“Étoile” star Gideon Glick and producer-director James Will McBride are launching the Blue Roses Project, a not-for-profit theater initiative that includes Tony award-winning Jonathan Groff (“Merrily We Roll Along”) on the board of administrators, Variety can solely reveal.
The Blue Roses Project goals to attach native New Orleans artists with theater professionals throughout the U.S., offering a uncommon alternative for queer playwrights to create genuine, up to date performs.
“Blue Roses Project is vital because it provides a safe, affirming space for LGBTQ+ voices to create, explore, and share stories at a time when queer narratives are increasingly under threat,” Blue Roses Project founder Glick stated in a press release. “By uplifting underrepresented voices, Blue Roses Project fosters empathy, builds community, and ensures that queer stories remain visible and celebrated.”
In addition to Groff’s involvement, the board of administrators contains Tony award-winning actress Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Dear White People” co-showrunner and author Jaclyn Moore, “A Strange Loop” producer Dale A. Mott, Apollo Theater director Kelley Nicole Girod, Broadway publicist Shane Marshall Brown and Not-For-Profit CEO and marketing consultant David Emond.
In a press release, Groff stated: “I’m honored to be a part of a project so dedicated to fulfilling a crucial need in our theatre community. Blue Roses Project provides resources so playwrights’ imaginations can flourish in a place with a rich cultural legacy.”
The initiative comes at a time of crucial want with post-COVID funds crises and a whole lot of anti-LGBTQ+ payments being launched throughout the nation. Over the following yr, the Blue Roses Project goals to host a 29-hour workshop, create relationships with native and nationally-renowned actors and collaborate with LGBTQ+ organizations in New Orleans.
