Friends of George’s
Celebrating over 13 years of original theatrical productions, Friends of George’s is a non-profit LGTBQ+ theatre company with strong ties to the Memphis community.
As part of the Theatreworks family of resident companies, Friends of George’s calls Evergreen Theatre home. Dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, each of their shows benefits a local non-profit organization.
We spoke to Ty Phillips, Board President of Friends of George’s and a contributing writer for many of their productions.
How did the theatre company start?
Friends of George’s originally began as a committee that came together to produce George’s Reunion, an event held at Minglewood Hall in October 2010. The reunion was an homage to George’s Disco, a long-running gay club in Memphis. After the event’s success, our founder Tracy Love wanted to continue the group and produce events and programs for the community. We eventually found our place as a theatre company and began writing and producing our own original shows.
Why is this organization located in Memphis? What local need does Friends of George's fulfill?
George’s Disco was a famous club in its day, and Memphis was the place to go for great drag shows. Friends of George’s seeks to keep that tradition alive in our own work by paying homage to those who came before us who made it possible for us to exist. We are a registered non-profit organization and each of our shows benefits another area non-profit that serves the community. We have worked with Choices, Memphis Area Legal Services, Planned Parenthood, Hope House, OUTMemphis, and Love Doesn’t Hurt, to name a few.
