This is a big week for philanthropist James Williams and a bigger week for area LGBTQ organizations. Following The Dallas Way’s announcement on Tuesday, Uptown Players announced today the launch of its Fund Our Future Matching Grant Challenge made possible by Williams. Set to coincide with the Friday opening of Uptown’s season closer The Boys in the Band, the company has a goal of matching every dollar donated up to $125,000 through Sept. 21 which is North Texas Giving Day.

“Supporting Uptown Players through this matching grant is not just about sustaining a theater company; it’s about investing in a beacon of creativity, diversity and inclusion in North Texas,” Craig Lynch, Executive Producer of Uptown Players said in a press release.

If every dollar is matched, that means a quarter million dollars toward the nonprofit theater company which will help provide support for the future of Uptown. With a recent move into its own administrative and rehearsal space in the Design District and higher rents at the Kalita, costs have increased for the company. To help spread the message, actor Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Single All the Way) filmed the public service announcement above to garner support for the grant challenge.

Uptown Players detailed the impact of donations toward Fund Our Future.

From the organization:

Contributions to the campaign will be instrumental in ensuring Uptown Players can continue delivering high-quality theatrical experiences. Donations will:

  • Secure high-quality performance spaces: Essential for maintaining the exceptional standard of productions that Uptown Players is known for.
  • Cover expenses at rehearsal and office facilities: Ensuring the company can operate efficiently and continue to grow.
  • Support groundbreaking productions: Including world premieres like Silver Foxes (directed by Urie) and other plays and musicals that challenge audiences and foster greater awareness and acceptance through the performing arts.

Since 2022, James Lynn Williams has donated more than $1 million to various arts and cultural institutions, showcasing his philanthropic Pride all while honoring his late partner of 46 years. In an interview with Dallas Voice slated for our Applause issue on Aug. 23, Williams discussed the importance of donating to local organizations like Uptown Players and the Turtle Creek Chorale earlier this year where he also contributed a grant challenge during its Rhapsody gala.

“We probably should have done this earlier, but it’s important to contribute to these and get others in our community as well because these are the organizations that are telling our stories,” he said. “My late partner Charles Longcope and I always went to these shows and volunteered and now I can do this to honor him.”

The cast of Uptown Players’ ‘The Boys in the Band.’ A new matching grant challenge launches with the show’s opening. (Courtesy photo)

The tie with The Boys in the Band isn’t accidental either. Williams also talked about the impact the show had on him and how seeing himself on stage through that show was monumental.

“I saw it when it first opened in New York off-Broadway,” he said. “It was the first time I saw gay men that were human and not these bigger than life characters. I plan to be at every performance for this run here.”

The show opens Friday and runs through Aug. 25.

Donations small, large and larger are all welcome to Fund Our Future and can be made online at UptownPlayers.org.

Editor’s note: Dallas Voice is a season sponsor of Uptown Players. 

–Rich Lopez