THE HOMOSEXUALS, THE CHILDREN'S HOUR and More to Play at Vermont's 2nd Summer Pride Festival, 7/13-7/22

How do mothers and daughters deal with a coming-out crisis? Has the sexual camaraderie of gay men changed as the AIDS epidemic recedes from memory? Is it possible that a child's lie can ruin the lives of three adults? The staged readings of July's Summer Pride Festival at Chandler address these conflicts and situations.

This second season of Summer Pride will reacquaint audiences with some of Vermont's most gifted and acclaimed actors -- Richard Waterhouse, Alan Gelfant, Teresa Langston, Andra Kisler -- and introduce fresh talent from Johnson State College, The Sharon Academy, and South Royalton High School. The productions are all directed by David Zak, Executive Director of Chicago's Pride Films and Plays. The Festival also gives audience members the opportunity to experience new works by emerging playwrights Philip Dawkins and Cassie Keet and to remember why a Lillian Hellman play premiered in 1934 stands the test of time.

Running from Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 22, this summer's festival includes two performances of each of three staged readings at Chandler Music Hall, renowned for its excellent acoustics.

Still Fighting It is the story of Maggie, a mom who has trouble coping when her daughter arrives home with an unexpected beau. Funny and touching, this new work by Cassie Keet was a finalist in Pride Films and Plays' Women's Work Contest.

The Homosexuals is a sizzling and sexy look at a group of gay friends and the ties that make them family. A runaway hit in Chicago in 2010, this new comedy by Phillip Dawkins will surely be recognized as one of the decade's lasting scripts.

Lillian Hellman's classic drama, The Children's Hour, is set in an all-girls school run by two women. When a teacher disciplines young Mary Tilford, she utters the lie that makes this script still powerful and potent nearly 80 years after its premiere.

After each evening's reading, there will be a talkback discussion between the audience and cast, followed by a reception in the Chandler Gallery.

Tickets for adults are $17 in advance, $20 day-of-show; for students, $12 in advance, $15 day-of-show. They are available online at http://www.chandler-arts.org or by calling the Chandler box office (802) 728-6464. A three-play pass is available for the price of two plays through the box office, but only if ordered before Thursday, July 12.

Chandler Center for the Arts joins with Pride Fims and Plays in announcing the second annual Summer Pride Festival, which it anticipates will enhance its other offerings and strengthen connections with the regional gay and lesbian community. Pride Films and Plays is thrilled to partner again with Chandler on the festival, which, using gay and lesbian characters or themes, will present human stories of parenting, marriage, faith, and love that become a cultural bridge to understanding.

Pride Films and Plays (PFP), a Chicago-based non-profit which links an international network of writers with film and theater producers, fosters excellent new work for the stage and screen that speaks not only to the gay and lesbian community, but also is essential viewing for our friends, family, and co-workers. PFP's Executive Director David Zak, who will once again direct the Summer Pride at Chandler offerings, has won many Jeff Awards for directing and writing. He is an adjunct faculty member at Roosevelt University in Chicago and has directed in Chicago, London, Dublin, Seoul, and New York. For more information, visit http://www.pridefilmsandplays.com.