Bitchy Bingo at Rain on April 11

Come join HOAMC for another night of fun and fabulousness at Rain on April 11.  There will be prizes and a special blackout prize.

The Next HOAMC Show..."Lights, Camera, Sing!"

Rehearsals for "Lights, Camera, Sing!" have already begun, but if you are interested in singing with us, it isn't too late to join the fun.  Rehearsals are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Newman University.  The performances will be June 22nd and June 23rd.  The show will focus on music from the movies.

Installment Five "Building a Show: Out of My Range." Rehearsal Day 5 January 29, 2013

Clip 1
"First Day of School"

Clip 2
"Like Minded People"

Clip 3
"Like Minded People"

Clip 4
"Like Minded People"

Clip 5
"Like Minded People"

Clip 6
"Like Minded People" with choreography.

Clip 7
"Simple Solution"

Installment Four "Building a Show: Out of My Range." Rehearsal Day 4 January 22, 2013

Clip 1
"First Day of School"

Clip 2
"Finale-Better Together"

Clip 3
"Finale-Better Together"

Clip 4
"Like Minded People"

Clip 5
"Like Minded People"

Clip 6
Michael Greene commentary.

Soaring to New Heights on March 30th

The "It Gets Better Project."

While I am getting caught up with processing video for our production of "Out of My Range," here is a powerful video made by the original performers of the show, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus.  This is the video they made for the "It Gets Better Project."  I will be posting more from our rehearsals for "Out of My Range."  Thank you for your patience.

About the It Gets Better Project

The It Gets Better Project's mission is to communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them.

Growing up isn’t easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, leading them to feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens, who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can't imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted — even tortured — simply for being themselves.

While many of these teens couldn’t see a positive future for themselves, we can. The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.

What is the It Gets Better Project?

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.

The It Gets Better Project™ has become a worldwide movement, inspiring more than 50,000 user-created videos viewed more than 50 million times. 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. For us, every video changes a life. It doesn’t matter who makes it.

ItGetsBetter.org is a place where young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender 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 and watch videos of love and support.

On March 22, 2011, six months following the launch of the project, the It Gets Better Project book was released. The book , It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living is on-sale wherever books are sold.  It includes essays and new material from more than 100 contributors, including celebrities, religious leaders, politicians, parents, educators, youth just out of high school, and many more. For more details and to purchase the book, visit http://itgetsbetter.org/book.

Tickets Still Available for Out of My Range

Tickets are still available for this weekend's show.  Check previous post for details on how to get free tickets.  Do not let the "first 3" notation discourage you.  There are plenty of unclaimed tickets from earlier in the week.

Intallment Three of "Building a Show: Out of My Range."

Here is episode three of the clips from our practice sessions leading up to the performance of "Out of My Range."  These are clips from January 15, 2013.  The clips are getting longer and include some of the banter and kidding that goes on during rehearsal as well as commentary from our Artistic Director on how to learn and polish the material.

Clip One:
" A Simple Solution."  Learning and drilling the material.

Clip Two:
"A Simple Solution."

Clip Three:
"A Simple Solution."

Clip Four:
"The First Day of School."

Clip 5:
"First Day of School."

Clip 6:
"Warm-ups."

I am not the most experienced cinematographer.  Hopefully, you enjoy getting a peek into our rehearsals.  I am including all the raw footage so you will get a real view of how we start out and how we prepare from a show.  You get to witness how rough it is in the beginning to the point where it is polished and ready for performance.

Free Tickets to HOAMC's Performance of "Out of My Range."

Thank you for reading the Heart of America Men's Chorus blog.  We have a special offer for you.  Each day, starting today (Saturday, March 2nd through March 10th), we will have a drawing for free tickets for our upcoming show "Out of My Range" which premiers next Saturday, March 9th at Newman University's DeMattias Performance Center.

Here is how it works...

Email me at tazirk@aol.com with "HOAMC Free Tickets" in the subject line.  The first THREE emails that I receive for that day will receive a pair (2) free tickets for the concert day of your choice (Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. or Sunday, March 10 at 4:30 p.m.)  In your email you must include your name (first and last) and your choice of Saturday or Sunday tickets.  I will email you back that day to let you know if you have tickets.  If you don't get in that day...feel free to try again the next day.  You can pick them up at the show at Will-Call right outside the auditorium doors.

I will also be checking email on Saturday and Sunday (the show days).  I will close the Saturday, March 9 giveaway at 6 p.m. and the Sunday, March 10 giveaway at 3:30 p.m.