Dreaming the Queer Future

An excerpt from an October 19, 2021 roundtable by the National Queer Theater in partnership with the Dramatists Guild and live-streamed on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network.

Mar 01, 2022

Craft

abstract shapes in the trans pride colors

My Dear Friends,

In the spring of 2021, 43 Black, transgender, and gender nonconforming (TGNC) playwrights applied to the New Visions Fellowship, forever shattering the “veracity” of the statement, “There are no Black Trans playwrights in the American theatre; how can we program them if they are not there?”

We exist. We have always existed. We will always exist. Programming us in your theatre is not a risk. We are worthy of visibility and grace. Our stories are essential.

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Peppermint

’s star has continued to rise since her smashing success as first runner-up on Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She recently became the first Trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway when she was cast as Pythio in the musical Head Over Heels. An established entertainer and recording artist, she regularly performs to sold-out crowds around the world. Albums include Hardcore Glamour, Servin’ It Up, Sugar & Spiked, and Black Pepper available on iTunes and Google Play. www.peppermintonline.com

Roger Q. Mason

(they/them) was dubbed by Theatremania as “a major voice in the theatrical vanguard.” Their playwriting has played on Broadway (Circle Series); off/off-off-Broadway; and regionally. They’re a member of the DG, Page 73’s Interstate 73, and Primary Stages Writing Cohort. www.rogerqmason.com

Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko

is a third-culture, non-binary, trans queer American raised in east and central Africa currently living in the United States. Nick is a nominated member of the Playwright Foundations’ RPI. Nick was a member of the Public Theater’s Emerging Writers’ Group, Crowded Fire Writers’ Lab, and countless other residencies. Nick was a dramaturg for the National Conservatory Theatre Center. Nick received a B.A. from Columbia University in New York City, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and was a Point Scholar during Nick’s entire MFA, also at Columbia University.

ayla xuân chi sullivan

(they/them) is your neighborhood Black, Vietnamese, Queer, and Trans performance artist out here tryna make a world without cages by any means necessary. They have two degrees, one mutual aid cooperative (Shift 23 Media), and projects spanning across film, television, theatre, and community engagement outside the commercial space. www.aylasullivan.com

Related Organization(s)

National Queer Theater New Visions Fellowship,

National Queer Theater