Chicago, IL - Pride Films and Plays announced today that the winner of the first Great Gay Play Contest is Learn to be Latina, by Enrique Ureata  from San Francisco.  Learn To Be Latina was one of five finalists which were all performed as staged readings March 3 to 6, 2011, in the Hoover-Leppen Theater at the Center on Halsted.  

Other finalists included The Times by Mark S. Watson, Save the Date by Tyler Dean,  Short Expanse by Corinne J. Kawecki, and False Reality by Joe Lauderdale, a drama about gay teens which won the Audience Favorite Award chosen by those who had attended all five readings.  

In addition to seeing the works performed, the five finalists each received a $400 cash prize.  

Information on all of the final five plays, along with the authors' bios, is available here.  

In Enrique Urueta's irreverent new comedy Learn To Be Latina, Hanan Mashalani is beautiful and talented, but she's Lebanese and that just doesn't a pop star make. As she's made over by FAD records to be the next Latin bombshell, she falls in love with an actual Latina. She struggles to maintain the image everyone expects her to be, which ultimately tests her relationship and her own identity.

About Learn To Be Latina, judges on our panel said:  

• "I would pay A LARGE SUM OF MONEY to see this on stage.  The playwright clearly understands & embraces the medium of theatre -- a rare treat."
• "It lures you in because it's so fun. Just make sure that any producer is willing to go the distance and stay true to the vision."
•  "I would love to see this onstage which makes me believe in its viability.  The physical production and musical staging will only make it funnier and more insane than it is onstage."
•  "This hilarious play is irreverent and deliciously politically incorrect. Audiences will alternate between being offended and falling on the floor with laughter."

I believe all five of these works are ready for production now, from the drama of Short Expanse, the intriguing plots twists of The Times, the classical farce of Save the Date, and the dramatic exploration of False Reality.  

I encourage all Artistic Directors and Producers to contact me about these fine works. I will pass your email on to the authors.   

And watch our website for details on submissions for the second Great Gay Play Contest later in the year. 

David Zak
Executive Director  

pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com 

Thanks to our individual donors who made our work this year possible:

Susan and Joe Adler, Patricia Aylward, Tom Chiola and Drew Jemilo,  

Jay Cook, Pat Cummings, Tom Emerick, Sean-Edward Hall, Katherine Harris, Patti Honacki, Jon and Liz Kaplan, Steve Kimbrough, Anthony R. Marini, Anne V. McGravie, M.E. Eccles, John Nasca, Steve Needham, Romana Nitzschke, Jerry Proffit, Mark Ridge and Andrew Souders, Patrick Rybarczyk, Ronald Sarbieski, Anne Smith, David Wynne, David Zak and Christopher Kirbabas.   

Pride Films and Plays is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and donations are essential in supporting our growth. To make a donation on line now, go here.  

And our sponsors who were so crucial to the success of this weekend:  

T's Bar and Restaurant, The Deratany Firm, Lampkin Music Group, Glitterati Productions, BestGayChicago.com,  

Tiffany Nasca Design, Pink Magazine and Grab Magazine.

Most importantly, we would like to thank the great staff of Center on Halsted for supporting this new event.  

Center on Halsted is the most comprehensive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community center in the Midwest, and we strive to meet the social, recreational and cultural needs of people of all ages in a safe and nurturing environment. Every day, more than 1,500 people walk through the doors of our 60,000-square foot building, which includes a gym, theater, computer lab, two art galleries and a rooftop garden. We offer a variety of social services and public programs, including mental health services, support groups, and free HIV testing 7 days a week. www.centeronhalsted.org, 773.472.6469, open 8am - 10pm daily.

Thanks to the members of our Reading Committees.  

I would like to extend my personal thanks to the people who contributed their time to reading the entries in the Great Gay Play Contest. 

The committee that read the five finalists and selected the winner included Brian Fonseca,  Marshall W. Mason, Patricia  Kane, Jason Moore, and Patrick Trettenero.

The initial play reading committee included Leigh Barrett, Dan Butler, Stephen de Ghelder, Joel G. Fink, Mark Finley, John Nasca, Laura Nessler, David Perkovich, Michael Ryczek, Jeffrey Sweet, Marcia Wilkie, and David Zak.

I appreciate your time and feedback! 

And Thanks to our Panelists   

Finally, I would like to thank the panelists who gathered on Sunday to talk about GLBT theater and performance: Lawrence Bommer, writer and critic; Scott Bradley, co-founder and creative producer of The Scooty & JoJo Show; Megan Carney, director, and the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at UIC; David Cerda, co-founder and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions; Cameron Esposito, nationally and internationally touring standup comic and circus ringmaster; Ever Mainard, founder and host of Comedy Cares; Brett Mannes from Second City and GayCo; and John Nasca, Artistic Director of Glitterati Productions.  

 And Thanks to the Writers... 

And I would like to thank all writers who entered the contest year, for having the courage and skill to create fresh GLBT material that brought so much pleasure to our reading committees, and ultimately to audiences this weekend.

Pride Films and Plays

3023 N Clark, 327

Chicago, IL 60657

www.pridefilmsandplays.com  

pridefilmsandplays@gmail.com 

David Zak

Executive Director

John Nasca, Patrick Rybarczyk

Artistic Associates