OITNB star Lea DeLaria performs to benefit GP
Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry and daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra leader Geoff ‘Double G’ Gallegos to be honored at 30th anniversary gala dinner and benefit concert
LOS ANGELES – In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Grand Performances, the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” in Los Angeles, will hold a benefit concert by “Orange Is the New Black” star Lea DeLaria and the West Coast premiere of Lea DeLaria: House of David, her jazz-influenced tribute to David Bowie. Tickets are $30 and will help support the annual summer slate of free concerts offered by Grand Performances at California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets for the Saturday, September 17 event are on sale now.
In addition to the benefit concert, an awards gala dinner will be held prior to the concert for an additional fee. Grand Performances will honor Jan Perry, former Los Angeles City Councilmember and Geoff “Double G” Gallegos, co-founder and musical director of the 70-piece daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra, two seminal figures in the history of Grand Performances who recognize the importance of the arts in creating a healthier, more inclusive and vibrant Los Angeles. Actor and performance artist John Fleck will be among the presenters. In 1990 Fleck and three other performance artists became known as the NEA-4 when they were denied funding by the National Endowment for the Arts due to religious and political pressure. Tickets for the dinner, awards program and reserved VIP concert seating are $195.
Known for her portrayal of “Big Boo” on the Netflix original series, the multitalented comedian, singer and two-time SAG Award-winning actress reworks the David Bowie catalog in this critically-acclaimed evening. DeLaria delivers a smooth bossa nova interpretation of “Golden Years,” an acid jazz funk fusion of “Jean Genie,” a soulful rendition of “Fame, a roof-raising gospel take on “Modern Love,” and more.
“Bowie is not only a god of rock and arbiter of style, but he’s THE defining singer songwriter of the latter part of the 20th century,” said DeLaria.
“From ‘Suffragette City’ to Labyrinth through Ziggy Stardust and The Hunger, his bold career choices and mind blowing artistic technique flies in the face of convention. He is quite simply a legend. David’s music lends itself perfectly to the language of Jazz.”
Lea DeLaria has received Obie and Theater World Awards, and a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal as “Hildy” in the Public Theatre’s revival of On the Town, an Ovation nomination for The Boys from Syracuse, and has played both “Eddie” and “Dr. Scott” in the gender-bending Broadway musical The Rocky Horror Show. She was the featured vocalist at the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, and has performed in some of the most prestigious houses in the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Chicago Symphony, Hollywood Bowl, The Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Her sixth record, House of David: DeLaria+bowie=jazz, was released in the Summer of 2015 to critical acclaim.
For 30 years Grand Performances has presented an international and local lineup of music, dance, multimedia and spoken word artists that reflect the diversity and cultural depth of Los Angeles. In addition to concerts held at California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles, Grand Performances sets up workshops, master classes and audience discussions between visiting artists and Los Angeles school children, musicians and community groups.
Grand Performances believes that access to free, quality, diverse performing arts contributes to the health and growth of individuals and communities. The 2016 season reflects the cultures of the Philippines, Pakistan, Armenia, Iran, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, France, China, and more. Each year a series of programs is curated to address important social and racial issues. This season, Evolución L.A.tino explores Latino and Chicano culture, power, influence and experiences from a local and global perspective through music, theater, film, culinary arts, and expert panels/lectures. For this series Grand Performances created Chicana Moratorium, an evening of original music based on the real life stories of Latina Angelenos and their experiences from the 1960s and 1970s civil rights movement and Soy Africano, a concert of Latin influenced West African music
Grand Performances shows are presented on a stage surrounded by a water fountain at California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The 30th anniversary season runs through August 21. Audience members picnic, dance, or simply sit and enjoy the performances amongst the tall office and residential skyscrapers and the stars.
Tickets for the September 17 benefit concert of Lea DeLaria: House of David are $30 for general seating. Admission to the gala dinner is $195 and includes reserved VIP concert seats, cocktails, dinner and validated parking. Show begins at 8:30pm. A purchased ticket will be required to attend this event. To purchase tickets to the benefit concert and the gala dinner, visit www.grandperformances.org.
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About Grand Performances:
Hailed as the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” by Los Angeles Magazine and called “a grand gift to the public” by the Los Angeles Times, Grand Performances celebrates its 30th anniversary season in 2016. The not-for-profit presents high-quality music, dance, theater, and more from around the world for free at California Plaza in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Grand Performances has developed a loyal audience, and an industry reputation for presenting and curating the most globally eclectic and forward-thinking summer series on the West Coast.
Follow @GrandPerformances on Facebook, @GrandPerfs on Twitter and Instagram, and YouTube.com/grandperformances.
Media contact:
Andy Perez, aperez@zerepa.com, 323.717.1635