THEATRE + COMEDY

The Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages kick off Rainbow Night at The Ensemble Theatre for the production of Christmas with Great Aunt, Thursday, December 10, 2009, 6:30pm.

“This was a unique opportunity to partner with The Ensemble Theatre and fulfill the diverse interests of our constituents in and beyond the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender community,” says Lonnie Davis, President of the Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages. Rainbow Night at The Ensemble Theatre was created to enhance an existing relationship between the two organizations to increase awareness of the Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages foundation that provides scholarships to youth; to build a stronger connection between the GLBT community and The Ensemble Theatre; and to provide networking opportunities between businesses and other organizations.

“Part of our mission is to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community,” says Janette Cosley, Executive Director for The Ensemble Theatre. “Our continual grassroots efforts to build relationships in the community are imperative to our existence as an institution.”

The Ensemble Theatre’s professional world premiere of Christmas with Great Aunt begins at 7:30p.m. with a 6:30p.m. reception, hosted by the Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages. Tickets for this event may be purchased by calling the Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages at 281 997-9778.

The Ensemble Theatre is located at 3535 Main St. Houston, TX 77002.

“We are looking forward to supporting one of Houston’s great cultural arts institutions,” says Davis.

Christmas with Great Aunt tells the story of the Gilliam family, though modern in every means of current society, they stand to learn a lesson or two when they travel from their luxurious life in The Woodlands to the small hills of Bethlehem, Texas. While visiting their family matriarch known as Great Aunt, the Gilliam family encounters a community of proud farmers who’ve just lost their 150-year-old church in a fire, but are determined to uphold the tradition of having their annual Christmas play, an event filled with history, song, messages of self-determination and reverence for the coming of the Messiah. The Gilliam family ultimately experiences an awakening that tests their faith and irrevocably changes their view of Christmas.

The Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages is a full color glossy publication of gay and gay friendly businesses and professional services that cater to and target the upscale gay and lesbian consumer. Our publication is distributed in 15 states and 22 cities with a circulation of over 600,000 copies a year. Our directories are also available online at www.gayrainbowpages.com. The Rainbow Pages Foundation is a 501c3 organization dedicated to the betterment of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community in the cities and states in which we publish directories.

The main focus of the foundation will be; providing access to higher education for GLBT students, developing workforce training seminars to help place GLBT adults back into the workforce with corporations that offer same sex benefits, to create a program to address the needs of GLBT people of color and create a gender identity program. Ultimately, we are about helping achieve equality on a local, state and federal level to bring all GLBT people closer to a world free from discrimination of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.