Brian Craft has served as Director of Marketing and Outreach at Manatee Performing Arts Center, Director of Marketing and Communications at Realize Bradenton, and in public relations at fashion firm IHPR. Craft is also very involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors at Florida Public Relations Association, as well as a Board Member and Adviser at Project Pride.
On June 20, 2016, Broadway Sings for Pride premiered its 6th anniversary benefit concert "Ovation" in New York City, at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. This milestone event was filled with singing (from pop to Broadway), stories, special celebrity guests, and more. The show honored Tyler Clementi Foundation and AIDS pioneer and activist Ruth Coker Burks. Broadway Sings for Pride is a multiple award-winning, non-for-profit organization that brings together Broadway talent, activists, and celebrities, to educate the public, raise awareness of the needs of LGBTQ+ youth, and support these young people, so that they may reach their full potential.
Craft performed the song "Just True" during the benefit concert, where Shefik served as Videographer. It is a song from the 2005 musical "Yank!", with book and lyrics by David Zellnik and music by his brother Joseph. "Yank!" tells the story of Stu, a scared Midwestern kid who gets drafted for World War II in 1943, and becomes a photographer for Yank magazine, the journal "for and by the servicemen". "Yank!" has a score that pays homage to the 1940s and explores what it means to be a man, and what it is to fall in love and struggle. "Yank!" takes its title from the World War II publication Yank: The Army Weekly.
"Yank!" enjoyed critical and popular success during its twice-extended, sold-out run at York Theatre Company in 2010, receiving 7 Drama Desk Award nominations, 3 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, and 2 Lucille Lortel Award nominations — all including Best Musical. Craft performed the role of Stu, during the 2016 run at Manatee Performing Arts Center in Florida.
Credits
- Videographer: Shefik
Last Updated: April 30, 2023
