Coming out stories come to life on stage
by Colin Murphy
09-21-2006

“Talk About It” is the aptly chosen theme by The Human Rights Campaign for National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11. To that end, HRC, the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) political organization encourages gay Americans, as well as straight allies, to talk openly and honestly about the lives and the issues that GLBT Americans face under law.

In honor of National Coming Out Day, That Uppity Theatre Company and Playback Workshop Theatre have teamed up to create “Coming Out Stories: An Interactive Event” at the Contemporary Art Museum. Using “playback theater,” audience members will be able to share some of their coming out stories to be enacted by a professional company through the spontaneity of skilled improvisation.

“In an election year with the possibility of LGBT people being literally written out of the constitution, National Coming Out Day has more relevance than ever,” said Joan Lipkin, artistic director of That Uppity Theatre Company. “What I wanted to do was to create an event that would be available and accessible and stimulating for many aspects of the community.”

The roots of National Coming Out Day can be traced back to Oct. 11, 1987, when half a million people participated in the march on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This was the second such demonstration in our nation’s capital and the first display of the NAMES Project Quilt, remembering those who have died from AIDS. As a result of the march, several significant GLBT organizations were founded and the idea for a national coming out day was born.

“I really look forward to the day when people can feel free to explore their attractions without fear of familial rejections, economic and legal repercussion or being reduced to a stereotype,” Lipkin explained. “But I think that one antidote to true fear is for people to collectively draw strength from each others’ journey and to realize they are not alone.”

It is through playback theater, an art form that has quickly grown into an international movement, that Lipkin and Playback Workshop Theatre Artistic Director Jackie Masei will showcase such journeys.

Using the playback method, there is a “teller,” or someone from the audience, who has a story to share. They tell their story to the “conductor” (Lipkin), who will then reiterate to the teller what she thinks are the crucial points and emotional essence of the event. The audience member then picks from the ensemble on stage the person they want to portray them — and the story unfolds.

“It’s so interesting because it offers all sorts of possibilities in terms of gender exploration,” Lipkin said. “You can pick a man, you can pick a woman, you can pick somebody who is seemingly quite like you on the surface, you can pick somebody who doesn’t seem like you at all.”

There are different forms of playback theatre, long and short, and Lipkin will use both in her role as conductor. Lipkin must strike a balance between the stories being told — from the comical to the dramatic — which represent all stripes of the GLBT community.

“Improv is a little scary; it’s like being a writer and sitting in front of a blank page,” she said. “But improv is not as really as blank a page as people think it is. But the advantage of playback theater is that basically the teller has given you the story, they’ve given you the bare bones. So you don’t have to construct the entire story line, what you have to do is make interesting choices in filling the gaps.”

But Lipkin wants this to be more than a show which tells the stories of GLBT folk. Hence there will be free tables for area organizations to share information as well as a swath of notables from throughout the St. Louis community to welcome people and create a dialogue.

According to Lipkin, who considers herself a bit of a “clique buster,” the audience will have a chance to talk amongst themselves and to meet new people — and interaction is encouraged. Although the program is of specific importance to the GLBT community, it is Lipkin’s wish that the evening be of interest to the community at large.

“Repeated positive interaction with the object of one’s prejudice is the most effective way to break down myths, stereotypes and misunderstanding,” said openly lesbian Missouri State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford. “When we come out and share our stories with others, we take a giant step toward dismantling prejudice and oppression, including changing public policy.”

“Theater can play an important role in this work,” Oxford concluded. “Theatrical presentations offer another excellent way to share stories that stimulate feelings of empathy and compassion, provoke thought, and lead to the discussions that can change hearts and minds.”

You can e-mail Colin Murphy at colin_murphy@sbcglobal.net.

LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES