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Su Questa Rupe

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Su Questa Rupe

di David Eugene Perry

Uscita autunno 2020

Una coppia di americani in Italia sta indagando sul suicidio di un chierico avvenuto nella pittoresca cittadina di Orvieto. Si trovano immersi in una cospirazione che minaccia di distruggere la Chiesa Cattolica. È lo straordinario romanzo d’esordio di David Eugene Perry, Upon This Rock, pubblicato da Pace Press, la cui pubblicazione è prevista per l’autunno del 2020, 

Un racconto, alla Dan Brown, di intrighi, storia, arte, segreti della Chiesa e cospirazioni del potere, Upon this Rock rapisce il lettore, che non potrà interrompere la lettura prima di arrivare al finale a sorpresa.

Lee Maury, dirigente di relazioni pubbliche a San Francisco, e il marito Adriano, arrivano in Italia nella bellissima storica città di Orvieto, per riprendersi dopo la morte di un caro amico. Lee e Adriano s’innamorano della bellezza, della storia e dell’affiatata comunità cittadina, ma quel che più di tutto affascina Lee è una tragedia locale.

Un anno prima, dopo che gli era stata negata l’ordinazione, il Diacono Andrea, candidato molto amato dalla gente, si era tolto la vita gettandosi dalla rupe di Orvieto. Quello che colpisce Lee sono i paralleli fra la sua vita e quella di Andrea – entrambi avevano la stessa età, entrambi volevano farsi prete, ed entrambi avevano cercato di togliersi la vita. Ossessionato dal voler comprendere la vera storia sulla vita e la morte di Andrea, Lee non può fare a meno di diventare un investigatore dilettante.

Tutte le persone che Lee e Adriano incontrano a Orvieto sono in qualche modo collegate ad Andrea e si sentono responsabili per la sua morte: Il bel Grigori, ex Guardia Svizzera e prostituto bisessuale; Don Bello, il gentile prete anziano; Lady Peg, la pettegola blogger expat Americana; Luka, il giovane riservato dottore tedesco; La Dona Volsini, l’irascibile fornaia di novant’anni e il nipote Marco, innamorato degli Stati Uniti; l’immigrante musicista di strada Dawud e sua sorella Maryam, arrivata in Italia con i contrabbandieri del mercato nero; l’ex prete Episcopale Rev. Vicki; il nuovo vescovo di Orvieto, Arnaud, membro dell’Opus Dei con problemi di identità sessuale; il Cardinale Maltoni, potente capo dell’ufficio stampa del Vaticano; e Magda, misteriosa e bellissima burocrate.

Mentre Lee e Adriano tentano di capire i rapporti che legano tutte queste figure al suicidio di Andrea, s’incappano in una cospirazione di terrorismo, nella tratta di esseri umani, e in un complotto per piazzare una bomba nucleare sporca sulla tomba di San Pietro. Prima che se ne rendano conto, l’anno sabatico di Lee e Adriano diventa una corsa per salvare vite innocenti e non rimanere uccisi nel processo.

L’Autore
David Eugene Perry è fondatore e CEO dell’impresa di public relations David Perry & Associates, Inc. Perry è anche host/produttore dello show televisivo settimanale LGBT, 10 Percent, e come giornalista ha contribuito a varie pubblicazioni nazionali. Perry e suo marito vivono tra San Francisco e Palm Springs. 

Two Democratic Presidential Candidates in Discussion

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

MEDIA ADVISORY / REQUEST FOR ONSITE COVERAGE: August 15 & 24

WHO: Manny’s presents

WHAT/WHEN: Two Democratic Presidential Candidates in Discussion

WHERE Manny’s  / 3092 16th Street @ Valencia, San Francisco

WHEN Thursday, August 15:

7:30pm – Conversation between Manny Yekutiel and Marianne Williamson

Saturday, August 24:

2pm – 4pm: Town Hall with Senator Michael Bennett

WEB: www.welcometomannys.com   

WHY: Manny’s, “the New Hampshire of California” (KCBS Radio)continues its hosting of leading Democratic presidential candidates this month with events featuring Marianne Williamson and Michael Bennett.

Manny’s is a people powered and community focused meeting and learning place in the heart of San Francisco that combines a restaurant, political bookshop, and civic events space. The goal of Manny’s is to create a central and affordable place to become a better informed and more involved citizen. We do this by offering our events space to nonprofits, activists, and civic organizations to spread their message and do their work as well as hosting our own civic and arts related programming. Our kitchen is run by the non-profit, Farming Hope, which hires formerly homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals and trains them in the food skills needed to work in the restaurant industry.

Manny’s opened on Election Night, 2018 where over 500 people came together to watch the results of that moment in our civic life together and since then the venue has hosted hundreds of gatherings. Manny’s is a community space and is proudly located in the Mission District – a historic hub of activism and progressive action. 

Who / What: The Rainbow Honor Walk dedicates the next Eight Honoree Plaques

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media contact:  David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com  

Who / What:  The Rainbow Honor Walk dedicates the next Eight Honoree Plaques

When:        Friday, August 9: 10:30am – 11:30am

Where:      Catch Restaurant / 2362 Market Street (@ Castro) San Francisco

7 August 2019 – San Francisco, CA:  The Rainbow Honor Walk (www.rainbowhonorwalk.org) will unveil its next 8 honorees this Friday, August 9 at 10:30am beginning at Catch Restaurant (2362 Market Street @ Castro).  Plaques honoring Alvin Ailey, W.H. Auden, Josephine Baker, Marie Equi, Freddie Mercury, Gerry Studds, Lou Sullivan and Chavela Vargas will be dedicated as Rainbow Honor Walk board members and supporters stop by each plaque. The eight new bronze plaques, 3 feet x 3 feet, are on Market Street between Castro and Sanchez Streets.

Following are the eight honorees whose plaques are to be dedicated:

  • Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) Gay American ballet dancer and choreographer credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th-century concert dance.
  • W.H. Auden (1907-1973) Gay English poet known for love poems such as “Funeral Blues,” poems on political and social themes such as “September 1, 1939,” and poems on cultural and psychological themes such as “The Age of Anxiety.”
  • Josephine Baker (1906-1975) American-born dancer, singer, actress, and world-famous entertainer, embraced by France as a national treasure, who refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States.
  • Marie Equi (1872-1952) Lesbian American physician and political activist devoted to providing care to working-class and poor patients, providing health care information to women, and fighting for civic and economic reforms, women’s right to vote and an eight-hour workday.
  • Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) Bisexual British singer, songwriter, record producer and lead performer with the rock group Queen.
  • Gerry Studds (1937-2006) American politician and the first openly gay member of the U.S. Congress.
  • Lou Sullivan (1951-1991) American author, activist, and female to male transgender pioneer who is widely credited for the modern understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity as distinct, unrelated concepts.
  • Chavela Vargas (1919-2012) Lesbian Costa Rican-born singer known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras and for her contribution to other genres of popular Latin American music. 

When a volunteer committee of community members proposed the Rainbow Honor Walk, they received the unanimous support of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to create the sidewalk monument. Comprised of 3 foot x 3 foot bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk, the Walk salutes the groundbreaking achievements of noted LGBT individuals throughout history. The first 20 honorees were announced in 2011. In 2012 the Rainbow Honor Walk board solicited design proposals from around the world.  An independent jury of artists and cultural leaders selected the winning design by architect Carlos Casuso of Madrid, Spain. The plaques were manufactured by Mussi Artworks of Berkeley, California with creative oversight of the process spearheaded by Lawrence Noble, head of the sculpture department at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. The first 20 plaques were installed in September 2014 with an additional eight plaques added in 2017.

The Rainbow Honor Walk Board is comprised of the following individuals: Peter Goss, Madeline Hancock, Karen Helmuth, Bill Lipsky, David Perry, Joe Robinson, Charlotte Ruffner, Donna Sachet, Gustavo Serina, Barbara Tannenbaum and Tarita Thomas.

The Rainbow Honor Walk will eventually extend from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on 19th Street at Diamond down to Castro Street—the LGBT community’s “Main Street”—and will continue up Market Street with additional extensions on 18th Street. On Market Street, San Francisco’s main thoroughfare, the Walk will continue to the LGBT Center at Octavia Boulevard.  

All funds for manufacture of the Rainbow Honor Walk are raised privately, with each plaque costing approximately $ 6000. A major source of income comes from the San Francisco Human Rights Campaign Action Center and Store (575 Castro Street) through the sale of commemorative mugs, t-shirts and lapel pins, which has generated over $20,000 for the Rainbow Honor Walk.

Individuals interested in contacting the Rainbow Honor Walk may do so by email at info@rainbowhonorwalk.org or by mail to Rainbow Honor Walk, 584 Castro Street, #113

San Francisco, California 94114.  Contact can also be made via Facebook by searching “Rainbow Honor Walk”. Information can also be found online, and donations made, through the Rainbow Honor Walk website at www.rainbowhonorwalk.org. 

Dezart Performs Nominated for 17 Desert Stars Awards:

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media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Dezart Performs Nominated for 17 Desert Stars Awards: 

Honors To  Be Given Out at 32nd Annual Desert Theatre League Gala Sunday, October 13

2 August 2019 – Palm Springs, CA: Coming off a record-breaking 11th season, the acclaimed Dezart Performs has secured 17 nominations for the annual “Desert Star Awards” including the categories of Outstanding Production Comedy and Drama, Director, Lead Actor and Actress, and Set, Sound and Lighting Design. The winners will be announced at the 32nd annual Desert Theatre League Gala on Sunday, October 13.

“We’re so honored to nominated among the incredible theatre community here in the Desert,” said Dezart Performs Founding Artistic Director Michael Shaw, noting that pre-sales for the upcoming season are at 74% over las year. “For 11 seasons, our audiences have looked to Dezart Performs for theatre that entertains, enlightens and often challenges. Our last season did all of that. We’re thrilled that the Desert Theatre League feels the same.”

The complete list of Desert Theatre League / “Desert Star Awards” nominations for Dezart Performs are as follows: 

Outstanding Production – Comedy – Professional

Maytag Virgin

Perfect Arrangement

Outstanding Director of a Comedy – Professional

Deborah Harmon, Maytag Virgin

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy – Professional

Joel Bryant, Maytag Virgin

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy – Professional

Kay Capasso, Maytag Virgin

Olivia Saccomanno, Perfect Arrangement

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy – Professional

Deborah Harmon, Perfect Arrangement

Yo Younger, Perfect Arrangement

Outstanding Production of a Drama – Professional

White Guy on the Bus

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama – Professional

Beau Marie, Church & State

David Youse, White Guy on the Bus

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama 

Desireé Clarke, White Guy on the Bus

Outstanding Set Design – Professional

Thomas L. Valach, Maytag Virgin

Outstanding Sound Design – Professional

Clark Dugger, Maytag Virgin

Clark Dugger, White Guy on the Bus

Outstanding Lighting Design – Professional

Phil Murphy, Maytag Virgin

Outstanding Props and Special Effects

Clark Dugger and Cecilia Orosco, Maytag Virgin

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

Season package prices: (4-Show Season Packages $124-164; 3-Show Season Packages $96-126)
All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org, or by calling (760) 322-0179.

12th Dezart Performs Complete Season Listing

HAND TO GOD

Written by Robert Askins

Directed by Michael Shaw

Dark comedy

November 8-17, 2019

The Tony-nominated Broadway hit comedy, where The Exorcist Meets Sesame Street! “HAND TO GOD is so ridiculously raunchy, irreverent and funny it’s bound to leave you sore from laughing. Ah, hurts so good.” —New York Daily News

After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas. Jason’s complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and—most especially—his mother are thrown into upheaval when Jason’s puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. (note: for mature audiences)

*   *   *

DANIEL’S HUSBAND

Written by Michael McKeever

Drama

January 10-19, 2020

Off-Broadway’s Latest Hit Drama! One of The New York Times plays to see! “A profound look at love and commitment.” —The Daily Beast

Daniel and Mitchell are the perfect couple. Perfect house, perfect friends – even a mother who wants them married. They’d have the perfect wedding, too, except that Mitchell doesn’t believe in gay marriage. A turn of events puts their perfect life in jeopardy, and Mitchell is thrust into a future where even his love may not prove to be enough. DANIEL’S HUSBAND is a bold reflection of love, commitment, and family in our perilous new world. Starring WHITE GUY ON THE BUS’ David Youse and Dezart Performs Artistic Director, Michael Shaw.

*   *   *

SWEAT

Written by Lynn Nottage

Directed by Michael Shaw

Drama

February 28-March 8, 2020

Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. SWEAT exposes the collapse of the American working class in the new millennium. “Sharp and threatening as a box cutter blade…ferociously engrossing…SWEAT never feels less than authentic—and crucial.” —Deadline.com

It’s the year 2000 in Reading, Pennsylvania and a group of friends go to work at the steel mill and then decompress at the bar like they’ve been doing for over 20 years. But, unbeknownst to them, their lives are about to be uprooted. Their steel mill is making some changes and the blood, sweat and tears of generations of loyal workers don’t seem to amount to much. SWEAT dissects the insidiousness of privilege and entitlement, reminding you that there’s always someone on a lower plane to blame for your troubles, and there will always be someone who stands to profit from your loss. 

*   *   *

EVERY BRILLIANT THING

Written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Deborah Harmon

Comedy/Drama

April 3-12, 2020

“A heart-wrenching, hilarious play…One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression—and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop!” —The Guardian

You’re six years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Construction cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. A play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

Advance Title Information: Upon This Rock

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Advance Title Information

Upon This Rock

by David Eugene Perry

Coming in Autumn 2020

An American couple in Italy investigate the suicide of a cleric in the picturesque city of Orvieto — and find themselves plunged into a conspiracy that may destroy the Catholic Church — in the stunning debut novel Upon This Rock, by David Eugene Perry, to be published in the autumn of 2020 by Pace Press.

A Dan Brown–esque tale of intrigue, history, art, the secrets of the Church, and the conspiracies of the powerful, Upon This Rock is a relentless page turner that will keep readers on edge from its original premise to its startling denouement, set in the stunning background of one of Europe’s most captivating cities.

San Francisco public relations executive Lee Maury and his husband Adriano come to the historic and beautiful Italian city of Orvieto to rejuvenate following the death of a close friend. Lee and Adriano immediately fall in love with Orvieto’s beauty, history, and tight-knit community, but Lee becomes most fascinated by a local tragedy.

One year earlier, Deacon Andrea, a much-loved candidate for the priesthood, was denied ordination and committed suicide by flinging himself off the cliffs of Orvieto. Lee is struck by the parallels between his life and Andrea’s — both are the same age, both were candidates for the priesthood, and both attempted suicide. Growing obsessed with learning the truth about Andrea’s life and death, Lee can’t resist playing amateur detective.

Everyone Lee and Adriano meet in Orvieto has some connection to Andrea and some responsibility for his death: the handsome former Swiss Guard and bisexual prostitute Grigori; the kindly elderly priest Don Bello; the gossipy American expat blogger Lady Peg; the secretive young German doctor Luka; the irascible nonagenarian baker La Dona Volsini and her USA-loving grandson Marco; African immigrant street musician Dawud and his sister Maryam, who is en route to Italy with black market smugglers; the former Episcopal priest Rev. Vicki; Orvieto’s new bishop, Arnauld, a sexually conflicted member of Opus Dei; the powerful head of the Vatican press office Cardinal Maltoni; and the mysterious and beautiful bureaucrat Magda.

As Lee and Adriano struggle to make sense of the relationships tying all these people to Andrea’s suicide, they stumble upon a conspiracy of terrorism, human trafficking, and a plot to plant a nuclear dirty bomb in the tomb of St. Peter. Before they know it, Lee and Adriano’s sabbatical becomes a race to save innocent lives — and not get killed in the process.

 About the Author: David Eugene Perry is the founder and CEO of the public relations firm David Perry & Associates, Inc. Perry is also the host/producer for the weekly LGBT TV Show, 10 Percent, and a journalist who has contributed to several national publications. Perry and his husband make their home in San Francisco and Palm Springs.

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