Jonny Stax
A rock n' roll ride with the real-life gay bikers who kickstarted the sexual revolution in 1950s Chicago.
Acclaimed theatre artist Scott Bradley and recording artist Mercy Bell are creating a musical experience based on the Chuck Renslow biography Leatherman by Tracy Baim and Owen Keehnen. Jonny Stax and About Face Theatre lead the commissioning team behind the effort to bring these trailblazers to life in an immersive transmedia experience honoring the power of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
LEATHER DADDIES recounts the adventures of artist-entrepreneur-outlaws Domingo Orejudos (pictured left) and Chuck Renslow (pictured below) as they lead a pack of leather-clad rebels, pushing the boundaries of art, activism, and sexual exploration at a time of crushing conformity and persecution. They dreamt of a world where interracial same-sex love could be expressed without shame or hiding. That world didn’t exist, so they turned their dream into an underground empire that would grow into a global community.
Residencias del gremio
Meet the creators of LEATHER DADDIES
Acclaimed theatre artist Scott Bradley and recording artist Mercy Bell
Media clips below. Team biographies here.
Leather Stories
LEATHER DADDIES illuminates the ingenuity and resilience in LGBTQIA+ communities. Given the current backlash to civil rights progress, we need powerful stories of our brave forebears and contemporaries to guide and inspire us as we fend off attacks on young people and communities of color.
In partnership with the Leather Archives & Museum, LEATHER DADDIES will be working with queer and sex-positive communities across the country to collect and share intergenerational stories that amplify our rich diversity of voices and histories.
Support the birth of this exciting project.
It takes a village to make Leather Daddies!
Pictured: Artist Dom "Etienne" Orejudos with his mural at the Gold Coast Bar.
JOIN THE LEATHER DADDIES WORLD
Our non-profit partner About Face Theatre is processing your tax-deductible donations.
Be sure to write LEATHER DADDIES in "Your Note for the Donor Scroll".
If you prefer to donate by check and avoid service fees, put LEATHER DADDY in the Memo section and write the check to About Face Theatre. Address: PO Box 408092, Chicago IL 60640-0001
The LEATHER DADDIES musical experience and story collection are made possible through the support of the following individual donors and organizational partners.
DONORS
$10,000 and Above
Rob & Libby Mayor / Apple, Inc.
$5,000 - $9,999
John Sanders & Jason Held
$2,500 - $4,999
Cassandra Damm
Todd Buchacker
$1,000 - $2,499
Scott Smith
$200 - $499
Owen Keehnan
$199 and Below
Jeff Barry
George Lynch
Suzanne Carrier
Michael Scott McAdams
Jane Saks
Anonymous
ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS
Leather Archives & Museum
About Face Theatre
Jonny Stax Presents, Inc.
Tom of Finland Foundation
Onyx Midwest
Support art = equity projects
Jonny Stax apoya nuevas empresas creativas en desarrollo que valoran la justicia, la equidad, la diversidad y la interseccionalidad. Cada proyecto recibe una residencia de gremio en la Fábrica de pociones con recursos, tiempo y espacio apoyados por contribuciones y subvenciones.
Contribuya generosamente para apoyar a estos impactantes artistas y organizadores comunitarios.