For immediate release

24 June 2010

Pride Gala sizzles with top-drawer entertainment

This year's Pride Toronto Gala and Awards ceremony will be held next week at the Carlu. Five deserving winners will receive awards for their contribution to Toronto's queer community, and the audience will enjoy quality food and entertainment in the venue's exquisite ambience.

Produced by Kimahli Powell, director of the 2009 dora-nominated Secrets of a Black Boy, the line up is impressive. The evening is hosted by trey anthony, Toronto's accomplished playwright, television writer and producer who is currently finishing her first fictional novel, the program for the evening goes on to feature other well-known local celebrity performers.

Ashley McIsaac has garnered international acclaim by playing the fiddle in a hard-nosed, traditional Cape-Breton style, while adding his own spin, mixing genres and updating Celtic music to appeal to a broader spectrum of fans. With an impressive list of performances behind him, Ashley will perform for the audience and the award winners.

"Our line-up this year is incredible," says Pride ED Tracey Sandilands. "Other performances include Saidah Baba Talibah, well-known drag artist Miss Conception, Laura Landauer, Waawaate Forbister, bass baritone Douglas Miller and the ever-popular Singing Out community choir."

Choreographed by local talent Scott Fordham, the evening also include pianist Michael Rose and background music will be provided by Toronto's own DJ Winnie.

The Red Carpet will be hosted by CP24's Nalini Sharma and CTV's Galit Solomon, with the usual style they bring to their TV appearances.

The audience is expected to include Ministers Michael Chan and Kathleen Wynne, as well as former award winners. Table sponsors include Labatts, Desjardins, REO Law, Tourism Toronto, Miller Thomson, and Tibotec.

More info about the entertainers

TREY ANTHONY : A former producer for the Women's Television Network and a writer for the Comedy Network and CTV, trey is also the producer of 'dat girl sho is funny (The Urban Womyn's Comedy Festival) and has performed her standup comedy on-stage at Second City, The St. Lawrence Centre, and Yuk Yuk's. She wrote and starred in the sketch comedy television show After Hours with Kenny Robinson, and was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award in 2002. trey is also the co-writer of the hit play I Am Not A Dinner Mint: The Crap Women Swallow To Stay In A Relationship, and is currently completing a new stage play entitled Black Mothers Don't Say I Love You. She was also recently a playwright in residency at the prestigious Canadian Stage Company (CanStage), and is finishing her first fictional novel.

ASHLEY MACISAAC : One of the most celebrated Canadian roots musicians of all time, having sold in excess of 500,000 albums, Ashley has garnered international acclaim by playing the fiddle in that hard-nosed, traditional Cape-Breton style, while adding his own spin, mixing genres and updating Celtic music to appeal to a broader spectrum of fans. Considered something of a local legend and prodigy by the time of his impressive 1992 debut Close To The Floor, Ashley broke through to the mainstream with the double-platinum genre-bending Hi, How Are You Today? in 1995. International radio play for the single, "Sleepy Maggie", and a regular slot on MuchMusic made Ashley an instant Canadian icon. Ashley has toured with the likes of Philip Glass and The Chieftains, and performed on the Conan O'Brian show, The Today Show, at Carnegie Hall and the Acropolis in Greece. He continues to record and release records, with his 11th album, Crossover, slated for release later this year.

SAIDAH BABA TALIBAH : Saidah Baba Talibah is the daughter of Obie award-winner and Tony- and Grammy-nominated Salome Bey, Canada's Queen of Jazz, Blues and Spirituals, and the niece of Andy Bey, also a Grammy-nominated musician. She offers up a distinct and fluid blend of bluesy rock, deep funk and hot, buttered soul with a voice that can go from a seductive, soft purr to a powerful bellow at the turn of a dime. Born and raised in Canada, her music has been greatly influenced by Toronto's musical and ethnic enclaves. She first created stories that reflect the multitude of sounds and styles emanating from the city as a founding member of the seminal soul/rock group Blaxäm and was prominently featured on their 1998 EP, Kiss My Afro. Her most recent project, The Phone Demos, came out on digital release this past October. Talibah will preview songs on her highly anticipated debut (S)Cream!

MISS CONCEPTION : The character of Miss Conception was born May 15th 2000. By meeting other Queens he landed himself a spot in Zelda's Drag Idol 2003, winning the title of the first Zelda's Drag Idol ever. Over the years he's won; Miss Canada Continental, Smirnoff Twisted, Coors Light "Queen of Halloween", Ontario's Next Top Drag Queen, Miss Zelda's and Miss 501, Drag Idol, Miss Gay Universe, Miss Gay Toronto & Entertainer of the Year. In 2005 he became the Entertainer Director for Pride Toronto and has since hired many other Drag Queens for the annual festivals' stages. He has great bars he performs in, such as Woody's and Zelda's and he is always working on new material for his across country tour, someday he wishes to be a big as Dame Edna. You can hear Miss Conception on air at Proudfm.com 103.9 weekdays from 10am -3pm. website missconception.ca

LAURA LANDAUER : Laura Landauer is a Canadian actress, singer and comedian. Her short films have appeared on television shows across North America and Europe and her live comedy act was named one of Now Magazine's top 10 comedy shows in Toronto. Laura appeared as a guest judge on Video on Trial and as a finalist on Bathroom Divas. She also appeared in the film The Love Guru.

WAAWAATE FORBISTER : Waawaate is an award-winning actor and playwright. In 2009, his production of "Agokwe" - a one-man play which he wrote and starred in - won six Dora Awards. He is also a choreographer, dancer and producer. A proud Anishnaabe from Grassy Narrows First Nation, he is a graduate and winner of the Distinguished Performance - Male award from Humber College's Theatre Performance Program. Credits include: Toronto at Dreamers Rock (Magnus Theatre); A Very Polite Genocide (Native Earth Performing Arts); Agokwe (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre); Pawaajigun (Nish); Death of a Chief (Native Earth/National Arts Centre); The Rez Sisters (Theatre North West); Schoolhouse (Blyth Festival); The Passage (Pu-Kawiss Productions); National Artist Program (Canada Winter Games 2007 - Whitehorse).

SINGING OUT : Singing OUT! is one of those communities that lives in fulfillment of its mission statement (PRIDE-MUSIC-BELONGING) by bringing energy and excitement to all communities through the gift of music. In the LGBT communities across North America and Europe, mixed choruses are relatively rare. We remain a non-auditioned community choir, bringing musical excellence to the stage and featuring men's and women's choral arrangements in addition to the mixed chorus sound. The men and women of Singing OUT! revel in this diversity while standing united as an SATB group. Musically we cover the sacred to the sacrilegious and everything in-between. Our goal is musical excellence so whatever we are singing, we strive to sing it very well - be it jazz, the Rankin's, "Some of our best friends are straight" or intricate a cappella harmonies

DOUGLAS MILLAR : Bass-baritone, Douglas Millar is a native of Prince Edward Island where he misspent his youth flitting between churches and pubs, singing anything at all. Subsequently, he reformed and refined himself as a "classical vocal artist," having trained in Vancouver, Paris, Princeton and New York. Since moving to Toronto in 2007, he has sung regularly with the COC, the Elora Festival Singers, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and most recently, with Tafelmusik. Tonight's selection is based on a poem by Langston Hughes. Litany is a prayerful supplication, in this case for love.

SCOTT FORDHAM : Born and raised in Deux-Montagnes, Qc., Scott was exposed to and began dancing at quite a late age and since his move to Toronto at the beginning of 2008, he has choreographed and/or danced for international artists Deborah Cox , Anjulie, India (World's Salsa Princess), Divine Brown, Jully Black, Addictiv, Danny Fernandes, Creature, Cookie Couture, Fritz Helder & The Phantoms, Simone Denny and Untitled among others and also opened for acts such as Katy Perry, LL Cool J, Ginuwine, Shirley Bassey, Monica and Mel C to name a few. He has been featured in videos by Divine Brown" Meet Me at The Roxy ", Creature, Protest the Hero and most recently for major European act Cascada in "Pyromania". He has Choreographed for City TV's "NYE Eve Bash 2010", performed on Toronto's Fashion sCares, choreographed on Much Music's Disband as well as performed on Much(MOD) , MTV and Fashion Television

MICHAEL ROSE : Now a resident of Toronto, Michael Rose, pianist, has worked with Edmonton Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera in Concert (Toronto), Opera Nuova, and The Banff Centre. In 1984, while still a student at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, Michael was chosen by CBC Television as the pianist for their first excursion into classical music video. After studying abroad and winning prizes in several competitions, including the Rio de Janeiro Competition for Vocal Accompanists, he returned to Canada to join the faculty of the Alberta College Conservatory of Music in Edmonton. Recent engagements include Toronto Operetta Theatre (EARNEST, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING; MIKADO; IOLANTHE; KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY), Opera in Concert (I PURITANI; KAMOURASKA; IL MONDO DE LA LUNA, GIULIO CESARE) and Summer Opera Lyric Theatre (VANESSA; FALSTAFF; VENUS AND ADONIS).

DJ WINNIE : Toronto DJ Winnie - behind the decks for nearly 7 years, she has played every type of event: parties, clubs, festivals, launches, exhibits, art shows, fashion shows, erotic fairs, large corporate gigs, weddings, you name it. She is one of the most flexible djs in town, making you move, wherever, whenever! Her sounds include electro, techno, dance, hip hop and retro beats.

KIMAHLI POWELL : A senior development professional at Dignitas International, Kimahli moonlights as a director of the stage. Favourite directing projects include the dora-nominated Secrets of a Black Boy (Danforth Music Hall, 2009) The Price of Bleach (Rhubarb, 2008), Secrets of a Black Boy workshop presentation (Enwave Theatre, 2007), The Passion of Winnie (stage direction; Isabel Bader Theatre, Luminato, 2007), 365 Days/365 Plays (LMDA Conference/LKTYP, 2007), The Polished Hoe (Assistant Director; Enwave Theatre, Frank Collymore Hall, Barbados, 2007), The Colour of My Heart (Salvador Allende Arts Festival for Peace, 2006; Rhubarb, 2005; RPS Festival, 2005), Demeter (Culture Shock Canada/National Arts Centre, Ottawa/Winchester St. Theatre, Toronto; 2004). Kimahli is the 2005 Ken MacDougall Award recipient for Best Emerging Director. He is also on the fundraising committee for the Black Coalition for Aids Prevention.

About Pride Toronto:
Pride Toronto is the not-for-profit organization that hosts Pride Week, an annual festival held during the first weekend of July in downtown Toronto. Pride Toronto exists to celebrate the history, courage, diversity and future of Toronto's LGBTTIQQ2SA* communities and is one of the leading cultural events of its kind in the world with a total economic benefit in 2009 of $136 million.
Toronto's Pride Week has been named Best Festival in Canada by the Canadian Special Events Industry in 2004, 2005 and 2009, and is recognized as one of only eight Signature Events in the City of Toronto. It is ranked one of the TOP 50 festivals in Ontario by Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) as well as one of the 18 Marquee Festivals of Distinction in Canada. With attendance of over 1.2 million, it is the third largest Pride celebration in the world and the largest in North America. For media accreditation for the festival, please visit http://www.pridetoronto.com.
* Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, 2-Spirited and Allies

For more information:
Michael Ain
Marketing and Communications Manager, Pride Toronto
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
416.927.7433 ext. 226