Diversity marks the eighth season of the El Paso Community Foundation Jewel Box Series at the Philanthropy Theatre, which opens at 2:30 pm Sunday, October 8 with Out of the Closet, Into the Fire.

The production, which coincides with LGBTQ History Month, uses a cast of eight actors to bring to life real stories of gay and trans people. It was curated and directed by El Paso theater icon Jan H. Wolfe of Framed Wolfe Productions.

The Jewel Box Series will feature monthly productions from October 2023 through May 2024. They range from stand-up comedy and dramas to music and a musical about racism — with puppetry.

General admission tickets are $15 for each show and are on sale at the Plaza Theatre Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

The Jewel Box Series was created in partnership with El Paso Live in 2014 to host local performing artists and groups in that jewel box of a venue, the Philanthropy Theatre in the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre. Here’s a rundown of the 2023-2024 season:

• Out of the Closet, Into the Fire, Framed Wolfe Productions (2:30 pm Sunday, October 8, 2023) — For LGBT History Month, eight actors breathe life into 16 real stories about gay and trans life in this play curated and directed by Jan Wolfe.

• Recommended Reading for Girls, Star on the Mountain Theatrical Productions (2:30 pm Sunday, November 12, 2023) — A comedy-drama about a woman who battles life’s obstacles with help from characters from her favorite childhood books, from A Little Princess to Heidi.

• An Afternoon of Comedy, Lando VC & Friends (2:30 pm Sunday, December 10, 2023) — Church Bar comedy host Lando VC returns to the Jewel Box with a new group of stand-up comedians.

• Gary Johnson, Live!, Gary Johnson (2:30 pm Sunday, January 14, 2024) — You’ll hear traces of Bob Dylan, Leo Kottke and more in the well-traveled singer, songwriter, and finger-picking guitarist’s intimate performance.

• Dare (me) to be … stuspid!, Border Theatre (2:30 pm Sunday, February 11, 2024) — Border Theatre returns with an improvisational piece built around three one-act plays connected by a 16-year-old trying to create her own narrative in a world of peer, social media, and other pressures.

• Al’s Club, Teatro Neplanta (2:30 pm Sunday, March 10, 2024) — El Paso’s newest theater group debuts an original work by playwright Matt Bianchi that takes place in a bar and deals with ego, faith, addiction, drunk driving, and life’s universal questions.

• The Scarecrow, KESSTO Kreatures (2:30 pm Sunday, April 14, 2024) — This original variation of The Wizard of Oz by puppeteer, playwright, teacher, and Jim Henson Foundation grant recipient Anthony Michael Stokes follows His Majesty the Scarecrow as he tries to save his country from a growing horde of crows.

• Arabica, Light Rain and Sisters of the Moon (2:30 pm Sunday, May 12, 2024) — Two names long associated with music (Doug Adamz and Light Rain) and belly dance (Leilania Marcus and Sisters of the Moon) transport you with a timeless romance between ethereal music and mysterious dance.

Contact:

Kathrin Berg, Executive Vice President, El Paso Community Foundation, 915-533-4020, kberg@epcf.org

Doug Pullen, Program Director, El Paso Community Foundation, 915-533-4020, dpullen@epcf.org

Rudy Vasquez, Marketing Director, El Paso Community Foundation, 915-533-4020, rvasquez@epcf.org