THE BENT is...
A non-profit 501(c)3 theater dedicated to resourcing the talents and needs of the LGBTQIA+ communities. We believe by shining a light on humanity through theater and other artistic expressions we can create a deeper understanding of our common struggles, triumphs, joys, and love within our community.
Our office / rehearsal studio is located at
68475 E Palm Canyon Dr Suite 31, Cathedral City CA 92234
(442) 268-5474
Steven Rosenbaum
Steve Rosenbaum is a born and bred New Yorker, trained at The Circle-in-The Square Theatre School, The London Academy Of Dramatic Arts, and Brooklyn College where he holds a BFA in Theatre. A multi award winning actor, he has appeared in many plays and movies but it is as a director that he feels his most passionate. It was during his pandemic move to the desert that Rosenbaum co-founded THE BENT, with Terry Ray, his long time collaborator. THE BENT is the only LGBTQ theatre in the Coachella Valley giving platform to the voices of our LGBT brothers and sisters. As Artistic Director, he is proud to be a part of this community and very glad that THE BENT’S productions have been so warmly embraced. Steve is a DTL award winner and has been nominated 4 times each for both Broadwayworld.com & the Desert Theatre League Award for Best Director.
Terry Ray
Terry Ray is a veteran of over 200 films, plays, and TV shows as an actor, writer, producer, and director. He co-wrote and starred in the multi-award winning cult film GAYDAR. Ray’s appearance as a contestant on SCRABBLE was named the 3rd gayest moment in the history of games shows (after Charles Nelson Reilly & Paul Lynde). He wrote and starred in the sitcoms FROM HERE ON OUT (HereTV) and MY SISTER IS SO GAY (Amazon), with Loni Anderson as his mother, as well as TV THERAPY along side an enviable roster of classic TV stars. Ray co-wrote the TV film LOVE UNPLUGGED starring Mischa Barton, David Odgen Stiers, and Markie Post. He is the acting coach for the Palm Springs branch of the famed Actor’s Lab and playwright of ELECTRICITY which, after nearly 4 years, became the longest running play in Palm Springs history. He is also the playwright of the multi-award winning THE LINCOLN DEBATE. Ray is the co-founder and managing director of THE BENT along with Steve Rosenbaum, his 30+ year theater collaborator.
KUDRA WAGNER (they/them) is the Arts Administrator and Production Manager at THE BENT. They earned their BA (2020) and MA (2021) in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz and moved to the Coachella Valley in 2021. They have a deep passion for the development of new work and new artists; Kudra teaches with McCallum Theatre’s Aesthetic Education Program in local elementary schools and in the Theatre Department at College of the Desert. They are THRILLED to be able to uplift LGBTQ+ stories in the desert with THE BENT.
Board of Directors
Susannah Blinkoff
Terry Ray
Leonard Majzlin
Steven Rosenbaum
Larry LaFond
Advisors
Cherlyn Lanning
Stan Zimmerman
Don McCormick
Amy Rowell
Jason Reale
Andy Fickman
Michael Green
Richard Jessup
John Boswell
Mel England
Sponsors & Donors
Special Thanks to our Partner, the Palm Springs Cultural Center and…
PRODUCER
Susannah Blinkoff & Jordan Corngold
Leonard Majzlin
RAINBOW
Jim Albright & Tom Peterson
Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation
PLATINUM
William Carley & Joseph Brancucci
GOLD
Rich Fluechtling, Jerry Weyer, William Amplo, Wesley & Travis Creston Detwiler,
Scott Balentine, Martha Hackett, Randolph Paschke
SILVER
Marconi Calindas, Steve Chivers, Jeffrey Norman, Thomas Stribling, Lawrence Lane
BRONZE
Joshua Friedman, Richard Alther, Stacie Khouri, Martha Demson, Eric Seppala,
Alexei Barnes & James Keough, Salim Alama & Monty Poff, David Reaves, Wilkinson,
Corey Roskin, Alden West, Richard Gibbons & Robert Ollis, Barbara Kerr, Susan L. Jones,
Allen Moses, Wallace Skok, Kenneth McCauley & David Combs, Gregory Brown, Jo Hercus,
Erin Gunn, Scott Kenison and Ralf Suter with Re[x]