Emperor X Gabriel Della Notte and Princess Royale Doris Dear, and “The Imperial Court of New York”, will be hosting a grand benefit concert for Orlando at the Copa, (268 W 47th Street ), on Monday July 11th. It will be a star studded event, beginning at 7pm, and will include a silent auction. World renowned speakers Edie Windsor and Larry Kramer will also be there.
I shared in depth questions and answers with President Gary Cosgrove about the event and about the tragedy in Orlando….
Please tell us about the event, “Raise Your Voice ll” :
The Board of Directors of the Imperial Court of NY felt compelled to support & help the victims & families of the Orlando massacre but we also felt we needed to let things settle down a bit before moving forward. We had done a live cabaret show in the past to raise money & it was very successful. So we thought let’s do it again & this would be a great opportunity get the Cabaret & Broadway worlds involved. I enlisted our very own, talented Doris Dear to help wrangle some the best talent from both worlds to perform.
The Board of Directors of the Imperial Court of NY felt compelled to support & help the victims & families of the Orlando massacre but we also felt we needed to let things settle down a bit before moving forward. We had done a live cabaret show in the past to raise money & it was very successful. So we thought let’s do it again & this would be a great opportunity get the Cabaret & Broadway worlds involved. I enlisted our very own, talented Doris Dear to help wrangle some the best talent from both worlds to perform.
It seems as though “The Imperial Court of New York” put this together rather quickly, almost like a miracle, how can the public secure tickets, and help out?
We actually hesitated because everyone was trying to have a fundraiser & the area was flooded with amazing events. By stepping back a bit we are able to plan properly & put on a spectacular event. I also have an amazing team behind the event including: Michael Perez, Jen Cinclair, Paul Bagley, Seth Griep, Tyler Neasloney & of course Doris Dear. Our year round corporate partners are also stepping up big time. Glee Ballard at the Copa has been amazing to work with!
We actually hesitated because everyone was trying to have a fundraiser & the area was flooded with amazing events. By stepping back a bit we are able to plan properly & put on a spectacular event. I also have an amazing team behind the event including: Michael Perez, Jen Cinclair, Paul Bagley, Seth Griep, Tyler Neasloney & of course Doris Dear. Our year round corporate partners are also stepping up big time. Glee Ballard at the Copa has been amazing to work with!
You have a fabulous line-up, can you give us some examples.
Just a couple of names, don’t want to ruin any surprises, like T. Oliver Reid ( Sister Act), Carol Woods (Chicago), Kate Rockwell (Legally Blonde) & Crystal Kellogg (Finding Neverland) to name a few.
Just a couple of names, don’t want to ruin any surprises, like T. Oliver Reid ( Sister Act), Carol Woods (Chicago), Kate Rockwell (Legally Blonde) & Crystal Kellogg (Finding Neverland) to name a few.
Will there be guests from Orlando to speak out?
We are expecting Larry Kramer & Edie Windsor, two ICONIC Activists to say a few words & a few more special guests yet to be named.
We are expecting Larry Kramer & Edie Windsor, two ICONIC Activists to say a few words & a few more special guests yet to be named.
Will there be other similar events either in New York or other states that you know of?
I know of one big event they are trying to plan for August which is the Disarm Hate March on Washington DC on 08/13. It’s a big undertaking & they want to the Imperial Court to be involved. I guess my plan to quietly slip into retirement is off the board!
I know of one big event they are trying to plan for August which is the Disarm Hate March on Washington DC on 08/13. It’s a big undertaking & they want to the Imperial Court to be involved. I guess my plan to quietly slip into retirement is off the board!
If people can’t attend, but wish to donate, how would they go about doing so?
Anyone who can’t attend but still want to donate can go to our brand new website, www.icny.org & click on the donate button
Anyone who can’t attend but still want to donate can go to our brand new website, www.icny.org & click on the donate button
Do you have any personal words as president of the ICNY on the Orlando tragedy?
This tragedy effects every person, not just LGBT but Americans & humanity. This isn’t just about gun control. When people single out our community they stomp all over our rights, what ever the reason this massacre happened it’s not ok to politicize it, it’s not ok to forget about our Latino brothers and sisters who were gunned down in that nightclub. It is up to us to take back our Pride, Fight back because by standing up & fighting back, WE WIN! LOVE WINS!
This tragedy effects every person, not just LGBT but Americans & humanity. This isn’t just about gun control. When people single out our community they stomp all over our rights, what ever the reason this massacre happened it’s not ok to politicize it, it’s not ok to forget about our Latino brothers and sisters who were gunned down in that nightclub. It is up to us to take back our Pride, Fight back because by standing up & fighting back, WE WIN! LOVE WINS!
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