Features

OutFront: May 2007

HATCH drag show-down with Deb Murphy and Bill Alexander. Noel Cowards’s Design for Living.  

PROM AND PROPER.

WearDress
Who will wear the dress?

It started as a dare that turned into a bet that morphed into a fundraiser. Proving that their dedication to HATCH knows no bounds, facilitators Bill Alexander (left), and Deb Murphy have agreed to an unusual wager. If members of the social/support group for gay, lesbian, bi, trans, questioning, and supportive youth raise $5,000 earmarked for their June 8 prom, Murphy and Alexander vow to attend in full drag and a frou-frou gown (like the seemingly magical dress pictured here from Jewel’s Boutique). Donations are already trickling in, Murphy says.

The effort received an early push from GATHER, the Rice University GLBT student group. But the kids need more financial support from the community to reach their goal.

“I never underestimate the power of our youth to make anything happen,” says Murphy, not a little warily. To contribute to the fun fund, call Alexander at 713/529-3590.

The Historic Magnolia Ballroom is again the venue for the 15th annual HATCH prom. Tickets start at $25 for adults; there is no charge for youth age 21 and under. Details: www.hatchyouth.org.

Photographed by Blase DiStefano
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ANYTHING BUT COWARDLY.

The New York Times called Design for Living his “cleverest play” when it debuted in 1932.

FrontDesignWe call Sir Noël Coward’s tribute to unconventional love a perfect appetizer to Pride month.

In this Main Street Theater production directed by Claire Hart-Palumbo, Design for Living focuses on the comedy that occurs when boy meets girl meets boy, all of whom maintain, “It’s amazing how a few insults can bring people together in three hours!”

Performances featuring Ilich Guardiola (left), Shannon Emerick (center), and Dwight Clark as the amorous threesome begin May 10 and run through June 3 on Main Street Theater’s Rice Village stage. Details: 713/524-6706, www.mainstreettheater.com.

Photographed by Mark Hiebert

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