Spring Benefit 2025 – Strange Rock and Rollers

Welcome, my friends, to an evening for the misfits, the music-makers, and the beautifully bold-hearted.

Step inside Joe’s Pub, our favorite downtown stomping ground, for a one-night-only benefit event celebrating The Civilians’ creative, iconoclastic community.

This year we celebrate Civilian-of-the-Year, Stephen Trask—Co-Composer of Sex Variants of 1941 and the award-winning Composer/Lyricist of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Taken from the final lines of Hedwig, Strange Rock and Rollers is a tribute not just to Stephen, but to all of us—strange, surprising, adventurous artists and audiences who believe that art should push boundaries and spark new ways of seeing the world – even if it ruffles a few feathers.

Stephen’s fearless creative voice inspires the spirit of the evening: expect audacious performances, original tributes, and all the theatrical mischief you’ve come to expect from The Civilians.

All proceeds support The Civilians—fueling the creation of ambitious new works by the next generation of boundary-breaking artists.

Let’s show up for the wild, the queer, the questioners, and all those who dare to dream differently. And if you’ve ever felt like a strange rock and roller yourself – this night is for you.

For any questions, or to RSVP by check or Pledge, please contact us at margaret@thecivilians.org.

Civilian-of-the-Year: Stephen Trask

For over 30 years, Stephen has been actively involved in the theatre, film and music business. Stephen is best known as Composer/Lyricist of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The original production of Hedwig and the subsequent film version released by Fine Line Features went on to win an Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, a 1998 New York Magazine Award, Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Music, Lyrics and New Musical, a Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album, two GLAMA Awards as well as Entertainment Weekly’s Best Soundtrack Award for 2001. Hedwig’s Broadway revival won four Tony Awards in 2014. In 2018 The Atlantic Theater produced the world premiere of his rock opera, This Ain’t No Disco. Currently he is working on a semi-autobiographical podcast with Aurin Squire entitled American Shtetl.