The baby dragon — passionate and fierce, yet sensitive and vulnerable. That definition characterized Hunter Allen and certainly applies to those who benefit from his memorial fund at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
Jamie Lynn Sigler, Edi Gathegi and Natalie Zea perform in a musical piece directed by Adam Shankman during last year’s show. (photo courtesy of Hollywood Rush)
The fund benefits the center’s programs for crystal meth recovery and youth and mental health services, resources that lost the majority of their government funding shortly after Hunter’s death. To fill in the gaps, his friends and family created a fundraiser.
The second annual Hollywood Rush will be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St. The event will feature 40 celebrities who write, rehearse and perform a series of 10-minute plays before a live audience — all within 24 hours.
“It’s been incredibly satisfying,” Allen said. “It’s one way I can keep my life from orbiting around the tragedy. …It’s a place for me to rewrite the legacy — Hunter’s legacy, a legacy that is about hope.”
The event will be hosted by singer Lance Bass and television personality George Kotsiopoulos. They will be joined by Trevor Donovan and Gillian Zinser, stars of The CW’s “90210”, among a host of other actors, directors and writers. The show will be managed by nightKAP entertainment, and the executive producers are Allen, Kate Payne and Jason H. Kennedy, one of Hunter’s good friends.
Allen said 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit The Baby Dragon Fund. Last year’s event yielded $85,000 for the fund, and organizers are hoping to top that in 2012.
“It was very successful, considering it was the first year,” Allen said.
Bill McDermott, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s director of development, said last year’s performance was “amazing.” He said the one-act comedies are entertaining and benefit a good cause.
“It’s a very passionate evening,” McDermott said.
He said the center is one of the leaders in meth addiction education. The center develops materials on the subject and has a fully-certified outpatient rehab program, McDermott said.
“It’s a substantial issue here,” he added.
The Rush begins on Saturday, when a group of writers are given 12 hours to create six 10-minute plays. At 8 a.m. on Sunday, the scripts are given to the teams of directors and actors, who must rehearse them in a matter of hours.
According to a statement, many of last year’s participants will perform on Sunday. The line-up includes Donovan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, David Krumholtz, Madeline Zima, Jodie Sweetin, Michelle Borth, Marguerite Moreau, Aimee Garcia, Yeardley Smith, Barrett Foa, Zinser, Edi Gathegi, Dileep Rao, Abe Benrubi, Jayson Blair, Chris Redman, Greg Rikaart, Jeremy Glazer, Michael Bunin, Jonathan Bennett, Zibby Allen, Peter Porte, Brian Gattas, Connor Barrett, Kate Payne, Gloria Calderon, Chad Hodge, Dave Holstein, Matthew Lillard, Peter Paige, Dan Harris and Paula Walker.
Tickets begin at $45, and can be purchased at www.hollywoodrush.org or at the door. An auction is currently ongoing at www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/hollywoodrush, though it will close after the event. For more information about The Baby Dragon Fund or to donate, visit www.thebabydragon-fund.org.
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