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The Boys In The Band
This play is set in 1968 in New York City and it follows a group of gay men who are going to a birthday party. At the party, the men explain to each other the small things they hate about their sexuality. This in turn gives a look at everyday gay life and helps with self acceptance and sense of identity. The play helps the characters understand each other. This play has been adapted twice, once in 1970 and the other in 2020. (The Harvard Crimson) Written by: Mart Crowley. Director: Robert Moore -
Bent
This play is set in Nazi Germany, focusing on the persecution of gay men/women. The story talks about a gay man(Max) who tries to flee Germany with his lover (Rudy). After Rudy is killed by a Nazi soldier, Max is left to survive alone in a camp. He finds love with a man named Horst, and secretly try to keep their love alive although they are doomed to die. (Bent Movie Review Film) Written by: Martin Sherman. Directed by: Sean Mathias -
Torch Song Trilogy
This play is about a gay man (Arnold) working as a female impersonator/drag queen in the 1970s who is looking for love. He lives through the AIDS crisis and many other milestones for the LGBTQ community. When Arnold's lover (Alan) is beaten to death by a group homophobic boys, Arnold has to deal with his homophobic mother who doesn't agree with his lifestyle and struggles to move on from Alan's death.(Wikipedia) Written by Harvey Fierstein, directed by Paul Bogart. -
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
This play was the first Broadway play to feature a transgender woman as the leading role of a character. In a small town in Texas, a group of women meet for the anniversary of a pop star's death. They converse about the past and uncover depressing truth and disappointments about when they were younger. Written by: Ed Graczyk Directed by:Robert Altman -
The Normal Heart
This is an important play about AIDS and was written by Larry Kramer. Larry wrote this play about a man named Ned, and his experience with his lover dying from AIDS. Ned shares his experience and why spreading the word about people dying from AIDS and why people need to know about it. This is an important play as it opens the eyes of people who didn't know about AIDS so that awareness is spread. (Enotes)(Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. -
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
This play is about a man transitioning into a woman. The sex change operation didn't go according to plan or was "botched". This surgery left her with an "angry inch". After the surgery, Hedwig is on the hunt to find love and to take back her identity and find out what she wants in life, including taking back songs men have stolen from her. (Campus Calendar) This is written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. -
Rights of Passage
This play is about a gay hindu man named Wayan who lives through and tells the audience of many LBGTQ struggles and triumphs. Wayan is searching for a way to reach the bar his parents have set for him and make his community proud. He searches for a sense of identity while using traditional forms of storytelling with dance, masks, puppets, and digital media. (Concord Theatricals) Directed and written by W.Peter Iliff. -
Fun Home
This play is about a woman named Alison, and how she explores becoming a woman and exploring her sexuality. She eventually comes out as lesbian to her father, who is a gay man that is closeted. Closeted meaning he is not out and most do not know he is gay. Eventually, her father dies and Alison is left to deal with dealing with grief while also dealing with finding out her father has had interactions with young teenage boys. (Wikipedia) Directed by Sam Gold. Written by Lisa Kron. -
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
This story is about a young boy named Jamie. He is a sixteen year old boy that has dreams of becoming a drag queen. He isn't sure what the future holds but his dreams don't change. He overcomes bullying and discrimination with the help of his friends and family. He becomes a sensation because of this. (StageAgent) This was written by Tom MacRae and directed by Jonathan Butterell. -
The Cake
This play is about a Christian baker named Della who is asked to make a cake for her late best friends daughter. Her daughter is marrying another woman, which goes against what Della believes in. She is forced to take a look at her beliefs and decide if they are worth going against or not. Exploring faith and acceptance is a very large part of this play. This is directed by Lynne Meadow and it written by Beech Brunstetter. (Concord Theatricals)