NARROWSBURG, NY — At 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 10 at the Tusten Theatre, the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) will present “The Stonewall Jukebox: A Documentary Concert.”

An afterparty will be held at the Darby Hotel across the river immediately following the performance.

David Driver's new project tells the unknown, unexpected and profoundly uplifting story of how the Stonewall Uprising came to be and its reverberations in contemporary LGBTQ+ culture.

See a trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6osKh6-SUA.

Part live musical performance and part oral history, “The Stonewall Jukebox: A Documentary Concert” features acclaimed artists, such as John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants. The show pays homage to the real people who lived, fought, and survived the Stonewall riots.

The music is interwoven with contemporaneous texts pulled from magazines, books, interviews and songs that were played at the Stonewall Inn. The project sheds light on the social and political climate that paved the way for those remarkable events.

Through the work of artists like Sly & the Family Stone, Judy Garland, The Flirtations, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Petula Clark, Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Lesley Gore, and the Beatles, “Stonewall Jukebox” shines a light on how and why this historical moment remains at the forefront of our cultural consciousness.

Creator David Driver, known locally for his music, film and theater collaborations, moved to the Sullivan Catskills nearly 20 years ago. Audiences will recognize him from events like “Welcome to My HAUS” with Peter Kiesewalter (as LuxRd) and “Standards & Classics & Starsky (No Hutch),” which performed at the Tusten Theatre.

On his latest project Driver says, “I was drawn to this material by its diversity. Its joy. Its exuberance. During the phase when we were researching the material itself, I loved to close my eyes and imagine what it must have been like in that sweatbox of a venue, 50 years ago, surrounded by all sorts of people having all sorts of experiences. Having no clue that they were about to be in the midst of a huge moment in our shared history.”

Joining Driver and his band The Riot Squad on stage are guest singers and narrators C. Julian Jimenez (¡Oso Fabuloso!), Mimi McGurl (Farm Arts, NACL), Everett Bradley (Bon Jovi, Springsteen), David Christian (Karen O, Norah Jones), John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants), Nicki Richards (Madonna, Lady Gaga), Cyote Lou, Renee Cologne and Lenny Zenthis.

Their diversity reflects the fierce demographics of The Stonewall Inn circa 1969.

The Stonewall Jukebox was originally commissioned by Symphony Space in New York City in 2019, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Driver continued to develop the project here in the Sullivan Catskills with “Stonewall: Hits & History,” an early version of the show held at Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre in 2021. In 2024, the artist received a NYSCA grant to further develop the piece, and “Stonewall Jukebox” debuted in NYC in June 2024 with a sold-out performance at City Winery. 

The theatre is located at 210 Bridge St. 

Advance tickets cost $40 each ($32 for DVAA members) and $45 at the door ($36 for DVAA members). 

Learn more at delawarevalleyartsalliance.org/event/stonewall-jukebox.

Purchase tickets by calling 845/252-7576 or visit delawarevalleyartsalliance.org.