Angry Fags by Topher Payne returns for its final weekend tonight, November 20.
Instead of another post talking about how great the show is (it IS!) we thought we’d let Ensemble Member and Angry Fags cast member Jean E. Mueller-Burr tell you about why theatre really matters in these trying times and what your support of the arts really means.
Jean E. Mueller-Burr as Kimberly Phillips in Angry Fags by Topher Payne (Photo by Pete Guither/For Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre Co.)
Jean E. Mueller-Burr:
“Theatre is an escape. Theatre makes you face tough truths. Theatre is empathy embodied. Theatre is rage and joy and sadness and envy and unbridled energy. Theatre gives a voice to those who feel like they're shouting into the void.
“Theatre is comfort. Theatre is political. Theatre gives a giant hug or a giant middle finger to allies or enemies. Theatre is limitless. Theatre is magic. Theatre is electric. Theatre is fabricated. Theatre is real.
“Theatre matters.
“Let's be honest, it's terrifying to do anything right now. It's scary to even approach plays that lean in any sort of political direction. Going to see a show can feel like a waste of precious time that could be spent doing something that can show more tangible change. Something that really ‘matters.’
“But theatre is undeniably political. Theatre can start movements and launch stars. Theatre has always been a way to drive conversations and a way to offer other perspectives. In a time when we are so divided by the actions of greedy individuals, it's important to feel heard; it's important to offer those who oppress the ability to see the world through the eyes of the oppressed, if only for the slight chance they have a change of heart. It's important to show that, no matter how lonely you feel or how desperate you become, you are not alone - you are in the pages and on the stage. It's important to sit in a space with people from all walks of life and experience a new world, free from any restrictions we have in our own.
“Words, actors, direction, costumes, props, lighting and collaboration. Theatre is a movement. And it matters.”
You can help support art that matters and organizations that matter via our Love As A Verb Fundraiser, which is in its final weeks.
Angry Fags runs through Nov. 23 on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. The performances take place at Lifeline Theatre. Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with a minimum suggested donation of $25 and are available now.
Angry Fags is part of Ghostlight’s 9th Season celebrating otherness and uplifting Queer characters and voices.