Hosted by Lushus La’Rell, the 3rd Denver’s Got Talent fundraiser takes place Saturday, February 28 at EXDO Event Center and will benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
For the low, low price of $20 you can enjoy dinner, a show, and the knowledge that you are supporting the foundation in their mission to replace hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance through the telling of Matthew's story.
The entertainment portion of the evening will be served up by performers from local businesses and non-profits as they vie for a $1000 Grand Prize to be awarded to the charity of their choice.
I spoke with Lushus La’Rell’s alter ego Anthony Aragon to find out more.
Drew: $20 for dinner, a show, and to benefit The Matthew Shepard Foundation? Sounds like the best deal in town! Anthony: Oh, I’d like to think so, yeah. This is my third one, and this thing has just kind of taken on a life of it’s own. The last two we did at Tracks for a $10 cover but this year I’m working with EXDO and using their space and decided to include a pasta dinner and just charge $20.
The first year I think we raised almost $7000 and then last year was for the White Rose Scholarship Foundation and we raised $6000. My goal this year is to net $10,000 for the foundation that night and I’m probably already at $7500-8000 before anybody even walks in the door.
It’s a lot of work but I have high expectations and it’s just something I love doing. I’m fortunate that I’ve got networks and resources and community partners like all the bars we have sponsoring the event. It’s a community effort and they’re always willing to come to the table with resources to help whenever I ask.
How did you come up with the idea for Denver’s Got Talent?
The whole concept was around community organizations putting together these production numbers. And they are competing for a $1000 grand prize, which is money raised privately and does not come out of the money going to the charity.
Who are this year’s performers?
This year we have Demented Divas, the Dreamgirls Cast, the Denver Cycle Sluts, the Men of Charlie’s, and then Richard Brendlinger and Gabriella But’zin from the Imperial Court. Lushus will do a couple of numbers as well.
I hear there are going to be some special guests.
There will be a lot of familiar faces; Nina Montaldo, Britney Michaels, Jasmine James. Judy Shepard will be there, which is amazing. She’s going to speak during the middle of the program. And Jackie Summers and Michale Vrooman are going to be my emcees and the celebrity judges are Dennis Shepard, Jennifer Kustok from Hamburger Mary’s, Shanida Lawya, Wade Frisbee, current co-chair of DGLCC, and Jessie Sexton who just won Mr. Southwest All-American Gent.
I know RuPaul looks for charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent in a winner. What criteria will your judges be using?
I don’t have that one on me but it’s next on the list! There's still so much to do because there are several components to the evening. When it started out it was all about the productions and trying to get community organizations together in one room and now, as an event, it has so much more going on. The most important thing is that, at the end of the night, we're going to raise a lot of money for the Matthew Shepard Foundation and somebody is going to walk away with$1000 for their charity.
