50th ANNIVERSARY GAYLA

MONDAY September, 30
RED EYE NY (355 W. 41 Street)

TOSOS, New York City’s oldest and longest producing LGBTQIA+ theater company (Artistic Director Mark Finley), is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary GAYLA, a multimedia salute to the company’s contributions at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ history, theatre history and New York City history. The annual event will be held on Monday, September 30, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Red Eye NY, 355 West 41st Street (just East of Ninth Avenue) in New York City.

Guests will be treated to an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, performances, and a gay old time. Featuring live performances from drag comedian and singer Pissi Myles, the cast members of TOSOS’s upcoming production of Doric Wilson’s Street Theater, and appearances by New York City community leaders. TOSOS Honors Awards will be presented to Artistic Director Mark Finley and Managing Director Barry Childs. Public officials will include:

• New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), who has represented Manhattan’s west side since 2013. As that chamber’s Judiciary Committee chair, Senator Hoylman-Sigal is considered one of the State Senate’s most effective and productive lawmakers. He will present a proclamation to TOSOS.

• New York State Assemblymember Tony Simone (D-Manhattan), who has represented the Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods since January 2023 after extensive experience in government and community activism. He will also present a proclamation to TOSOS.

• Chanel Lopez (she/her), Deputy Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. Chanel is the first trans woman of color Afro-Latina to be appointed by the Governor to this position.

Tickets are $200 and can be purchased at https://tososnyc.squarespace.com/50th-gala. For those unable to attend, sponsor tickets can be purchased, which will be offered to key members of the LGBTQIA+ community who may otherwise be unable to attend.

TOSOS (The Other Side of Silence) is New York City’s oldest and longest producing professional LGBTQIA+ theater company. In 1974, Off-Off-Broadway veteran Doric Wilson, cabaret star Billy Blackwell and director Peter dell Valle, started the first professional gay theatre company in NYC. It was called The Other Side of Silence—TOSOS for short. In 2002, directors Mark Finley and Barry Childs and playwright Wilson resurrected TOSOS. The company has produced over 30 mainstage shows and so many readings of new plays and works in progress we have trouble counting them all. 

C. Ipiotis