One-man whirlwind Jade Esteban Estrada hasn't been to Billings since 2000,

when he performed at the Miss Montana USA Pageant.

     The gay-rights activist is looking forward to his return today for a one-man show, "A Lullaby for Ryan: The History of HIV/AIDS in America," at Venture Theatre.

     "I love Billings," Estrada said. "I have only been there in September, so I'm going at a different time of year. I remember being very enchanted with the whole area, it being very beautiful, and looking forward to coming back."

     Estrada, a multitalented performer and former member of the hip-hop trio The Model Citizens, won't be singing his Latin pop hits this time, although he will be singing.

     "I'm a musical theater person, so a large majority of my one-person shows are based on music," he said. "This is one of those shows that really needed music, so I wrote a lot of music for it."

     The song he considers the strongest is "May I Have Your Attention?" He sings the song while portraying the now-deceased actor Rock Hudson announcing to the world that he had AIDS.

     "For him, it was doing something different for the world than what he had been doing," Estrada said. "He was well aware that he would not be around for long, so he wanted to do something good."

     Estrada is doing more than good. Proceeds from the show benefit the Yellowstone AIDS Project, a not-for-profit organization that offers HIV testing, community outreach, emergency support, housing assistance and other services to Montanans living with HIV/AIDS.

     "I feel good about making this contribution because this is what I do: I'm a comedian and I care about these issues," he said. "As a human-rights activist, this was an area I wanted to talk about. We're not done fighting this yet."

     "A Lullaby for Ryan" is an educational piece, chronicling the last quarter century of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But don't be put off by the word "educational."

     "The style of my show is ... it's a show," Estrada said. "Like what you would see on "Saturday Night Live." You walk out of the theatre and you go, 'Oh my God, I just learned something.' "

     One of the things Estrada hopes his audience will learn is courage.

     "I want to give a disease, any disease, a voice," he said. "People are scared of things they don't understand. You can dismantle the power something has by giving it a voice.

     "The only thing a disease, any disease, wants to do is survive. That's all it wants to do. That's the only thing HIV and AIDS thinks about."

     Estrada, who lost his best friend to AIDS in 1997, loves having the opportunity to educate and help others, especially in smaller communities like Billings.

     "Sometimes things like this are needed more in rural areas because people don't have access to this sort of show," he said. "A lot of people fall into the trap of getting an STD because they just don't know how to protect themselves."

     Estrada has performed all over the United States and, is, in fact, fluent in five languages from his travels overseas. He speaks English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. The comedian-activist likens his experience with languages to facing things like HIV and AIDS.

     "If you're just thrown into Japanese, all of a sudden, Arabic sounds easy," he said. "I'm talking about some very heavy subjects, but if you experience that, all the other problems seem minuscule. My message is that resolution is always sitting right next to you."

     That message keeps Estrada touring.

     "I made the comment to my grandmother: I hate traveling," he said. "But the thing is, I love what I'm doing so much, I can't just be in one city to do it. What I've chosen to do is something I think the world needs. I'm a person who listens to my heart and where it tells me to go."

     His heart is usually right, even if it takes him to places like Norfolk, NE, with a dressing room the size of a broom closet. But the trip was made worthwhile when he performed and later received a copy of a poster advertising his show that had been signed by a group of high school students with personal notes thanking him for his work.

     "When I go onstage and I do my thing and I'm making that connection, it feels worth it," Estrada said. "Sometimes there are added rewards, whether it be a handshake or a hug or a whisper in my ear because they feel close to me because of that connection. Some people have said 'Thank you for your courage.' "

     Estrada has no plans to give up the performing lifestyle.

     "It's a calling," he said. "It's what I do. My work is not just for a paycheck. It's not based on any sort of ambition. I believe I've come into this world at a time when I can help my the people of my generation. Until there's equality, I won't stop doing these shows."