A staged reading of The Pink, by Black Filipinx playwright and Kilroys List honoree Roger Q. Mason, is presented August 5 at 3 PM at Caveat in Manhattan.

Directed by Kevin Newbury, the cast features Mason as Mel and Pierre Jean Gonzalez as Herman.

The play follows a liaison that starts as an evening of passion and ends in a transformative experience of bodies, minds, and spirits.

“We still struggle to see full, rich, complex stories of queer love and intimacy because our previous route to liberation was through assimilation and acceptance by then-dominant straight culture,” said playwright Mason in a recent statement. “Even the phrase 'love is love' troubles me at times because it abstracts and distances queer emotional connection from its physical expression—queer sex remains hidden, obscured, in the dark. However, every movement has its steps, and now we have to exist in our fullness to survive. It will make us human, and grant us the tools necessary to preserve the few civic gains that regressive policies around the country are trying to take away. A play like The Pink is a war paint rally cry for the transgressive, transformative queer love and sexual freedom we need in treacherous times like these.”

The Pink was originally commissioned by Primary Stages as part of the inaugural Creative Access Grant Reading Series, dedicated to amplifying the work of underrepresented communities and artists. The play received an initial reading with Breaking the Binary Theatre in association with Primary Stages at 59E59 in April 2023.

The reading is presented by producer Christophe Desorbay.

Those interested in attending the reading, which is open to the public, should contact [email protected].