My Speech At 2011 Broadway Beauty Pageant

My remarks from Monday, March 21st.

"It’s great to be back for our fifth year and we’re already looking ahead to 2012. I’d like to thank the literally hundreds of people who have helped make this event an annual reality.

Before I bring on Carl to tell you more about the outstanding work done by The Ali Forney Center, I wanted to say a few words on a fairly dry subject, The New York State Budget.

In 1984 New York Governor Mario Cuomo, in his famous keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, spoke of a tale of two cities. In one city, people were doing well and in another “people slept on the city streets,” while the youth slipped into hopelessness.

I’d invite the current Gov. Cuomo to read his father’s speech and learn from it. His latest budget guts funding to homeless organizations, like the one we’re supporting tonight.

When the first Gov. Cuomo spoke that the “struggle to live with dignity is the real story of this city,” he was talking about the youth who benefit from The Ali Forney Center.

Here to tell you more about those young people, it’s my honor to introduce my friend and hero Carl Siciliano."

June 14th - Rally in Support of LGBT Homeless Youth

I'm helping to organize a big rally next Monday, June 14th in support of LGBT homeless Youth. I'm working closely with The Ali Forney Center, the organization that the Broadway Beauty Pageant benefits. The full press release is pasted below. Please RSVP & share the Facebook event. Hope to see you all there.

On Monday, June 14th at 6:30PM, numerous prominent LGBT and progressive leaders and organizations will come together at a highly anticipated rally at Union Square in support of the LGBT Homeless Youth community. (A list of endorsers can be seen below).

As LGBT youth find the courage to come out of the closet at younger ages, thousands are being rejected by their families and forced out of their homes. Most homeless LGBT youth describe having suffered violence and harassment in their homes due to their sexual orientations and gender identities. As many as 40% of the homeless youth in the United States are LGBT. Homeless LGBT youth are subjected to violence and harassment on the streets and in mainstream youth shelters. They face tremendous risk of HIV infection, drug addiction, and criminalization.

This phenomenon of thousands of LGBT youth being forced from their homes due to homophobia, stripped of economic support, and made to endure homelessness represents the most terrible cruelty and intolerance currently directed at the LGBT community. Any community has an obligation to protect its youth when they are being hurt and attacked. We call on the LGBT Community to stand up for our youth suffering on the streets, and advocate that they receive the protection and care that all young people need and deserve.

We call on the members of the LGBT Community, our straight allies, and on all decent people who believe that youths should not be thrown to the streets for being LGBT, to rally in support of the following goals:

• To show solidarity with homeless LGBT youth, to demonstrate outrage that so many young members of our community face family rejection, violence, and homelessness, and to call on the adult members of the LGBT and allied community to demonstrate increased concern, support and advocacy for our youth.
• To advocate that local, state, and federal government funding be made available to provide the housing and supportive services needed by homeless LGBT youth so they can escape the streets, and that efforts be funded to prevent LGBT youth from being subjected to violence and rejection in their homes.
• To advocate that protecting our youth from abuse, rejection, and homelessness be recognized as a major priority in our local and national LGBT advocacy agendas.

The rally is endorsed by many significant local and national community organizations, including: Ali Forney Center, Broadway Impact, Broadway Speaks Out, Bronx Community Pride Center, The Brooklyn Community Pride Center, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, The Center for Anti-violence Education, Chris Ryan NYC, CitizeNYC, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, The Door, Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services, FIERCE, Gay & Lesbian Independent Democrats (GLID), Gay Men of African Descent, GLSEN, GMHC, GetEQUAL, Green Chimneys Children's Services, HetRick Martin Institute, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, Integrity NYC, The LGBT Community Center, Make The Road New York, Manhattan Young Democrats, National Youth Advocacy Coalition, New York City Anti-Violence Project, New York AIDS Coalition (NYAC), The NYC Association of Homeless and Street-Involved Youth Organizations, Out Astoria, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays National, Safe Space NYC and Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City.

Additionally, the rally is also endorsed by many prominent community leaders, including: US Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand D-NY, Carl Siciliano, Sandra Bernhard, Lt. Dan Choi, Joe Jervis, Brendan Fay, NYC Council Member Lewis Fidler, Ryan J. Davis, Ally Sheedy, Cathy Renna, Reverend Irene Monroe, Peter Staley, David Mixner, Yetta Kurland, NYS Assemblymember Micah Kellner, U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), David Badash, Kai Wright, Rod McCullom, Sassafras Lowrey, Editor of "Kicked Out", NYS Senator Tom Duane, NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm, and NYC Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer.

For more information, visit the AFC website.

Win Tickets To The Broadway Beauty Pageant!

Contest over, congrats @StevenCirillo on winning a pair of tickets. Remember - If you don't win, you can still buy great $25 tickets using the discount code RAC102 by clicking here.

The pageant is coming up on Monday and I'm giving a pair of tickets away today on Twitter!

To enter to win, all you need to do is Tweet; "Just entered to win a pair of tickets to see Broadway Beauty Pageant, via @RyanNewYork at http://ryanjdavis.blogspot.com." I'll draw and announce the winners late tonight. Please be in the New York City area.

If you don't win, you can buy great $25 tickets using the discount code RAC102 by clicking here.

Broadway Beauty Pageant Judges Announced!

We've got three great judges at this year's Broadway Beauty Pageant. Get your tickets now, it's on April 19th!

Via Playbill:

Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole, Charles Busch and Jackie Hoffman will serve as judges for the The Broadway Beauty Pageant, which will be held April 19 at Symphony Space.

As previously reported, Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh (Irena's Vow, Golda's Balcony) returns to host the 8 PM event for the third year in a row.

The fundraiser was conceived by Jeffery Self and will be directed by Ryan J. Davis. The Broadway Beauty Pageant benefits New York’s Ali Forney Center.

Mr. Broadway 2010!

It's hard to believe that it's almost time for 2010's Broadway Beauty Pageant, pitting Broadway's hottest guys against each other to benefit The Ali Forney Center. It's an old fashioned beauty pageant with an American Idol twist.

We've just announced that the always marvelous Tovah Feldshuh will return to host for the third time. Announcements on contestants and judges are coming up, it's gonna be a great group!

Get your tickets now, starting at just $25.

This is the forth year that I've co-produced the show with my friends Jeffery Self & Wil Fisher. But, every year the pageant grows and more and more people join to help us make the night a huge success. I'm thankful to all of them!

Craig Stevens At Mr. Broadway

Craig and his "girlfriend" Janine came to The Broadway Beauty Pageant again this year and put together this very funny video with the contestants, Jeffery Self, Tovah Feldshuh, and near the end a special guest appearance by yours truly.

Craig & Janine have a live performance coming up on May 31st at The Laurie Beechman Theater. Details here.

Broadway Beauty Pageant on LXTV

Really fun HQ video report from Matt Maggiacomo at LXTV, live from The Broadway Beauty Pageant.

Mr. Broadway Report

Monday night's 2009 Broadway Beauty Pageant was a huge success! We raised over $33,000 for The Ali Forney Center, doubling the 2008 take. Symphony Space was totally packed and everyone had a wonderful time. The above picture is me with 2009 Mr. Broadway Anthony Hollock (Hair) and judge Charles Busch.

I was so happy for Anthony! He got the evenings only standing ovation after his talent, which Adam Feldman of Time Out NY describes as "a hilariously weird medley from the movie Fame: singing, prancing, playing trumpet and piano, baring his chest in mock trauma." Bravo Anthony!

For many great pictures from the night, including the swimsuit competition, visit Homo-Neurotic or After Elton.

I was thrilled that this year Jeffery Self (my friend & pageant creator) and I got to introduce Ali Forney Executive Director Carl Siciliano. Carl is one of my heroes and deserves much praise for his work with the center.

If you didn't make the pageant this year, you can still make a donation on-line to support Ali Forney's work

Mr. Broadway Is Tonight!

The 3rd Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant is tonight at 8PM! I'm headed to tech now, but I wanted to give you all a special $25 Ticket Code - RAC102. Purchase tickets here.

From today's Playbill:

Multiple Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh, currently back on Broadway in Irena's Vow, hosts the third annual Broadway Beauty Pageant April 20 at 8 PM at Symphony Space in Manhattan.

The evening, according to press notes, features "male cast members representing their respective Broadway shows, competing for the title crown through talent, interview and swimsuit competitions. The contestants will go head to head in front of a panel of celebrity judges, but ultimately, the final vote is in the audience's hands." Celebrity judges include Beth Leavel, Seth Rudetsky, Ana Gasteyer and Charles Busch.

The 2009 contestants are James Brown III (Mr. Little Mermaid), Adam Fleming (Mr. Wicked), Anthony Hollock (Mr. Hair), Tony James (Mr. Lion King) and David Larsen (Mr. Billy Elliot).

Past winners include Frankie James Grande (Mr. Mamma Mia) and Marty Thomas (Mr. Xanadu), who are both set to perform.

The Broadway Beauty Pageant is written and conceived by Jeffery Self and directed by Ryan J. Davis, with musical direction by Sonny Paladino. The evening is produced by Ryan J. Davis, Jeffrey Self and Wil Fisher in association with Tim Hur.

Proceeds will benefit the Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth.

Watch Me Saturday Morning

I'm appearing on Backstage Live, a web only section of CBS' The Early Show, tomorrow from 9:45-10:15AM. I'll chat with host Cali Carlin about topics ranging from Gay Marriage in NY to the upcoming Broadway Beauty Pageant.

Watch on-line here, Saturday from 9:45-10:15AM.

Pictures From The Broadway Beauty Pageant Rehearsal

Yesterday we had our rehearsal for the opening number of The Broadway Beauty Pageant! Sonny Paladino, our music director, taught the contestants the opening number (by Tony-Winner Lisa Lambert & Glen Kelly) and Kenway Kua taught Christopher Gatelli's choreography. It went very well and it's shaping up to be a great year!

Mr. Broadway is on April 20th - buy tickets now!

Charles Busch To Judge Mr. Broadway

Charles Busch, a prolific actor & writer who was nominated for a Tony Award for his play The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, joins The Broadway Beauty Pageant this year as a judge. He replaces the already announced Michael Urie, who had to leave the pageant due to conflicts with his Ugly Betty shooting schedule.

Yesterday's announcement of Tovah and the new judges has gotten some coverage, including Playbill, Theatremania, and Broadway World.

Also, our hot contestants are featured in the current issue of NEXT Magazine, see the article here.

I recently went on a walk through of Symphony Space, where the pageant is being held. It's a really beautiful 800 seat theater, our biggest yet for the competition! I'm excited to work on such a big stage.

The Broadway Beauty Pageant is Monday, April 20th and tickets are available here.

Trio Of Stars Announced For Broadway Beauty Pageant

We're thrilled to announce that four-time Tony Nominee Tovah Feldshuh will return to host this year's Broadway Beauty Pageant. Tovah was our first host in 2007 and can currently be seen on Broadway in the title row of Irena's Vow.

Joining the already announced judges (Seth Rudetsky & Michael Urie) are Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel (Drowsy Chaperone) and SNL's Ana Gasteyer. It's an amazing team and I'm looking forward to working with all of them.

The Broadway Beauty Pageant is Monday, April 20th and tickets are available here.

Here comes Mr. Broadway!

The 2009 Broadway Beauty Pageant is fast approaching. It's on April 20th! Tickets are available and start at only $50. Proceeds benefit The Ali Forney Center.

Our title song, written by Glen Kelly (The Producers) and Lisa Lambert (Tony Winner - The Drowsy Chaperone), has been updated by them again this year. It's really funny! Watch this YouTube of the 2007 version, which is choreographed yearly by Christopher Gatelli (9-5, Altar Boyz).

Below are pictures of two of this year's contestants from Carol Rosegg's shoot last week.

Mr. Little Mermaid - James Brown III

Mr. Hair - Anthony Hollock

Behind The Scenes at Mr. Broadway Promo Shoot

Curtis Brown, who took the steamy Mr. Broadway promo pics, has put together a video of the shoot. If you enjoyed the pictures, you'll love the video.



Visit Curtis Brown's website and get tickets for Mr. Broadway now!

First Mr. Broadway Contestant Pictures!

We've just got a few pictures in from Carol Rosegg's Broadway Beauty Pageant photo shoot on Monday. They came out really wonderful. Above is one of the shirtless group shots, the boys are from left to right; Anthony Hollock (Mr. Hair), Adam Fleming (Mr. Wicked), James Brown III (Mr. Little Mermaid), David Larsen (Mr. Billy Elliot), and Jonathan Sandler (Mr. Mary Poppins). Unfortunately, Jonathan has had to leave the show because of schedule conflicts. Not pictured is Tony James, Mr. Lion King.

To the right is David Larsen, who as Mr. Billy Elliot is my early favorite. Although, I don't get any say in the winner - that's decided 100% by audience vote. Tickets are available now for April 20th.

More pictures soon.

Broadway Beauty Photo Shoot

Just returned from The Broadway Beauty Pageant photo shoot, with five of our contestants: James Brown III (Mr. Little Mermaid), Adam Fleming (Mr. Wicked), Anthony Hollock (Mr. Hair), David Larsen (Mr. Billy Elliot), and Jonathan Sandler (Mr. Mary Poppins).

The wonderful Carol Rosegg, Broadway photographer, has done our pre-pageant contestant shoot every year and the pictures are always beautiful. She took lots of different stuff, from the boys wearing their show shirts and each posing with the crown, to the fun shirtless pics that HX and Next are gonna fight over. I'll post them here when they're done!

Visit the official site for more information on The Broadway Beauty Pageant.

Steamy New Mr. Broadway Promo Pics!

For the second year, Curtis Brown, has taken some amazing promo pictures for The Broadway Beauty Pageant. Visit his website, he's awesome.

We'll use these photos for postcards, ads, and posters - but you're seeing them here first. Click on the images for full size versions.

Buy tickets for The Broadway Beauty Pageant now!

Mr. Broadway 2009 - April 20th!

The Third Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant (that I direct & co-produce) is set for Monday, April 20th at the beautiful 800 seat Symphony Space Theater in New York. Tickets start at $50 and all proceeds benefit The Ali Forney Center, an organization that provides services to homeless New York gay youth. Purchase tickets here. I've written about Ali Forney for Huffington Post in the past.

The evening is setup like a traditional beauty pageant, with an American Idolesq twist - judges comment every step of the way. The contestants each represent their Broadway show and compete in talent, interview, formal wear, and everyone's favorite part, the swimsuit competition.

The 2009 contestants are James Brown III (Mr. Little Mermaid), Adam Fleming (Mr. Wicked),Anthony Hollock (Mr. Hair), Tony James (Mr. Lion King), David Larsen (Mr. Billy Elliot), Jonathan Sandler (Mr. Mary Poppins) and John Selya (Mr. Guys & Dolls). Past winners include Frankie James Grande (Mr. Mamma Mia) and Marty Thomas (Mr. Xanadu), who are both set to perform. Seth Rudetsky and Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) are confirmed to judge. We'll announce additional judges and a celebrity host soon.

Thanks to Playbill, Broadway World, & Theatremania for their coverage today!

For some fun background on the show, read this interview with pageant-creator Jeffery Self and me from Edge New York, April 10th 2007.



More 2008 Photos at Broadway World!

Google Ads Are Funny

The most amusing thing about Google Ads, is when the advertising content is exactly opposite of what it should be. Yesterday, in a piece at The Huffington Post - I brought up the idea of copyright law reform under Obama.

In the article I told the story of my own battle with Mr. Broadway, known to everyone in the world besides himself as Stewart Lane, over using Mr. Broadway as the title for a beauty pageant benefiting homeless gay teens. Mr. Lane has now purchased Google Ads for the search "Mr. Broadway," and one appeared under my recent Huff-Po article.

The ad is for a book he wrote on "Great Theater Plays!" Sounds insightful.