Black Filipinx playwright and Kilroys List honoree Roger Q. Mason will premiere their play Lavender Men with Skylight Theatre Company and Playwrights’ Arena in Los Angeles this summer.
Directed by Lovell Holder, performances are scheduled for August 6-September 4. Casting will be announced at a later date.
The genre-pushing play, which reimagines President Abraham Lincoln through a queer person of color’s storytelling lens, follows Taffeta, a self-proclaimed "fabulous queer creation of color," as she invades Lincoln's private world to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
“The myth of Abraham Lincoln is often perpetuated at the expense of people of color,” says Mason. “His self-made, rags-to-riches legend of ascent to leadership is an origin story for the contemporary, freedom-seeking white American man. But Lincoln’s life, and we, the people, are more complicated than the myth which emboldens our country’s power structure. Inspired by my Black queer experience, I dismantle this exclusivist tale from within and carve a new story of America for people who live and love like me.”
The production will also be accessible via streaming performances beginning August 20.
Visit LavenderMenPlayLA.com.
