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155:— though their rules have been changed, and now any person who self-identifies as male may join, regardless of sexual orientation or preference. It was begun in 1986 by a small group of gay men under the directorship of Robert Read and led by him until 1992. Since 1986 the Chorus has rehearsed in the
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The CGMC also performs at many fundraisers for other nonprofit groups, and at local events such as the Molson
Summertime Street Festival in New Haven in 1992 and the Hartford gay pride march for several years. The Chorus also gives away blocks of tickets to performances to social organizations whose
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In April 2013 three sold-out performances took place at Lyric Hall, a small, restored turn-of-the-20th-century theater in the historic
Westville section of New Haven. In December 2013 two sold-out performances occurred in the 325-seat theater at the Co-Operative Arts & Humanities High School in
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Another milestone came in 2002, when for the first time the Chorus performed in the then brand-new
Belding Theater, part of the Bushnell Theater complex in Hartford, Connecticut. The CGMC had outgrown its previous Hartford venue, the Wallace Stevens Theater at The Hartford complex. Since that time,
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Since 2002, the main fundraiser for the chorus has been "Bingomania", a monthly bingo game with entertainment, hosted by "Joan
Crawford", a man dressed up as the famous movie star. As many as 400 people attend the monthly bingo/shows, which have themes such as "Redneck Bingomania", "Bad Romance
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In 1986 the Chorus incorporated as
Connecticut Gay Men's Chorus, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. In 2000 the legal name was changed to Charter Oak Performing Arts, Inc. The Connecticut Gay Men's Chorus and CGMC are still used as names under which the corporation does business.
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in New Haven and the
Bushnell Theater in Hartford under the long-time directorship of Winston Clark, who became music director in the fall of 1992. Clark changed the direction of the Chorus from "standing on risers and singing" to fully staged, fully costumed musical
200:, and decreased the politically themed content in favor of more general entertainment in a successful effort to attract a larger audience, including the non-gay community. The Chorus became known for humor, as mentioned in a 1999 article in
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April 2015 saw the CGMC perform the New
England premiere of "I Am Harvey Milk", an oratorio with words and music by Andrew Lippa. The two performances at the Co-Operative Arts & Humanities High School in New Haven were both sold out.
217:, had been performed seven times at the Educational Center for the Arts, a much smaller theater in New Haven. When it was discovered that the Shubert Theater was available in May 1995, the 50th anniversary of
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Bingomania", and "Easter Bonnet
Bingomania". The bingo is staffed by Chorus members, and prizes are donated by local businesses. "Joan Crawford" now has over 2000 friends on 'her' Facebook page.
170:, a town with a large gay population. The shows, sponsored by the Provincetown Business Guild, were sold out every year since the first year. The CGMC is a member of GALA, the
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A major turning point came in May 1995, when the CGMC brought its successful musical revue, "Victory
Canteen", to the Shubert Theater. The revue, a salute to the
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all
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The first concert given by the CGMC was in 1987. After performing for several years in small venues like churches in New Haven and
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by Cathy Crimmins, as an example of "how gay-tolerant small towns in Connecticut have become."{Page 52}
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members might otherwise not be able to afford the price of a ticket.
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Another important event was the composition and debut performance of
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From 1993 to 2007 the CGMC also performed in September in
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Connecticut Gay Men's Chorus goes to the dollar store
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Gay Men's Chorus exposes those 'Dollar Store Divas'
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495:Old Bubble-Gum Tunes Are the Life of 'Party'
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