal of the livestream is to raise $200,000 in contributions benefiting community theatres. The livestream is being organized by The Del Shores Foundation, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to “find and facilitate the development of new southern queer artistic voices through bringing together artists and working professionals, amplifying new work and connecting artists to platforms for the creation of the work.”
For more information, visit The Del Shores Foundation online.
