Pride Month With South Shore Theatre
When we put out a call for plays addressing “unheard melodies,” we received numerous entries exploring the lives of GLBTQ individuals. After much deliberation, we finally settled on two plays for our second evening of original one-act plays on June 9 at the East Bridgewater Public Library: John Minigan’s “Easter at the Entrée Gold” and G.L. Horton’s “The Gender Agenda.” We’re thrilled to present these works as part of our Suburban Summer Theatre Surge. We believe it’s important to have queer representation in the south shore community theatre scene, especially during National LGBTQ Pride Month. Here’s why we’re particularly excited for these staged readings: Easter at the Entrée Gold John Minigan’s play explores two Catholic school teachers struggling with their sexualities, but unlike many plays that address the tensions between religious teachings and queer identities, the tribulations of main characters Leverett and Peter don’t vilify the Catholic Church. Rather, Minigan explores the characters’ nuanced predicament through a conversation at a luxurious Montreal hotel. Minigan’s play also addresses oppression’s long-term effects. When rumors about Leverett’s sexuality emerge among his students, the stress becomes too much, causing him to drive up to Canada to isolate himself. Our society tends to think of oppression as a overtly hateful act, such as a taunt or an assault, but more often, It manifests as years of microaggressions. “Easter at the Entrée Gold” provides a short glimpse into the consequences of small, everyday words and actions. We think this is important to explore with south shore community theatre. The Gender Agenda Representation of transgender individuals typically skews young. Older transgender individuals obviously exist, and many were pioneers in the queer liberation movement, but we don’t always see this represented through theatre, arts, and media. We’re excited to tell a story of a trans individual who isn’t in their 20s with G.L. Horton’s “The Gender Agenda,” a play exploring the life of Jan, a church-going woman who socializes with women upwards of 30 years old. “The Gender Agenda” also disrupts typical narratives of trans* lives by exploring Jan’s intersecting identities. Jan doesn’t frequent usual queer spaces. She’s a tech professional and a Christian, seeking validation in these not-always-queer-friendly spaces. As much as queer spaces are important and necessary, some queer individuals want to be able to socialize and work in cisgender-dominant spaces. Horton’s play shows how something many people take for granted – being involved with a community church group – is rife with difficulty for trans* individuals. Interested in exploring these south shore community theatre works with us during Pride Month? Be sure to reserve your free tickets to our evening of staged readings. We’re already half-way sold out, so don’t wait to take part in Artists From Suburbia’s Suburban Summer Theatre Surge! Gavin Damore is cofounder of AfS and currently serves as communications manager.
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AuthorBlog posts are written by various members of Artists from Suburbia's productions and staff. Archives
July 2017
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