PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT Launches It Gets Better Campaign

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT Launches It Gets Better Exclusive PSA
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by BWW News Desk

The stars of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL, Tony Award® nominee Will Swenson, Olivier Award nominee Tony Sheldon and Nick Adams, have joined forces with the It Gets Better Project for an unprecedented public service announcement campaign that will air exclusively on CBS 2.

The campaign will mark the first time the It Gets Better Project has been part of an advertised PSA campaign, which will encourage people to take the pledge:

“Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I’ll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that ”˜It Gets Better.'”

In September 2010, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. In response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school, they wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth that, yes, it does indeed get better.

Founder Dan Savage said: “The It Gets Better Project is thrilled to be partnering with Priscilla on our very first PSA. We’re been honored and humbled by the theater community’s commitment to standing up for tolerance and lending their voices to this vital cause. The show Priscilla could not be a better fit, thematically, with the message of the It Gets Better Project.”

The PRISCILLA partnership will also include a series of events to support the It Gets Better Project at the Palace Theatre this spring, further spreading the message of hope and tolerance to LGBT youth.

Dutton will publish the book on March 22 entitled IT GETS BETTER: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living, containing transcripts from celebrities and everyday people who have posted videos of encouragement, as well as essays from such as writers David Sedaris and Michael Cunningham.

The It Gets Better Project has turned into a worldwide movement, inspiring nearly 10,000 user-created videos and over 30 million views. To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organizations, activists, politicians and media personalities, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Adam Lambert, Anne Hathaway, Colin Farrell, Matthew Morrison of “Glee”, Joe Jonas, Joel Madden, Ke$ha, Sarah Silverman, Tim Gunn, Ellen Degeneres, Suze Orman, the staffs of The Gap, Google, Facebook, Pixar, the Broadway community, and many more. Every video changes a life. It doesn’t matter who makes it.

The website www.itgetsbetter.org is a place where young people who are lesbian, gay, bi, or trans can see how love and happiness can be a reality in their future. It’s a place where our straight allies can visit and support their friends and family members. It’s a place where people can share their stories, take the It Gets Better Project pledge, watch videos of love and support, and seek help through the Trevor Project and GLSEN.

Following smash hit productions in Australia, London and Toronto, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL arrives on Broadway at The Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway) when previews begin Monday, February 28 and opens Sunday, March 20, 2011.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL stars Tony Award® nominee Will Swenson, Olivier Award nominee Tony Sheldon and Nick Adams as the trio of friends on a heart-warming, uplifting road trip of a lifetime who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.

Featuring a cast of 27, a score of over 20 dance-floor classics and with a dazzling array of more than 500 outrageous costumes, the spectacular new stage musical is a sensational journey to the heart of fabulous.

Adapted from the Academy Award® winning film “The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL is written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott. Direction is by Simon Phillips, choreography by Ross Coleman, musical supervision and arrangements by Stephen ”˜Spud’ Murphy and set design by Brian Thomson. Production supervised by Jerry Mitchell. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner have re-created their Academy Award® winning costume designs originally designed for the film. Lighting is designed by Nick Schlieper, sound design is by Jonathan Deans and Peter Fitzgerald and make up design is by Cassie Hanlon.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL is produced by Bette Midler; James L. Nederlander; Garry McQuinn, Liz Koops; Michael Hamlyn; Allan Scott; Roy Furman/ Richard Willis; Terry Allen Kramer; Terri and Timothy Childs, Ken Greiner, Ruth Hendel; Chugg Entertainment; Michael Buckley; Stewart Lane/ Bonnie Comley; Bruce Davey; Thierry Suc/TS3; Bartner/ Jenkins; Broadway Across America/H. Koenigsberg; M. Lerner/ D. Bisno/ K. Seidel/ R. Gold; Paul Boskind and Martian Entertainment / Spirtas-Mauro Productions / MAS Music Arts & Show; and David Mirvish.

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL had its world premiere in Sydney in 2006 and has subsequently wowed audiences and critics alike in Melbourne and New Zealand, becoming the most successful Australian musical of all time. The London production is now in its third smash hit year in the West End at the Palace Theatre.

For Priscilla ticket and schedule information, visit:
www.priscillaonbroadway.com