9/15/2011 Fresh Fruit

Queer Theater & Activism

Hosts: Dixie Treichel & John Townsend
7pm-8pm CST streaming and in the archives for 2 weeks

Guests: Alan Berks, Claire Avitabile, Jacie Knight, Kahlil Queen

Alan Berks, Communications Director, Pillsbury House Theater

THE PRIDE
Written by Alexi Kay Campbell, Directed by Noel Raymond

An erotic puzzle of engaging characters, subtle political commentary, and exhilarating emotional power, The Pride time warps between two love triangles, in 1958 and 2008, incorporating the self-deception and denial experienced by many gay men in 1958 with the relative sexual freedom of 2008. (for ages 17+)

Pillsbury House Theatre
3501 Chicago Avenue S., Minneapolis, 612-825-0459
September 16 - October 16, 2011

Claire Avitabile, Director

The Birth of Venus
Written by Lisa Flora Meyers (world premiere), Directed by Claire Avitabile & Nicole Wilder

Betty is a transgender woman who has only two wishes in life:to become physically and emotionally female, and to fly a rocket into space. She befriends Ron, a goofy single father who breaks faces professionally, and Trish, a surgeon struggling to conquer her loneliness. Together they build doghouses, bake cakes, make Play Dough creatures and spaceships, and explore the depths of love and friendship in a play that mixes poetic realism with a touch of the fantastical.

20% Theatre Company Twin Cities
Cedar Riverside People’s Center Theatre
425 South 20th Ave, Minneapolis, 612-227-1188
October 8 - 23, 2011

Jacie Knight, Director & Kahlil Queen, Composer

MEAN
Written by Rita Cannon, Music by Kahlil Queen

The play follows three students, a young woman being teased about her physical appearance, a young man being harassed for his perceived sexual orientation, and a young Muslim woman being tormented by her peers because of her faith. Each provides stories highlighting the cruel effects of bullying. Recommended for Grades 5 and above

Youth Performance Company
Howard Conn Fine Arts Center,
1900 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, 612-623-9080
October 5 - 23, 2011