The Hard Evidence of Existence: A Black Gay Sex (& Love) Show September 15, 2006

"The Hard Evidence of Existence: A Black Gay Sex (& Love) Show" Interweaves Five Stories by Three Bay Area Writers
San Francisco, California -- August 20, 2006

"THE HARD EVIDENCE OF EXISTENCE: A Black Gay Sex (& Love) Show" is a multimedia performance piece exploring how black gay men are defined by – and transcend – sex and sexuality.

Running September 15 through 17 as part of Thick Description’s Presenting Program, HARD EVIDENCE will be presented at the Thick House, 1695 18th Street (at Carolina) in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill district. Friday (9/15) and Saturday (9/16) performances begin at 8:00 pm.; the Sunday (9/17) schedule features two shows, at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

Adapted and directed by Cedric Brown, HARD EVIDENCE focuses on five written excerpts from memoir manuscripts and short stories by Zakee McGill, Ramekon O’Arwisters and Stewart Shaw, three local writers from the B/GLAM community. Each artist brings his own distinct, poignant voice to the piece. The play's title is drawn from a passage in the poem “Red Annie vs. the United States” by the late black gay poet Essex Hemphill.

Employing a dynamic mix of soliloquy and dialogue, a three-man cast (photo at left: actors Marlon Bailey, DaMon Vann and Robert Hampton) enacts the five interwoven stories. A minimalist set allows the audience to focus on the script, which is supplemented by photomontages, moving images and sound. Stage direction and choreography are designed to create a mood rather than reinforce the delivery of lines. HARD EVIDENCE validates homoerotic _expression by placing it into a larger social context, seamlessly weaving it into the fabric of human life. The play strives to remind us of the beauty of black gay sexuality, both in orientation and in practice.

According to HARD EVIDENCE director Cedric Brown, "It’s no secret that our society marginalizes black gay men. Not only are we a small demographic, we also face the two-headed monster of racism and homophobia. Prompted by the sexual revolution, ostracism in white and black communities and the fight against AIDS, black gay men began to carve out an identity distinct from white gay culture."

"But even as we make progress in certain domains - the explosion of black gay bloggers, pride festivals across the country, the first television show to feature four black gay male characters – in certain respects we have been pushed even further to the edges of the social margin", Brown maintains. "Increasing black gay visibility is an uphill battle, largely because of two trends: the proliferation of hip hop's hyper-masculine images and the popularization of “the down low”in black pop culture."

Tickets for "THE HARD EVIDENCE OF EXISTENCE: A Black Gay Sex (& Love) Show" are available on a sliding scale of $15.00 to $20.00 by telephoning (415) 401-8081 or online at www.thickdescription.org. HARD EVIDENCE is sponsored by the Black Gay Letters & Arts Movement, (B/GLAM), an incubator project of Intersection for the Arts (www.theintersection.org). Performances are underwritten by a grant from the Horizons Foundation (www.horizonsfoundation.org), which provides community-based support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Bay Area.

Official Website: http://www.bglam.org/HardEvidencePress.htm