One of the most renowned plays from the Spanish Golden Age, Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s La Vida es Sueno (Life is a Dream), was initially published in 1636. In 1981, the “mother of Latinx playwrighting” María Irene Fornés adapted this classic into Life is a Dream, a production that has since been in a deep slumber, now awakened at Baltimore Center Stage. Cover photo: Segismund, portrayed by Jak Watson, is at the center of the narrative of Life is a Dream. (Photo by J Fannon Photography) Under the direction of Tony Nominee Stevie Walker Webb, Life is a Dream […]
Harvey Brings Joy to Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre
If you’ve ever revisited a story you remember from your childhood only to uncomfortably realize “Oh, that didn’t age well,” fear not. Mary Chase’s Pulitzer-winning play, Harvey, written in the 1940s, continues to shine a light on the timeless values of compassion and kindness, as showcased in this recent Everyman Theatre production. Led by resident company member Bruce Randolph Nelson as Elwood P. Dowd, the cast effortlessly brought the characters to life. Nelson’s portrayal of Elwood, with his infectious smile and unwavering kindness, immediately won me over. I couldn’t help but root for him, wanting to shield him from the […]
North Dakota wages war on LGBTQ+ communities
Bismarck – Emily Chudy writes for PinkNews that North Dakota legislators have been widely criticized for passing a record-setting ten anti-LGBTQ+ bills in one day. The state senate passed all ten bills on April 3rd, with eight now headed to the desk of North Dakota’s Republican governor Doug Burgum, where they will either be signed into law or vetoed. Two have been returned to the state’s House of Representatives after having amendments added. The raft of horrifying legislation includes bans on trans students joining sports teams that match their gender identity, sweeping bans on gender-affirming healthcare for young people, and […]
Church holding drag event firebombed, but little damage
Chesterland, Ohio – Chanetlle Billson reports for PinkNews that police were called at around 1:00 p.m. on March 25 to a report of arson at the Community Church of Chesterland, where a Drag Queen Story Time event was due to take place. Officers found a crude, home-made Molotov cocktail bomb had hit the church, resulting in damage, along with minor scorching to the exterior. A sign had also been vandalized. The attack came as the church planned to hold the drag event, hosted by marketing and communications company The Fairmount Group. President and chief executive of The Fairmount Group, Mallory […]
Community Overload: Too much of a bad thing
I’ve had trouble lately expressing how I feel. Well to be honest, I am very overloaded by what is happening to my community. My editor finally sent me an email asking what’s up. My problem is I feel beat down. Because every time I turn on a radio or TV it’s full of hate against the transgender community. I never thought I would come out, much less end up in a war for the survival of people like me. The right of our very existence is at stake. This has been extremely draining. Even pushing me somewhat back into my […]
Breaking Free From Self-Doubt
“Internalized stigma” – I hear that phrase a lot in the spaces I frequent. I hear it so often I think it’s become a buzzword. Why do I feel bad? Internalized stigma. Why are you down on yourself? Internalized stigma. Why can’t this or that person get out of their own way? Internalized stigma. There’s very little commentary on what Internalized stigma is, just that we are having reactions to it. So … let’s define it. Overcoming internalized stigma Stigma is negative stereotypes and attitudes about a specific group of people. Internalized stigma (or “felt stigma”) is when we take […]
All About Pronouns: A guide to the perplexed
What are pronouns? Pronouns are words we use to refer to someone in the third person. Examples include they / them, she / her, and he / him. What does gender have to do with pronouns? In the English language, pronouns have historically been gendered, meaning they convey information about the person’s gender, whether that information is accurate or not. For many of us whose identity sits outside the binary or whose gender does not align with sex assigned at birth, being called by the wrong pronoun is uncomfortable and sometimes hurtful or traumatic. It’s important to not make assumptions about […]
In Remembrance: Carl Patrick ‘Charles’ Hughes
Carl Patrick “Charles” Hughes, a founding member of the Baltimore Gay Alliance and Gay Community Center of Baltimore, died March 7th in his Charles Village home of 53 years. He was 78 and had been diagnosed with an inoperable aneurysm after suffering a heart attack in October. The aneurysm was the likely cause of his death. Cover image: Charles (right) and Scott Emmons at gay pride in New York in the 1970s Charles, also known as Buster, was born in Palm Beach, Florida, but lived most of his life in Baltimore City. He was the son of Joseph Hughes, a […]
Fifties Forever: Grease at Toby’s Dinner Theatre
We’re probably at a time in history where, unless you’re a very young child, you’ve heard of Grease, most likely the classic 1978 feature film that starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the leads Danny and Sandy. Then in 2016 the Fox television network produced a live television special that melded elements from the movie and the original 1972 Broadway show (which itself has been re-adapted for the stage in the wake of the movie’s immense popularity), so you have to have been living under a rock to never have heard of Grease. And now Paramount Plus is streaming […]
Lady First – A chat with Strand Theater director, Emma Hooks
America’s first celebrity isn’t a founding father. It isn’t even a man. The accolade belongs to Charlotte Cushman, a 19th century actress well-known for playing male and female stage roles from Romeo to Lady MacBeth. She was also openly queer. Keeping with their mission of creating theater by women for everyone, Strand Theater is telling Cushman’s story in Barbara Kahn’s play The Lady Was a Gentleman. Baltimore OUTloud spoke with director Emma Hooks about Cushman’s life, the technical challenges of the production, and the importance of acknowledging queer joy. This is the regional premiere of The Lady Was a Gentleman. […]