NEW YORK – After mounting 457 weekly shows over nine years and raising more than $250,000 for charity, The Will Clark Show Featuring Porno Bingo, an institution in the New York gay community, will drop its final curtain Feb. 26.
The show’s final run, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Uncle Charlie’s, will represent a bittersweet celebration for founder Clark, who will commemorate his 50th birthday during the event. He’ll also bid a fond farewell to a 19-year career in adult entertainment and the nightlife scene.
A New York nightlife staple since its inception in February 2005, the event raises money for local LGBT charities by selling bingo cards and raffle tickets, as well as auctioning gay adult performers’ jockstraps. Following his coast-to-coast relocation from Los Angeles in late 2004, Clark invented Porno Bingo as a successor to the Bad Boys Pool Parties he hosted in L.A. and Palm Springs from 1998 through 2005. Collectively, the pool parties raised $400,000 for California-based HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Porno Bingo’s final night will feature special guests Dowager empress Witti Repartee, Rev. Roger Yolanda Mapes and Boylesque producer Matt Knife. AB, Will’s event photographer for 10 years, will co-call the final bingo round. The night’s proceeds will benefit New York’s Gay/Lesbian Anti Violence Project, which also served as the beneficiary of the event’s first run.
Clark began his career as on-screen talent in August 1995, starring in Hot House Entertainment’s XXX feature, Dr. Goodglove. From there, he appeared in an additional 47 movies, including his final video appearance in Red Star (Raging Stallion, 2003). After his exit from the screen, Clark began writing for online and print publications while continuing to emcee and produce live events — a career he embarked upon in 1997. Since then, he has played a role in hundreds of events nationwide, including Cocktails with the Stars (1999–2002), Porn Idol (2004–2007), Bad Boys on the Hudson (2004–2013), Folsom Street East (2011 – 2012), Brooklyn Pride (2012) and Homo Erectus (2013).
In November 2011, Clark received a license to perform marriages in New York State. To date, he has officiated for 14 couples.
Clark plans one final adult industry appearance before exiting stage left: As a lifelong leatherman and holder of the title Mr. NE Drummer 1997, he will serve as a judge for the 2014 International Mr. Leather competition, taking place in Chicago during Memorial Day weekend.
[SIZE=1]Image: ©Peter Lau Photography[/SIZE]
