The University of Iowa's Hancher is recruiting singers from the community to participate in the performance It Gets Better on Friday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Iowa Memorial Union’s Main Lounge.
The community choir will learn three songs and perform from memory with members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) during the show. Performers must be available and present for all of the following rehearsals and performances:
- Monday, October 15, 7-9 p.m. First rehearsal with GMCLA – vocal work only
- Tuesday, October 16, 7-9 p.m. Second rehearsal with GMCLA – vocal work and staging
- Thursday, October 18, 8-9:30 p.m. Technical rehearsal with GMCLA
- Friday, October 19, 7:30 p.m. performance, with a 5:30 dress rehearsal call
Sheet music and song recordings are available. Choir members should learn the music prior to the first rehearsal. Each choir member will get one ticket to the performance so that he or she has a seat in the audience when not on stage.
Contact Erin Donohue, Hancher education programming director, at 319-335-0009 or erin-donohue@uiowa.edu if you are interested in participating in this performance.
About It Gets Better
The It Gets Better movement started in 2010 in response to a number of bullied high school students committing suicide particularly in the LGBT community. Its inspirational message has sparked numerous viral videos by celebrities, students, schools, and organizations.
The movement has inspired the creation of a performance piece, written and directed by Liesel Reinhart of Speak Theater Arts and a six-member cast of the GMCLA forms the core of the production. The show includes an overview of the It Gets Better movement, projection of videos, and a selection of songs including tunes by Beyonce, Alanis Morissette, Cher, Janis Ian, and Jeff Marx of Avenue Q.