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24th Annual Night of
a Thousand Gowns
Processional |
What:
The 24th
Annual Night of a
Thousand Gowns,
a charity ball and silent auction to benefit
Broadway Cares /Equity
Fights AIDS
and
God’s Love We Deliver.
Celebrating diversity
and raising needed funds
with humor, heart and
humanitarianism, The
Imperial Court of New
York, led by
Emperor XVIII Tony
Monteleone & Empress
XXIII Anne Tique,
brought
a
palpable excitement and
frenetic razzmatazz to
Times Square, as
majestic personages in
jewels and
gowns,
white tie and tails,
made their royal
entrance to the Broadway
Ballroom of the Marriott
Marquis Hotel.
Broadway’s
Tony-Award winning
Jerry Mitchell
was honored with a
knighthood from
The Court in
recognition of
charitable work as
the creator and
executive producer
of Broadway Bares,
which has benefited
Broadway Cares
since 1992.
"Broadway Bares"
featuring the hottest
Broadway dancers
headlined the event performing
“Football Strip “and
"Stimulus
Package.”
Broadway ‘s Terri
White (Finian’s
Rainbow)
appeared, along with
legendary dance
music artist
Crystal Waters,
Dance-pop singer
Kristine W.,
Pop vocalist
Kelly King, Drag
Diva Coco Peru,
Drag
legend
Jesse Volt.
American infantry
officer Lt. Dan
Choi was
honored with
the Imperial
Diamond Award.
Choi has been
publicly challenging
America’s
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Over 1,000 people
attended the ball
from all around the
United States and
abroad – among them,
some of New York’s
most fashionable.
Because of its
special brand of
“community service
with flair,” the
event was a
“night to
remember.”
The main event of
the Ball was the
midnight coronation
of the next Imperial
Court Monarchs. The
event included a
full-course dinner,
entertainment,
Viennese Dessert
Buffet, open bar,
dancing, and a
silent auction.
Broadway Bares
items, such as VIP
tickets to Broadway
Bares 20:
Stripopoly ,
autographed
framed posters, the
DVD Collection of X
through 19.0, among
other memorabilia
were available at
the silent auction.
Finalists from
RuPaul's
Drag Race
(MTV-Logo),
Sonique, Nicole
Paige Brooks
and
Sahara Davenport
entertained at the
event.
As
the culmination of a
year of
fund-raising, the
Court hosted
close to 1,000
people, some local
and some traveling
to the event from
far and wide:
Anchorage to Boston,
Toronto to Tijuana.
The
evening included
Broadway
entertainment, a
5-hour open bar, full course dinner, a Viennese
dessert buffet,
dancing, a silent
auction, and the
midnight coronation
of the new reigning
monarchs.
This year’s Honorary
Chairs included:
Michael Feinstein,
Leslie Jordan, Jerry
Mitchell, Dame
Joan Rivers, and
Dame
Robin Strasser.
Some
additional attendees
included: Broadway stars
Andrea McArdle
(Annie) and
Felicia Finley
(Aida), fashion
designers, John
Bartlett & Mark Bouwer
- Scott Barnes
- make up artist for
JLo.
The event was sponsored
by: Google, Bio Scrip
Pharmacies, Absolut
Vodka, Coca-Cola,
Miller/Coors, Barefoot
Wines, Philip Marie
Restaurant, PopChips,
Next Magazine,
OURsceneTV.com,
OUTimpact,
Get Steady, Mark Nelson
Productions and
1-800-Postcards.
When:
Saturday,
March 27th
Where: The
Marriott Marquis
Times Square
1535 Broadway, Manhattan
The Imperial Court of
New York,
a 501(c)3 corporation,
is New York's most regal
fundraising organization
serving the LGBT
Community for the past
22 years. Part of a
proud tradition, the
Court has raised over a
million dollars for
charitable organizations
including: ACRIA
(AIDS Community Research
Initiative of America)
LIFEbeat (Music
Industry Fights AID),
Children's Hope
Foundation, Broadway
Cares / Equity Fights
AIDS, God’s Love We
Deliver, Sylvia’s House,
Bailey House, AmFar's
Treatment Register, Body
Positive, and
Callen-Lorde Community
Health Center, among
many others.
www.icny.org
Broadway Cares /Equity
Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity
Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is
the nation’s leading
industry-based,
not-for-profit AIDS
fundraising and grant
making organization. BC/EFA
is the on-going,
committed response from
the American Theatre
community, drawing upon
its talents, resources,
and generosity to meet
an urgent worldwide
health crisis. Since its
founding in 1988, BC/EFA
has raised over $160
million for critically
needed services for
people with AIDS, HIV or
HIV-related illnesses in
the United States.
www.bcefa.org
The mission of God’s
Love We Deliver (GLWD)
is to improve the health
and well-being of men,
women and children
living with HIV/AIDS,
cancer and other serious
illnesses by alleviating
hunger and malnutrition.
We prepare and deliver
nutritious, high-quality
meals to people who,
because of their
illness, are unable to
provide or prepare meals
for themselves. GLWD
also provides
illness-specific
nutrition education and
counseling to our
clients, families, care
providers and other
service organizations.
www.glwd.or
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