Night Of A Thousand Judys
2020 Program

AN ONLINE CONCERT EVENT HONORING JUDY GARLAND

WRITTEN AND HOSTED BY JUSTIN SAYRE
MUSIC DIRECTION BY TRACY STARK 
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: DAN FORTUNE

The eighth annual “Night of A Thousand Judys”– the Pride concert to benefit The Ali Forney Center written and hosted by Justin Sayre – will be presented as a streaming online event on Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 PM Eastern. Performers will include Lena Hall (Tony winner for Hedwig), Natalie Douglas (12x MAC Winner), Nathan Lee Graham (Zoolander, “LA to Vegas”), Eva Noblezada (Hadestown), Adam Pascal (Rent), Beth Malone (Fun Home), Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), George Salazar (Be More Chill), Ann Harada (Avenue Q), T. Oliver Reid (Hadestown), Jessica Vosk (Wicked), Spencer Day (#1 Billboard artist), Bright Light Bright Light (Elton John, Cher), Ann Hampton Callaway (Billboard Singer & Songwriter), Billy Stritch (Grammy Award Winner), and
L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop). The Ali Forney Center is the nation’s largest agency dedicated to helping LGBTQ homeless youth. Watch the concert and donate to the cause at ThousandJudys.com.

Called “a rambunctious, uproarious, unpredictable all-star concert” by The Wall Street Journal, “Night of aThousandJudys” will honor the iconic Judy Garland with tributes and songs from her legendary career as movie star, recording artist and stage performer. The virtual event is written and hosted by Justin Sayre, featuring Tracy Stark as music director. “Night of a ThousandJudys” is produced by Dan Fortune and Adam J. Rosen, with Dan Fortune serving as executive producer. 

“We are in a historical moment,” says Justin. “A moment when people too long unheard, undervalued and underrepresented are demanding justice. We are speaking out for justice, and while our ire and our disgust at the abuses of the police is reaching a fevered pitch, we must remember that the fight for justice is a fight on multiple fronts. We must never forget that in New York, homeless LGBTQ youth are deeply at risk, and many of these brave young people are people of color. We are here to support this community at risk.” 

The first seven sold-out annual concerts featured the talents of R&B legends Martha Wash and Sarah Dash; jazz vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Cyrille Aimée, and Jane Monheit; singer/songwriters Nellie McKay and Erin McKeown; Broadway divas Carolee Carmello, Liz Callaway, and Tonya Pinkins; leading men Howard McGillin, Daniel Reichard, and Telly Leung; downtown stars Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett, and Lady Rizo; nightlife fixtures Karen Mason, Maude Maggart and Karen Akers; and New York personalities Michael Musto, Austin Scarlett, and Frank DeCaro, among many others.

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JUSTIN SAYRE is a writer and performer who Michael Musto called, “Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg.” Sayre has been a fixture of the downtown scene in New York, first with their long-running monthly show,The Meeting of the International Order of Sodomites, Bistro Award-winning and two MAC nominations, and now with new shows at Joe’s Pub/The Public Theatre like “Peaches, Eggplants, and Tears” and “The gAyBC’s,” a five-part show which will be released in book form by Chronicle Books later this year. As a playwright, Sayre’s work has appeared at Dixon Place, The Wild Project, The Celebration Theatre, The Players Club, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre. Sayre was amongst the first class of The Queer Art Mentorship, where he worked with Everett Quentin of Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatre Company on their play, The Click of the Lock. Sayre has written a series of YA Novels, Husky and Pretty, with the third in the series, Mean, released later this year by Penguin Books. Sayre is the host of the podcast Sparkle & Circulate. Sayre’s first comedy album, The Gay Agenda, was listed as The Comedy Bureau’s “Best of 2016.” Sayre also writes for television, working with Michael Patrick King on his hit CBS comedy “2 Broke Girls” and for Fox’s “The Cool Kids.” Sayre also appeared on HBO’s “The Comeback” with Lisa Kudrow.

TRACY STARK – the pianist, arranger, conductor and singer/songwriter – is a 10-time MAC Award winner, in the categories of Music Director, Piano Bar Entertainer, and Song of the Year. She is also a Bistro Award winner for Musical Direction, and winner of the Dottie Burman Songwriter of the Year Award. Tracy has worked with Lesley Gore, Phoebe Snow, Karen Black, Randy Jones of The Village People, Jimmy Osmond, Tovah Feldshuh, Eric Millegan, Tonya Pinkins, Ann Crumb, Marni Nixon, and hundreds of other rock, jazz, and Broadway vocalists. She has conducted, played, and sung at all the finest and the sleaziest venues all over the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.  She has played and conducted on numerous television shows, including The Today Show. Her songs are included on at least 20 different compilations, and have been winning accolades in songwriting competitions for the past two decades. She has three CDs of original music, the latest of which is on the Miranda Music label, with special guests including Lesley Gore, Jane Monheit, Nona Hendryx, Karen Black, Ann Hampton Callaway, and Barb Jungr.