Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition

Artists leaders and artist-run groups addressing policy issues that affect artists in Massachusetts

2019 Champion of Artists Awardee Spotlight: Abe Rybeck

As we lead up to 13th Annual “Artists Under The Dome” Event and the MALC 2019 “Champion of Artists” Awards on November 18, 2019, at the State House, we are highlighting each of the five “Champion of Artists” awardees. This post is highlighting Abe Rybeck.

Abe Rybeck headshot
Abe Rybeck


This is the fourth time MALC has given these awards, which will all be part of the morning program. The award ceremony will begin at 11:00am in the State House’s Great Hall, located on the second floor. The ceremony, along with all the events that are part of the annual Artists Under the Dome event, are free and open to the public. Although it is not required, we are urging people to register for the event.

For more information and to register:
http://www.artistsunderthedome.org/annualevent.htm

This year’s awardees in alphabetical order

  • Blair Benjamin – Fiction Writer, Director of MASS MoCA’s Studio Residency Program and Founder & Director of Assets for Artists (A4A)
  • Kay Bourne – Journalist, Editor, and Educator
  • Greg Liakos – Writer, Journalist and former Director of Communications and External Relations for the Mass Cultural Council (This award is given in memory of State Representative Chris Walsh)
  • Abe Rybeck – Playwright, Organizational Consultant, and Founder of The Theater Offensive (TTO)
  • Lisa Simmons – Filmmaker, Director and Curator of the Roxbury Film Festival, and Founder of the Color of Film Collaborative (This award is given in memory of MALC Co-Founder Liora Beer)

Abe Rybeck has been a mentor, a leader, and a champion for so many, especially artists and youth from the LGBTQ community. His artistic practice, his advocacy, and his spirit has helped sustain and grow our artist community here and well beyond Massachusetts. We all owe him thanks for the incredible work he did during the HIV/AIDS Crisis and continues to do to ensure the LGBTQ community can thrive. MALC is proud to be able to give Abe this award to show our appreciation to him.

Profile: Abe Rybeck

Playwright and Organizational Consultant Abe Rybeck is best known as the founder of The Theater Offensive (TTO), New England’s largest and longest running LGBTQ performance group, which he led for over 30 years. His mission is to work across cultures and generations to create art that engages people in movements.

He created such groundbreaking TTO programs as True Colors: OUT Youth Theater; A Street Theater Named Desire; OUT on the Edge Queer Theater Festival; the OUT in Your Neighborhood Series; and the Plays at Work development program.

In 1984 he co-founded the seminal gay guerrilla theater troupe, United Fruit Company. From 1989-1994 he fronted the hard-edge cabaret band Adult Children of Heterosexuals. In 2012 Abe joined the Board of the National Performance Network, eventually serving as its Chair.

As a playwright, Abe won the 2007 Jonathan Larson Award for musical theater. His theatrical works include Pure PolyESTHER: a biblical burlesque, Blame it on the Big Banana; I Am What I Wear; An Evening of Rachel Tension Among Friends; Immaculate Infection; Dirt; This is Not a Test; Breaking the [Dress] Code; Hello Goodbye Peace; and Bombshell.

True Colors, which Abe founded, received the 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from First Lady Michelle Obama at The White House. Abe was declared one of the “Heeb 100” progressive Jewish world cultural leaders; he received the 2015 History Maker Award from The History Project; and The 2015 Bayard Rustin Award for fighting racism and homophobia. He holds Certificates in Chief Executive Leadership for Community and Culture from National Arts Strategies; Executive Arts Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School; and Executive Innovation from EMS Arts Innovation Lab. Abe is most proud that the South End Dynamite, a Boricua girls twirling team in TTO’s neighborhood, named him “Honorary Drum Majorette”.

SAVE THE DATE & REGISTER!!
The 13th Annual Artists Under the Dome Event 2019
Monday, NOVEMBER 18th, 2019
9:30am to 1pm
Massachusetts State House’s Great Hall
Free and Open to All
Questions?
http://artistsunderthedome.org/annualevent.html

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