THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

YEPP works with homeless LGBTQ youth in yearlong "cycles" to help evolve personal experiences and identities into theatrical performance pieces. Once the pieces are set, YEPP then tours the show all over the nation, opening discussion and dialogue on the plight of LGBTQ homelessness and abuse.

The evening started with a sit-down dinner and meet-and-greet with Matthews and the members of the current and future YEPP performance groups. Once the meal was over, a shortened version of the current show, Faces, was presented. Fused with stories of these LGBTQ youth working through gender-identity issues, family rejection, homelessness and abuse were jazz-dance, song, spoken-word and ballet performances, which all blended into a solid and cohesive whole.

After a short and engaging Q&A session, Matthews took center stage and enthralled the nearly full house with personal anecdotes as well as a wide sampling of her music. Along with songs from her latest CD, Come What May—which included "Prodigal Son," "Armor," and "Eventually ( D.O.M.A. )"—Matthews sang older material like "Words of Wisdom" and "What Married Folks Do" ( which she noted was a present to her life partner ). She also previewed unreleased music such as "Borrowed Time."

Under the direction of Executive /Artistic Director Bonsai Bermudez and Creative Director Brett Newton, YEPP is now in its fourth year and is already at work on developing its new program. Visit www.WeSayYEPP.com .