I started my career in the private sector and spent over a decade there, but I’m in theatre now because I’ve seen how it can connect people and build empathy.
It was at the Theater Offensive’s community workshop of Fierce Love: Stories from Black Gay Life by Pomo Afro Homos. It was my aha! moment of grasping the genius of Pomo Afro Homos’ co-founder Brian Freeman’s work and theatre’s unique power to bring communities together; and to create rich stories from our varied experiences and perform them onstage. There were so many young, queer people in the workshop – some who were at-risk of becoming homelessness or victims of violence or hate crimes simply for being themselves. Brian created a safe space for all of them to build trust, connect, and share their stories. This was evident in the beautiful and inspiring post-workshop performance – where the young people’s stories were the center of it all. They were the sole owners of their stories and how they wanted it to be told; and I wished I had a “Brian” when I was a young, gay person growing up.
Fierce Love, and many others like it, have changed my life. Theater has helped shape my identity and my place in the world. And since then I’ve never stopped using my privileges to advocate for a better world and lift the diverse voices and stories that shape our humanity.
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This post is a part of the Our Stories salon, curated as part of TCG's 2019 Gala: Our Stories in support of TCG's vision of a better world for and because of theatre. To participate in the salon, email Gus Schulenburg. To attend the TCG 2019 Gala, go here. To support TCG's work, go here.
