Enjoy another helping of ‘Apple Pie’
by David Noble Dandridge
06-22-2007

Zegay rehearses his Britney Spears number.

“As American as Apple Pie: Deep Dish Version”

• June 30, 8 p.m. and July 1, 3 p.m.
• Black Cat Theatre, 2810 Sutton Ave in Maplewood
• $15/general, $5/students. No one turned away for lack of income
• uppityco.com

“It’s a weird feeling when you have church folks staring at you and you’re dressed like a girl!” says Zegay. He enters a makeshift rehearsal space in the back of Trinity Episcopal Church wearing a white button-down blouse, a plaid skirt and ankle socks. Zegay’s dressed for a Britney Spears number that he conceived and choreographed himself.

“I accidentally let Joan know how much I love Britney Spears,” he says, emphasis on the “accidentally” as if to say “and look what happened.”

The Joan that he’s is referring to is St. Louis playwright and director Joan Lipkin, artistic director of That Uppity Theatre Company. If I had to guess, I’d say that she didn’t have to do as much arm twisting to get Zegay into that plaid skirt as he’s letting on. The piece they’re rehearsing, set to Spears hit song “Toxic,” may seem like one of the more frivolous pieces in “As American as Apple Pie: Deep Dish Version,” but on its own terms it’s just as personal as the other pieces in this new collection.

“As American as Apple Pie: Deep Dish Version” is the third in a series of plays written and performed by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT), questioning and allied youth ranging in ages from 14-21. The cast writes scenes inspired by their own life experiences and the pieces are then work-shopped under the watchful eyes of directors Sarah Shimchick and Jackie Masei and producer Lipkin. This year’s installment is produced by That Uppity Theatre Company in collaboration with Growing American Youth and the National Conference for Community and Justice.

The pieces deal with issues ranging from school bullying, gender identity and coming out. Even the “Toxic” number has meaning for Zegay, a ward of the state who, like many out GLBT young people, has had a difficult life. He identifies with the trials and tribulations of the embattled pop star and his admiration even comes through as he casually flings around a baby doll, lampooning Spears’ questionable parenting skills.

Another piece deals with school bullying and features a forceful performance by Tyler, 17, who breaks the fourth wall and challenges the audience to take better care of children who are targeted for their sexuality or gender identity. I’m struck by the fact that I couldn’t swear in a court of law as to Tyler’s biological or preferred gender. Even in conversations among the cast, the gender specific pronouns seem to be somewhat interchangeable. It’s only in reading his bio that I discover Tyler is transgender female to male. The school bullying piece is written by Lee, a 19-year-old lesbian and directed by Eric, 16, who is also biologically female but identifies as male.

Where Tyler is charming and outgoing, Eric is quiet and laid back. When asked why he returned for this, his second time working with That Uppity Theatre Company on the “American Pie” series, he says “I wanted to be a voice to get transgender issues out there.”

That was pretty much a consensus among the cast members I spoke to. Some have theatrical aspirations, some don’t, but almost all cite a desire to educate people and counteract stereotypes as the prime reason for participating in such a public examination of such personal issues. In addition to the scheduled local performances, the show will also be performed at Anytown, an annual youth leadership conference that trains high school students to be agents of change and tolerance in their schools and communities.

You can e-mail David Noble Dandridge at davidwraith@yahoo.com.

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