About this Event
Can't make the event but want to support GIRL ISLAND? Donate to this groundbreaking documentary via our 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor by visiting.
GIRL ISLAND and Sandy Stone are coming back to Center Stage!
After filming Sandy’s master interview at Center Stage, we are coming back to host the first-ever GIRL ISLAND Extravaganza: a creative celebration of LGBTQ+ and women’s history, trans awareness, queer joy, and straight allyship!
Don't miss an exclusive look at the film-in-progress, a performance by Sandy Stone, and a chance to talk to director Marjorie Vecchio, producer Marc Smolowitz, assistant editor Hannah Oneda, associate producer K. Davina Frick, and animation partner Mighty Oak. They are joined by very special guests Rahne Alexander, Renee Lau, and DJ Abject Relations!
20% of proceeds will be donated to Maryland Safe Haven. There will be new film swag, dancing, and a raffle of local vendors, including Thames Street Oyster House, American Visionary Art Museum, Culinary Architecture Market and Kitchen, The Baltimore Banner, Wine Source, SNF Parkway/Maryland Film Festival, and more!
SCHEDULE + PRICING
5:30-7:00 - VIP
-- $250 + eventbrite fees. VIP’s enjoy an open bar with oysters shucked on-site by nationally ranked shucker Toni Lopes, fantastic hor d'oeuvres from Hex Superette and Dylan's Oyster Cellar, a special performance by Sandy Stone, a screening of the new teaser, never-before-seen film footage, and an animatic animation sample!
7:00-9:30 - General Admission
-- $30* + eventbrite fees. Join us for a cash bar, hor d'oeuvres, a discussion between Sandy Stone and Rahne Alexander, screening of the new teaser, and dancing with DJ Abject Relations!
No one turned away for lack of funds; if the full cost of the ticket presents a burden, please choose the "Pay What You Can" donation option. For a full discount code, please contact [email protected].
ABOUT THE FILM
How does a nice, quiet Jewish boy born in New Jersey in 1936 become a sound engineer for Jimi Hendrix, a lesbian separatist, the founder of Trans Studies, and the Goddess of Cyberspace?
is a hybrid feature documentary film with animation about Allucquére Rosanne 'Sandy' Stone, a world visionary who pioneered Digital Art & Theory and founded Trans Studies. Sandy's incredible journey intersects with America's most iconic moments in rock music, technology, LGBTQ+ history, feminism, philosophy, and art, embodying culture as it moved from the Avant-Garde Era to the Digital Age.
ABOUT MARYLAND SAFE HAVEN
Founded in 2018, is a Black-led, community-rooted organization delivering housing stability, wraparound health services, and structured case management to individuals and families facing the greatest barriers to stability in Baltimore and Maryland state.
FILM TEAM IN ATTENDANCE
Director and Baltimore resident, Marjorie Vecchio, has 30 years of experience as a photographer, curator, professor, book editor, and gallery director. For GIRL ISLAND, she was 2023-24 Saul Zaentz Innovation Film Fund Fellow, participated in Hot Docs Deal Maker 2024 and Gotham Project Market 2025, and was awarded grants by Mellon Foundation, Saul Zaentz Fund, and Mount Holyoke College Alum Association. Sandy was her professor in 2002, and they’ve been friends ever since!
Producer Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, executive producer, and consulting producer who has been significantly involved in over 60 successful independent films. Marc has successfully raised over 35 million dollars for independent films over the last three decades. Recent credits include OUTERLANDS, which premiered at SXSW and was nominated for a 2026 Independent Spirit Award, LADY CHAMPAGNE which was the opening night film at Frameline50, the 50th anniversary edition of the world’s oldest and most renowned LGBTQ+ film festival, and DIAMOND DIPLOMACY, which has sold to commercial distributors in both the United States and Japan, following an international premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Assistant Editor Hannah Oneda is also a cinematographer and jib operator. With Michael Ivan Schwartz, she co-directed her first feature documentary film, PARADE DAY, which she also edited and filmed. She’s worked for the Coca-Cola Company, ESPN, Netflix, Amazon, NBC, and CNN. Diverse credits include Gordon Ramsey’s SECRET SERVICE, a Bruno Mars concert, the Department of Justice, and HAMPDEN HIGHLIGHTS, an ongoing series.
Associate Producer K. Davina Frick, PhD is a professor and health economist at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. She began her career at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and still holds joint appointments in the Departments of Health Policy and Management and International Health. She also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Ophthalmology in the School of Medicine. She has served on several not-for-profit organization boards including Iron Crow Theater in Baltimore. Outside work, she sent three children to the Baltimore School for the Arts, loves cooking and writing poetry, and has run fourteen marathons and two ultramarathons.
SPECIAL GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE
Rahne Alexander is a creative polymath: intermedia artist, musician, writer, event producer. Formerly the frontwoman of The Degenerettes and Santa Librada, she now kicks out her trans/queer jams in 50-foot Woman & the Worms. A fixture of the Baltimore LGBTQ and arts scenes, Rahne is a Baker Artist Award winner, a periodical contributor to publications like BmoreArt and UMBC Magazine, and a sought-after conversation partner for artists and authors at Red Emma's, Greedy Reads, Atomic Books and more.
Renee Michelle Lau is a 71-year-old transgender woman who did not transition until she was 63 years old. She is an advocate for the rights and protection of the transgender community, testifying in Annapolis and Baltimore City Hall. Renee is a Certified Health Care Worker, HIV Counselor, Board Member of the Baltimore City Continuum of Care, and Commissioner of the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA Affairs. She is quoted often in national and local media, and was awarded the Governor’s Citation for the State of Maryland, June 2026. She is an administrative assistant and special projects coordinator for Maryland Safe Haven (formerly Baltimore Safe Haven). Maryland Safe Haven is a lived experience non-profit organization founded in 2018. Through the efforts of Maryland Safe Haven, Renee helped establish a house for senior members of the LGBTQAI community four years ago. Renee is proud of the services Maryland Safe Haven provides to the community of Baltimore City and the State of Maryland.
is Baltimore queer rock veteran Jack Pinder (Manners Manners, The Selkies) - in party mode! Through his bi-monthly indie dance night New Delusion and guest spots at the iconic funk + soul party Skin Tight!, Jack has established a reputation in the city's nightlife as an adventurous and discerning selector with a musician's touch. Expect eclectic, globally-sourced grooves and frequent nods to queer history as he shepherds the musical vibes for the evening.
Event venue & nearby stays
Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.