LGBTQIA+ Theatre

This section contains content about work created by and for the LGBTQIA+ community. Dive in with the series Gender Power and Politics, curated by MJ Kaufman, or Beyond Angry Lesbians and Gay Best Friends: Writing Gender and Sexuality in the 21st Century, a panel from the Dramatists Guild.

The Latest

SWANA and Queer in the Global Story

Video

SWANA and Queer in the Global Story

Doing It For Ourselves

Sunday 26 March 2023

Chicago, Illinois

“Marimacha” Laughs its Way Through Representation of Latine, Black, and Queer Characters

Essay

“Marimacha” Laughs its Way Through Representation of Latine, Black, and Queer Characters

by Daphnie Sicre

13 February 2023

Blessings with Brittani Samuel

Podcast

Blessings with Brittani Samuel

by Yura Sapi, Brittani Samuel

1 February 2023

Trans [Plays] of Remembrance Short Play Festival (Live-captioned)

Tufts University, Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

Tufts University's LGBT Center

Ohio University's Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Trans [Plays] of Remembrance Festival

Video

Trans [Plays] of Remembrance Short Play Festival (Live-captioned)

Three nights of short plays written by up-and-coming trans* playwrights followed by roundtable discussions

Monday 16 November to Wednesday 18 November 2020

United States

Presenting Trans [Plays] of Remembrance livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Monday 16 November to Wednesday 18 November 2020 at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Performance of Nondefective by Quantic Group

Quantic Group

Brailescu

Video

Performance of Nondefective by Quantic Group

How does the queer body survive in a heteronormative world?

Tuesday 17 November 2020

Bucharest, Romania

How does the queer body survive in a heteronormative world?

Collage of photos of people including James Baldin, Matthew Shepard, event title and subtitle.

A reading of Strange Fruit, Part II by Jon Bastian

LA Writers Center (LAWC)

Video

A reading of Strange Fruit, Part II by Jon Bastian

with LA Writers Center's "Breathe" online play reading series

Saturday 26 September 2020

United States

LA Writers Center presented a reading of Strange Fruit: Part II by Jon Bastian as a part of their "Breathe" online play reading series livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 26 September 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

A performance of Fuglen, der (The Bird, There)

performingbordersLIVE

Warehouse9

Video

A performance of Fuglen, der (The Bird, There)

A new story about queer sexuality and re-traumatisation of the queer body by the COVID-19 pandemic, by award-winning film maker and live artist Lasse Lau

Friday 18 September 2020

United Kingdom

performingbordersLIVE20 and Warehouse9 presented a performance of Fuglen, der (The Bird, There), new work by Danish filmmaker and artist Lasse Lau livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 18 September 2020 at 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 7 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 20:00 CEST (UTC+2).

black and white poster of historical figures' faces

A reading of Strange Fruit, Part 1 by Jon Bastian

LA Writers Center (LAWC)

Video

A reading of Strange Fruit, Part 1 by Jon Bastian

with LA Writers Center's "Breathe" online play reading series

Saturday 29 August 2020

United States

LA Writers Center presented a reading of Strange Fruit by Jon Bastian as a part of their "Breathe" online play reading series livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv beginning Saturday 29 August 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

text of event details. A stylized photo of two men touching heads.

AATAB Online: A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew

Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston

Video

AATAB Online: A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew

A lyrical and dramatic meditation on the nature of desire and sexuality as four men—three Asian and one white—come together and drift apart in a series of interconnection stories

Wednesday 5 August 2020

United States

Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston presented A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 5 August 2020 at 7:00 p.m. EDT (Boston, UTC -4) / 6:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 5:00 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 2:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC -8) / 11 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10).

Specters of Queer Trauma in Nosferatu, The Vampyr

Chloe

Hyman

Essay

Specters of Queer Trauma in Nosferatu, The Vampyr

4 August 2020

Chloe Hyman reflects on M Sloth Levine’s play Nosferatu, The Vampyr, which she believes serves to dismantle anti-Semitic tropes, due to the fact that Jewishness and queerness are inextricably bound in vampire lore.

Achy Obejas, Sean Gasper Bye, and Elizabeth Rose.

Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation

black and white outline of a lion's head

Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers

Segal

Center

PEN World Voices

Center for the Humanities

Video

Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation

With Achy Obejas and Sean Gasper Bye

Tuesday 30 June 2020

United States

PEN America, the Center for the Humanities at CUNY Graduate Center, and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library presented Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 30 June 2020 at 10:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 1:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 18:30 BST (London, UTC +1) / 19:30 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

New Alternatives Play Festival

In Black text, a star is born. The is n crossed out and "e d" is scribbled next to it.

A Star is Bored

Video

New Alternatives Play Festival

produced by A Star Is Bored in partnership with HowlRound

Friday 26 June 2020

United States

A Star is Bored Podcast presented The New Alternatives Play Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 26 June at 4:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 5:00 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -4) / 6:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 7:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

multiple people posing for a photo next to the stratford festival sign

Toward a Trans Canon

Emma

Frankland

Essay

Toward a Trans Canon

26 May 2020

In the penultimate installment of the series, Emma Frankland details her experience staging a trans takeover of the canon with a cohort of trans, Two-Spirit, and non-binary artists. The article includes a set of recommendations for creating trans-affirming theatre spaces created by Emma and her collaborators.

Arts Equity Summit 2020: Creating Culture Shifts (ASL & Captioned)

Arts Connect International

Video

Arts Equity Summit 2020: Creating Culture Shifts (ASL & Captioned)

A Summit for arts & culture leaders committed to building equity

Friday 24 April - Saturday 25 April 2020

Boston, Massachusetts

Arts Connect International presented the Arts Equity Summit livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Friday 24 April to Sunday 26 April 2020.

performance shots of Nic A. Sommerfeld and Scott Turner Schofield

Writing Trans Realities w/ Scott T Schofield + Nic Sommerfeld

Lauren

Gunderson

Video

Writing Trans Realities w/ Scott T Schofield + Nic Sommerfeld

with playwright Lauren Gunderson

Friday 24 April 2020

United States

Playwright Lauren Gunderson presented Writing Trans Realities w/ Scott T Schofield + Nic Sommerfeld livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 24 April 2020 at 2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 4 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 22:00 BST (London, UTC+1) / 23:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC+2).

ANDI BOI

Roxanne

Schroeder-Arce

Essay

ANDI BOI

One Transgender Youth’s Story on Stage

15 April 2020

Roxanne Schroeder-Arce talks about Dallas Children’s Theater’s production of ANDI BOI and the importance of seeing trans stories in theatre for young audiences.

Trans Theatre Is More Than a Cast List

Schwartz

Essay

Trans Theatre Is More Than a Cast List

24 March 2020

AJ Schwartz responds to Will Wilhelm’s recent HowlRound piece about trans inclusivity in theatre casting, arguing that, while that’s important, theatre companies have to go a lot further.

Gender Is Performance

Will

Wilhelm

Essay

Gender Is Performance

Why Trans* Actors Should Transcend the Character Breakdown

24 February 2020

Will Wilhelm argues that trans* actors are particularly skilled at performing gender and questions why it is so rare to see them perform on large stages.

Something for Everybody

Ashley

O'Mara

Essay

Something for Everybody

Radical Inclusion in a Modern Adaptation

20 February 2020

Aley O’Mara discusses Will Davis’s production of Everybody at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.

actor in overalls crouching with posters with text in the background.

Queering Theatre Criticism

Linnea

Valdivia

Essay

Queering Theatre Criticism

12 December 2019

Linnea Valdivia discusses the weight of reviews in theatre, the failure in arts journalism to approach queer stories with respect and empathy, how a critic should react if they misgender an artist, and more.

two men kissing in front of reporters with cameras

New Plays from Taiwan: What’s Next After Marriage Equality?

Segal

Center

Video

New Plays from Taiwan: What’s Next After Marriage Equality?

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City

Thursday 14 November 2019

New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented the artist talk New Plays from Taiwan: What’s Next After Marriage Equality? livestreamed on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Thursday 14 November 2019 at 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 23:30 GMT (London, UTC +0).

Contemporary Circus

Segal

Center

Video

Contemporary Circus

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Monday 28 October 2019

New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented a talk on contemporary circus livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Monday 28 October 2019 at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

four actors onstage surrounding by an audience standing

Drag, Disco, and the Donkey

James

Montaño

Essay

Drag, Disco, and the Donkey

Performed Masculinities in American Repertory Theater’s The Donkey Show

23 October 2019

James Montaño discusses The Donkey Show, cross-gendered performances vs. drag, camp as an aesthetic concept, and more.

Unmanly Grief

Ashley

O'Mara

Essay

Unmanly Grief

Performing A Trans Hamlet

10 September 2019

Aley O’Mara reflects on Daniel Winder’s Hamlet and speaks to the lead—trans actor Jenet Le Lacheur—about the titular character in this production being nonbinary and transfeminine.

A performance of TRANSom

Ground Floor Theatre

Video

A performance of TRANSom

at Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, Texas

Sunday 25 August 2019

Austin, Texas

Ground Floor Theatre presented a performance of TRANSom livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Sunday 25 August 2019 at 3 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 5 p.m. CDT (Austin, UTC-5) / 6 p.m. EDT (Boston, UTC-4) / 20:00 UTC+0.

We Didn’t Have Any Role Models

Michaela

Goldhaber

Essay

We Didn’t Have Any Role Models

An Interview with the Founders of Wry Crips Disabled Women’s Theatre Group

21 August 2019

Michaela Goldhaber, current artistic director of Wry Crips, talks to the founding and early members of the disabled women’s theatre group about their history.

Pride Youth Theater Alliance flyer 2019 framed with colorful bubbles

A Performance by Dreams of Hope

Dreams of Hope

Pride Youth Theater Alliance

Video

A Performance by Dreams of Hope

at Pride Youth Theatre Alliance

Saturday 27 July 2019

Boston, MA

The Pride Youth Theater Alliance presented an expert from Chasing Elevation and other performances by members of Dreams of Hope’s theatriQ ensemble in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Saturday 27 July at 5:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 7:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 8:00 p.m. EDT (New York) / 24:00 UTC+0.

Beyond the Bathrooms

Essay

Beyond the Bathrooms

Cultivating Meaningful Trans Inclusion in Theatrical Spaces

28 July 2019

John Meredith and M Sloth Levine, of StageSource’s Gender Explosion Initiative, discuss ways theatremakers can dismantle stigmas against trans people and continue creating an inclusive theatre scene.