Diversionary Theatre celebrates its 25th Anniversary Year with a special appearance by Robin Tyler in her solo show Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Groom. This romp through lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history chronicles the early days of Robin's career as a Judy Garland impersonator through being the original plaintiff in California's fight for marriage equality. Robin will perform four performances only, September 16-19.
Robin has worked with most civil rights leaders since the early 1970's, and her voice and experience is an exciting and humorous continuation of the history from civil rights to equal rights, including protests during the Vietnam War, organizing the LGBT Marches on Washington and continuing the fight for LGBT civil rights three decades after her friend, Harvey Milk was assassinated.
From Marches on Washington, to not-so-pretty breakups with ex-lovers, Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Groom exposes three decades of lesbian and gay history through Comedy, and at times, tragedy, leading up to Robin and (her now wife) Diane Olson's historic California Supreme Court marriage case. Robin began performing in nightclubs as a Judy Garland impersonator and as a stand-up comic. In 1979, she became the first out lesbian or gay comic on U.S. national television on a Showtime comedy special hosted by Phyllis Diller. During the 1980s, Robin produced severAl West Coast and Southern Women's Music and Comedy Festivals. In 1978, she initiated the call for the first gay and lesbian march on Washington, D.C to be held in October 1979. She was also instrumental in organizing the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, where the AIDS quilt was displayed for the first time, and the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, which drew almost a million LGBT protesters from around the nation.
Robin Tyler is a pioneer within the grassroots movement of the LGBT civil rights fight. She has played a seminal role in the struggle for equal rights. In February 2004, Robin and Diane, represented by friend and attorney Gloria Allred, became the first lesbian plaintiffs to sue the state of California challenging the ban on same sex marriage. She has fought California's Proposition 8 professionally by producing celebrity PSA's and personally when, on November 5, 2008, she and her wife Diane Olson were the first petitioners to file a brief to the state Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which stopped same-sex marriage in California.
Robin Tyler was also the co-founder and national rally coordinator for StopDrLaura.com. In 2003, she organized national celebrations & demonstrations all over the USA, so when the Federal Supreme Court ruled to overturn the sodomy laws, thousands of activists poured out to the streets of 50 cities to celebrate the decision. She has written numerous articles for the LGBT press and co-authored a chapter in the 2006 three-volume book set "Defending Same Sex Marriage." In 2007, she revived Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Groom, her one-woman, award-winning comedy show about growing up a Jewish lesbian, and wanting to get married.
Diversionary Theatre was started in 1986. The mission of the theatre is to produce plays with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender themes that portray characters in their complexity and diversity both historically and contemporarily.
Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Groom previews at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard in San Diego on Thursday, September 16 at 7:30pm (preview tickets $24), opens on Friday, September 17 at 7:30pm, and also performs on Saturday, September 18 at 7:30pm and Sunday, September 19 at 2:00pm (tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $29, with discounts available for students, seniors (60+), military and groups (10 or more). For information, call the box office at 619.220.0097 or log on to www.diversionary.org.
