Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome! (C'mon in!)

Greetings and salutations! 

What does an old Empress do?

Just what she usually does!  I'm out and about doing fundraising with the Imperial Court of New York and other organizations, performing, hosting and otherwise having a blast!

We'll be working on updating this site over the coming weeks so you can keep track (if you'd like!), but following me on Facebook and Twitter are even better!
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I've begun a blog!  Want to read what I'm thinking?  (Careful, it's very easy to begin a blog, but much harder to maintain it!)

Witti's activities and past -- more than 300 appearances for the benefit of a variety of organizations -- can be found between "It's Today"! and "The Historical Record."  (Including those dark years from 2004 - 2008 that Witti spent in Alaska!)

Want to know where you can catch me?  Or what events I'll be attending?  Check out "Where's Witti?"

Most importantly, some of the organizations that I love and support are linked here.

If you have any questions or comments, visit my contact page (under "More..." up above)!  I look forward to getting to know you better!

I'd also be remiss if I didn't thank and acknowledge those who have given freely of their advice, their opinion and their goodwill over the years.  A particularly shout out to the army of photographers whose work is included on this page! 
(A partial list is below!)


XOXOXO

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CLICK HERE FOR MY SPEECH TO THE ICNY

Witti on the Web

Witti at the Will Clark Show

Witti quoted on NY1.com at Pride

DNAInfo Article about Pieces / CB2 with quote from Michael/Witti

Writing in the International Court Communique (p. 20)

From Next Magazine's, "Shot in the Dark" June 2010

OutspokenNYC article on Delta Lambda Phi's HOTT Drag Race

Playbill.com:  Michael directs the Pilot production of Once On This Island, Jr.

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Who is Witti Repartee?

Witti Repartee has been called many things.  "Hostess."  "Chanteuse."  "Fabulous."  "Woody."  Since 1997, she has been entertaining crowds of two and three in some of the darkest, most out - of - the - way places her agent can find.  You may not remember having seen her at the Ice Palace, you may have forgotten her performances at Mother, or you may have blocked those evenings when she's dominated the piano at The Monster.  Harder to forget are her years of work with the Imperial Court of New York as a performer and event producer, the year and a half she hosted "The Gayest Link" at Hannah's Lava Lounge, or her reign in 2003 as the Queen of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.  She has appeared at over 300 events in New York City under the auspices of either the Imperial Court or the Gay Men's Chorus.  Never having achieved the status of "Been," she revels in the fact that no one can claim she's a "HAS-Been,"  simply someone whose bookings are continually on the wrong side of the Bushel.  Under it.  She's thrilled to be the Imperial Crown Princess Royale of New York, because it means that she's affiliated with something that's had a longer run than her stockings.

Michael Barret Jones was (to the best of anyone's recollection) the first openly gay student at one of the nation's leading boarding schools which had been all-male until two years before his arrival.  Standing up for himself and holding his head high, he took the focus off a lot of his friends who were not yet as comfortable with themselves.  Fifteen years later, he would co-found the GLBT Alumni Association to give his former classmates a voice.   At college, he was very active with the school's GLBT student group, served on its executive council for several years and lived in the Womyn's Concerns house while studying theatre, English and gender studies.  Upon graduation, he joined the Gay Activists Alliance of Morris County and became the chair of its Welcoming and Orientation Committee, spending two years on its board.  He has served as a board member of the Imperial Court of New York, the New York City Gay Men's Chorus and has spent nearly two decades working in marketing and development for a range of non-profit organizations, where he has raised more than $6,000,000 in the last seven years.  He lives in Bay Ridge with his partner of nearly a decade and their three furry, purring children.  You can read more about him at Behind the Lashes.

Merci mille fois!

Or literally, Thank You a Thousand Times to the photographers whose work graces these pages.  Some of the photos go back more than a decade...or two...or...and while I may know not your name, I deeply appreciate your work.  For those whose names I do know, let me thank and acknowledge:Matty Baker,   Adam Woomer, Robin Souma and Barbara Nitke, whose photo shoots make me look amazing, Christopher Vazquez, who captures performance better than anyone I know, Anthony Colantonio, who shot Witti's very first headshot (oh so young!) and Kerry Ashforth, Joe Conigliaro, Rob Dublin, Patricia Ann Faquet, Eddie Garou, Gustavo Monroy, Mario Mulea, Terri Nowlin, Ryan Rockmore, Jason Russo, Scott Safier,  Andrew Scrivani, Andrew Werner and Ricky Jay Yates.

(If anyone would like me to remove a photo of theirs used here, I will gladly do so, please contact me directly.)