LGBT theater troupe portrays teen troubles

Conventional wisdom says that young people are the most open-minded generation when it comes to LGBT issues. But if there was one core message to the True Colors Out Youth Theater troupe's performance Dec. 11 at the Home for Little Wanderers it was that life for LGBT youth is still fraught with conflict.

The troupe, composed of LGBT and straight ally youth, performed their new piece, "Not Just a Character," at the Home's Roslindale headquarters for an audience of about 25 people, a mixture of agency staff and youth affiliated with the Home. The piece, a series of short skits inspired by the lives of the troupe members, showed that LGBT youth face the same struggles as many of their straight peers: peer pressure around drinking, relationship drama, the pressure to succeed at school, conflicts with parents. On top of those issues they face another layer of problems; many endure a constant stream of "fag" jokes and slurs from school bullies, and some, particularly those who are gender-variant, find themselves barred from dressing rooms and bathrooms because of their gender expression.

The show opened with the cast standing in a line, each taking a turn to make a personal statement about their lives. Some of the performers talked about their interests, their aspirations and their identity; one young man told the crowd that he loved playing sports and working out just as much as he loved acting. Another boldly proclaimed, "I'm a superstar." Said another, "I don't identify as male or female, making me an 18-year-old genderqueer teenager." One member of the troupe talked about being harassed in school, while another simply recited the words, "Abused, raped, molested, scared, homeless." In the space of a few short minutes the audience had a complex, multifaceted portrait of the young actors standing before them in the Home's makeshift performance space.

True Colors, founded in 1994, is a program of the LGBT theater company The Theater Offensive that gives LGBT youth a venue to express themselves through theater, and the troupe uses their performances as a teaching tool to educate the public about LGBT youth. The youth perform at high schools, community groups and other forums around the state. The performance at the Home was one of the first shows of the troupe's new season.

For the staff members of the Home for Little Wanderers, the performance was a window into the lives of LGBT youth. The Home has distinguished itself among child and family service agencies over the years for its LGBT-inclusive policies, particularly in its founding of the LGBT youth group home Waltham House, and staff used the performance to get a better understanding of the lives of LGBT youth. During a post-performance question-and-answer session staff members in the audience asked cast members for advice for adults working with LGBT youth. Two of the performers were themselves Waltham House residents.

After the troupe's confessional introductions it launched into its first vignette, set in a high school. A gay student finds a gender-variant genie in construction-worker garb who grants him a wish, and the student wishes that a closeted classmate, Jason, finds the courage to come out. Jason, who is running for student council president, confesses his secret to his homophobic girlfriend, who in turn outs him to his rival candidate, Kristen. During her campaign speech Kristen outs Jason to the school, warning, "Do you want a gay class president? I think not." Both the students and teachers applaud.

Yet when it comes time for Jason to give his own speech, he responds by promising to protect the interests of all students, and he wins over the school. He tells the class, "If I'm elected class president I'll make sure every student is treated equally by students and teachers."

In the second scene the primary conflict facing Rachel, a high school senior and a workaholic student, has nothing to do with her sexual orientation. After winning a full scholarship to Harvard Rachel wishes for the chance to cut loose and party, rather than stay at home studying. She magically splits into two people, one who continues her workaholic ways and tries to find a balance between work, her social life and her girlfriend; the other takes a drink at a party and becomes a party girl, alienating her girlfriend and watching her academic performance plummet.

The third scene was framed as an etiquette television show hosted by Miss Manners and Miss Behavin' the topic of which was how to be friendly to gender-non-conforming people. The show featured a female couple shopping at a clothing store. The manager chases the couple out after the more masculine of the two tries on neck ties in the women's dressing room.

Following the performance, True Colors troupe members fielded questions from the audience both about the creative process and about issues facing LGBT youth. One audience member asked what kind of reception True Colors gets when it performs in high schools and other venues. The performers generally they get a positive response, although Lucki Bias, the assistant director and a veteran True Colors performer, said former cast members told him about one memorable reaction they received during a high school performance before Bias joined the troupe.

"We were having a show, and one of the audience members asked why we didn't have any pretty lesbians on stage," said Bias.

Another audience member asked what mistakes adults make when they work with LGBT youth. Taylor Timmons, a 19-year-old cast member, said the worst mistake adults make is to make assumptions about youth. He said when adults assume that they know a young person's sexuality, it makes it harder for that young person to confide in them.

"It's the assumptions that hurt kids. If they think I want a girlfriend or boyfriend, maybe it's not safe to say," said Timmons.

Bias said another mistake adults make is to reassure young people who come out by telling them, "I accept you." He said it sends the message to young people that they are of a lesser status than straight people and that they depend on their acceptance. Bias said adults who want to create a safe space for youth to come out should create an environment "where they don't feel like they need to be accepted, it just feels like they're one."

When another audience member asked what adults should know about LGBT youth, cast member Will Lora, 20, responded succinctly: "We're everywhere."

True Colors will give a public performance Jan. 20 at the Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, beginning at 7 p.m. Auditions for the next season of True Colors will take place Feb. 17-26. To RSVP for the Central Square Theater performance or to find out more about auditions e-mail [email protected].