A Note from Baayork Lee

July 2001

Dear A Chorus Line Family,

In December of 2000, at the Palace Theater, the 25th year anniversary of A Chorus Line

was commemorated in the opening number of The Gypsy of the Year Awards. It was an

amazing moment in theater history that captured the hearts of the entire Broadway

community. Not since Michael Bennett's record breaking Performance of ACL in 1983,

where over 500 performers participated in the show, has there been such a warm response.

This time veterans of A Chorus Line, old and new, were asked to participate. What made

this event historical was the participation of many of the original cast members.

For the past 25 years, A Chorus Line alumni all around the world have asked each other,

"How is so and so?" or "Have you seen so and so? Where can I get his or her number?"

or "What is she up to?" I've felt like James Earl Jones with the telephone book making

calls to get someone's number. So I have decided to create The Unauthorized Worldwide
Website of the A Chorus Line Family (www.achorusline.org). It is hoped that this site

will provide a listing of everyone who has ever done ACL. We would like to list their

name, role(s) they played, company and year. Also just a line or two about what they are

doing now. For example: married, children, divorced, new occupation, moved out of the

city, still in the biz but doing it in LA, photos of the kids, dogs and cats, etc.

I have several reporters around the world who would like to interview original cast

members for a monthly feature on the site. For example, Luis Villabon is a Paul and

would like to interview Sammy Williams and exchange stories. That goes for all of you

who would like to be reporters and interview your original counterparts. Eventually, we'd

like to have a chat room, but not right away. Most of all, everyone is curious about their
former castmates. So, when you are on TV, opening in a show, into Pilates, or if you are

selling real estate, post it on www.achorusline.org for all of us to share and support. I

will have an In Memoriam page to remember those who have left us. Send in names of

those you knew and loved, I don't want to leave anyone out, also the year and what

company they participated in. Also included will be a page for newborns, Babies On the

Line. Many of you met your spouses while doing ACL, let us know and if you had ACL

babies let us know too.

Bruce Janiga, an A Chorus Line enthusiast, encouraged me to develop this site. He is

one of the originators of the Sondheim website, and has been entering all of the data and

designing www.achorusline.org. Send all information and stories to ( bjan@home.com )

Please provide the following information:

1. Your stage name (real name if it's different)

2. Company(ies) and Year, for example: Broadway May 1985 - July 1990
and/or 1996-97 First National Tour

a) BROADWAY
b) NATIONAL TOUR
c) BUS AND TRUCK (EQUITY AND NON EQUITY)
d) REGIONAL
e) DINNER THEATER
f) CRUISE SHIP
g) INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN COMPANIES
h) FOREIGN COMPANIES

3. Role(s) for each company (cast, stage manager, company
manager,costumes,orchestra,crew,lights, sound, concessions)

4. What you are UP TO now (Location, Vocation, Family, etc.)

5. All e-mail address will be kept confidential, and I will write
you if someone wants to get in touch with you.

In order to make this a success, and to make sure we include EVERYONE, we need

your help. Please forward this letter to anyone you know who has ever done a

professional company of A Chorus Line. Our goal is to have a worldwide network

of ACL alumni. If there is anyone out there who can do any artwork, please help. I want

this to be a fun project. Every time you log on, you'll get to see someone else's name

that you know and what they are doing. Hopefully, this will keep the interest of those

who click onto the website. It will be like searching for a long lost relative. Any ideas?

Please let me know.

Well, so much to be done. We're opening the site in August, coinciding with my tour

of ACL starting in Atlanta. I hope all of you will write me with suggestions. If any of

you have stories to tell, or if any of you are writing and have a short story, or even a

joke pertaining to ACL and what you are doing now, I would love to include it. All

Michael Bennett stories are welcome; I will devote an entire page to him. After all, I

wouldn't be able to do this if he hadn't put us all together.

So make www.achorusline.org your Website to the World. Make friends or renew

friendships with our companies that were in Italy, Australia, Sweden, Japan, Mexico,

Spain, Germany, Argentina, South Africa and Amsterdam and more.

It will have something for everyone.

I hope to hear from you all soon so you can share in this fun project.

In loving spirit,

Baayork Lee

You can contact Baayork Lee through the link below.

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