THEATER
Gay by play
y friends call me a “theater slut.”
Maybe it’s because 1’11 spend rhe night
just about anywhere. Give me a good
actor with a gixxl story, and I’m a
shameless voyeur hoping for a good time. And
when those gixxls are gay, then I’m all the
by T imothy K rause
more willing to sit back, relax and enjoy the
fantasy. Lucky for me—and you—Portland’s
2005-2006 theater season has a number of
earnest exhibitionists. Here are a few to keep
than he alone can breathe life. The artist does
offers Matthew B. Zrebski. “1 find this
your eyes on.
not live in his body alone, just as the stereo­
offensive. 1 doubt someone would ask a
type of gay man cannot stand alone, for he ux)
heterosexual artistic director the same
is made of several, sometimes incredibly funny,
question about choosing a heterosexual
Profile Theatre Project
parts.”
love story for his or her season.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning gay scribe Lanford
Later in the season, Drammy Award winner
He says script selection is a
Wilson (a modern-day Chekhov, some say)
Olga Sanchez (Lorca in a Green Dress) directs
lengthy process at this theater, \yhich
remains one of America’s most frequently
Edwin Sanchez’s Clean (May 12 to June 3),
produces only new works. An average
produced and widely respected playwrights,
in which Gustavito—a boy beaten, bullied and
of 400 works annually must pass not
and some of his best work gives impassioned
abandoned—turns to the church for solace.
only a literary manager but also an
voice to the real lives and relationships of gay
A young priest recognizes his desperation, and
eight-person panel before Zrebski
characters.
what develops, says Miracle, is a relationship
joins in to help determine the best
“Quite honestly, he’s been at the top of my
that no one can define and some cannot
grouping for a season.
preferred playwright list from year one,”
endure. Around them are members of a Puerto
“We look at structure, courage of
remarks Jane Unger, artistic director for Profile
Rican family living in rhe United States,
choices and the writers’ desires to
Theatre, which spends an entire season exam­
searching for their own seemingly unattainable
stretch the boundaries of playwriting
ining work by a single author. “Lanford Wilson
acceptance, understanding and love, including
through style and/or story. That many
is one of the most prolific contemporary play­
a man who sequentially marries three sisters
of these plays have some homosexual
wrights and I believe has the distinction of
and a drag queen who becomes involved with a content simply means we enjoyed those
working brilliantly in many different styles.”
Chad M. Peterson (left) and Andy Bean star in the
married woman.
plays,” he remarks, “but I’d be lying if I
Dallas Children’s Theater production of The Wrestling
A staged reading of Tony nominee Fifth of
Uncomfortable? Totally. Irrelevant? Hardly.
said I wasn’t thrilled that queer themes
Season, which will be staged in Portland next spring.
July (Nov. 3 to 13) will feature Leif Norby
are on our stage.”
(The Full Monty) in the role of a gay man who
This season is rare, he says, because
Stark Raving Theatre
lost both legs in Vietnam and wants to sell the
lesbians are more in the spotlight than gay men. friends Luke and Matt—wrestle literally and
family home to escape small-town nosiness,
Have you ever wondered if there’s some
In March, for example, Zrebski directs
figuratively with the destructive power of social
lost hopes and battered dreams, but instead
connection between Stark Raving and Stark
Gretchen Icenogle’s The Mark (March 24 to
stereotypes and peer pressure among young
exchanges bitterness for an alternative kind «f
Street?
April 22), a trilogy of acts linked by six char­
people.
extended family. In Bum Thus (Jan. 5 to
“There have been numerous plays dealing
acters dealing with mortality, including a
“When Luke reveals to Matt that he is
Feb. 12), the death of a young, closeted dancer
with homosexuality on the Stark Raving The­
woman and her lesbian lover coping with
gay, a malicious firestorm of rumor and gossip
is the explosive catalyst for a collision that
atre stage. As a gay artistic director, I’m often
breast cancer. Then in June, Ry Herman’s
sweeps the school and threatens to destroy
occurs between his once-separate worlds of fam­ asked if this is part of some sort of ‘agenda,’ ”
Vamp (June 30 to July 29) introduces a frus­
both of them,” says artistic director John
ily and friends. Both stories, Unger says, feature
trated lesbian scriptwriter who sees cliches in
Monteverde. In addition to sexual politics,
gay characters and gay issues that infonn the
her scripts come to life.
the play addresses brutal pressures of high
emotional life of those around them.
And in Project: Atomic Agape, Zrebski and school athletics and hate crimes that result in
And, undoubtedly, audiences.
resident lesbian playwright Amy Wheeler
Matt’s near date rape of a girl in order to dis­
revisit last season’s queer-filled Kiss It!
prove rumors of homosexuality.
through a yearlong development project
“Heavy stuff but, sadly, not unfamiliar ter­
Miracle Theatre Group
spanning four readings and culminating with
ritory for an average American high school
Director Dan Ruiz brings a new through-
a new play for the following season that
student,” says Monteverde, pointing out that
line to Guillermo Reyes’ anthology of gay Lati­
Zrebski describes as “a bold and daring two-
malicious gossip is cited as a leading cause of
nos titled Men on the Verge 2 (The Self-
part epic-comedic-fantasy addressing issues of teen suicide. “Two of the four main charac­
Esteem Files) (Feb. 3 to 25) by contextualiz­
gender, sexuality and spirituality in the tech­
ters in the play are gay teens, and Matt,
ing the solo performance of Andres Alcala
nological 21st century.”
although probably not gay, still has to deal
(The Lisbon Traviata) as photographer turned
with issues surrounding his friendship with
self-portrait artist. Think story-filled standup
Luke as well as coming to terms with his own
Northwest Children’s
on steroids.
homophobia.”
“Each time the camera flashes, another
Truly this is the pick of the season; watch
Theater and School
identity emerges, revealing a new desire, a new
for post-play discussion forums in partnership
fear and a new adventure,” explains Ruiz. “By
Hidden.among a season of Footloose, Peter
with gay and lesbian teen support groups. JH
the end, the photographs are combined into
Pan and Seussical, the Musical is The Wrestling
Stark Raving Theatre will continue to explore
one collage piece that unifies every part of man
Season (March 31 to April 15), an award­
TIMOTHY KRAUSE has been enchanted by theater
queer themes, according to artistic director
that lives within Alcala’s complex artist. The
winning drama from Laurie Brixiks in which
ever since he was typecast as an angel in his first-
Matthew B. Zrebski.
Fxxly of his art represents a much greater whole
eight high school seniors—including best
grade Christmas pageant.
M
Queer picks waiting in the wings
of Portland’s upcoming theater season
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