JANUARY 5, 2007
lUStlOUt 45
theater
Our Erudite Playwright
William S. Gregory returns to the stage to banter
about our family circle, circa 1947
by Timothy Krause
ell known for his elegant and
witty repartee, Portland play
wright William S. Gregory has
seen several of his scripts reach
the stage, including the thrice-
crowned Drammy-winning Mary Tudor at CoHo
Productions a few years back. This month he
returns to the spotlight for the premiere of Chateau
Joyeux, a romantic comedy set in 1947 France that
pits a chic Parisian widow against her domineering
country cousin in a battle over the family estate.
Timothy Krause: Chateau Joyeux includes a
lesbian storyline. Tell us more.
William S. Gregory: The play follows the
comic adventures/machinations of a woman return
ing to her family home after 30 years in Paris.
Exhausted by the horror of the war just past, the
protagonist tries to heal the long-standing
personal rifts in her family between herself and her
two cousins who remained on the vineyard....
A major theme in the play is redemption and
forgiveness—often from unexpected sources—and
the comic ways life moves beyond our narrow views.
The bubbling of rhe plot, including confusions,
deceptions and unexpected romances, causes the
younger of the vineyard cousins to come out to her
older sister—the head of the family—in a strong
yet tender declaration of her lesbianism, claiming
her right to bring her lover into the family circle.
I general views on sexu-
al
identity
have
I changed over time,
there have always been
men and women who
found their chief erotic
I and creative inspira
tions in members of
I their own sex. We
have always been here,
we will always be here,
and a play like ( 'hateau
Joyeux shows this in a gentle yet compelling way.
TK: How does your own sexuality influence
your writing?
WSG: I’m wildly narcissistic, using aspects of
my personality and my experience in the creation
and animation of my characters.... I don’t know
whether being a gay man makes it easier to identi
fy with characters beyond my personal, physical
experience—but if it does, I’m grateful for it.
TK: Some local theater practitioners are
adamant about keeping the words “gay” and
“artist” as far apart as possible, but this is not an
issue for you. Why?
WSG: 1 have little trouble intermingling these
descriptors, because in the case of “gay playwright,”
it’s easy. It’s easy, because there are so many around.
Paul Rudnick said something like, “I’m a gay play
wright; we practically have our own census box!" It
takes little courage to follow a trail blazed by
Christopher Marlowe, Tennessee Williams,
William Inge, Joe Orton, Edward Albee and
Douglas Carter Bean. That’s not really a trail—it’s
a superhighway!
“Gay actor” and “gay director”—those are much
less well-trodden paths, and I admire those men
and women who are willing to step out on them.
Truth and clarity of life may be difficult, but they
have their rewards. ©
TK: What was your inspiration?
WSG: I was inspired in writing this play to pay
tribute to my great aunt Sybil (who died in 2004].
Besides being the first GLBT person I ever knew—
I can almost say 1 knew she was a lesbian before
1 knew I was gay...it was just an accepted part of
our family—1 always admired her quiet strength
and dignity. No matter the situation, if there was a
conflict or an argument, when the storm had passed
and everybody settled down, somehow Aunt Sybil
always ended up doing just what she planned and
said she’d do. This impressed me. She lived her
truth in deeds rather than arguing over words. She CoHo PRODUCTIONS presents Chateau Joyeux
didn’t wait for others to hand her equality as a Jan. 19 to Feh. 24 at 2257 N.W. Raleigh St. Tickets
woman or a lesbian; she lived her life as she was,
are $20-$23 from 503-220-2646. For details visit
and it was up to the rest of the world to catch up—
tvu’U'. cohoproductions. com.
if it could. In some ways
it has—and in some,
sadly, it still hasn’t.
In setting Chateau
Joyeux in 1947,1 wanted
to make a point about the
depth and richness of
GLBT history. Too often
GLBT culture is spoken
of as though it sprang
fully formed from the
Stonewall riots. While
the achievements of that
generation are important,
it is also important to
remember that the slogan
“We Are Everywhere"
applies to history as well
A chic Parisian widow battles with her domineering country cousin
as geography. While
over the family estate in Chateau Joyeux.
syphilis 101: it can cause painless
sores or a skin rash • it can have
no signs • it can be cured
info www.man2manpdx.us
STD Clinics: 503.988.3700 Portland • 360.397.8089 Vancouver
CHOOSE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU: learn • protect • test • treat
[condoms help prevent STDs but do not protect you 100%]