"I have a Queery about...Queerness in Performance" ft. TJ Young

Queer Queeries

"What does Queerness look like on stage?" "How is Queer representation evolving?" "What does a more equitable space look like in the theatre?"
On this episode, I interview TJ Young (he/him), an award-winning playwright, who's works include No. 6, Lyon's Den, Ruby's Baby Blue, Hell is Empty, just to name a few. In a day and age where the amount of Queer representation is becoming increasingly more visible on our screens and on the stage, TJ not only aims to continue to place Queer and Black characters at the forefront of his stories, but he aims to challenge the traditional narratives we are used to seeing; toying with the time and space of his worlds, having a character's queerness be a fact as opposed to the main focus. We discuss how TJ got into playwriting, how he has seen his work evolve over time, how the depiction of Queer characters in media has evolved, the importance to showcase more underrepresented identities from the Queer alphabet, and so much more. Also, in considering the Black Lives Matter Movement in relation to the theatre, we discuss how we, as industry, can work to create a more equitable working environment as well as more space for black creatives and voices.
TJ Young is a Texas born award-winning playwright based in Pittsburgh, PA where he serves as co-representative for the Dramatists Guild - Pittsburgh region. Some of his plays include NO.6, Lyon’s Den, Ruby’s Baby Blue, Hell is Empty, to name a few. He is the recipient of the 2017 Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship, the 2019 Spotlight Artist of Throughline Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, PA, and is also the NPP Vice-Chair for Region 2 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He is also a member of subTEXT Solutions Dramaturgy Group and with the groundbreaking Entertainment Engineering Collective.
Follow TJ:
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"How Do I Keep Going As A Black Man? Easy. I Prepare For Death." by TJ Young
Organization of the Week: The Starfruit Project
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Resources for further learning:
Queer Black Playwrights to Support Volume 1
Volume 2
Entertainment Engineering Collective
subTEXT Solutions Dramaturgy Group
Show Produced by Nick Eibler
Theme Song written by Matt Gregory, Colin Egan, and Mike Hubbard
Produced by Colin Egan and Mike Hubbard
Logo Design by David Pavón