“Queer” is a resonant word within the LGBTQIA+ community. Originally used as a homophobic slur, it has been reclaimed as a title of pride, an identity, a vision for the world that reaches beyond sexuality and gender. Queer theorist José Esteban Muñoz describes queerness as the pursuit of an imagined future which embraces a multitude of authentic lifestyles that exist and have yet to be imagined. Queerness actively revolts against the confines of societal norms by embracing alternative lifestyles as a pathway towards self-acceptance, social equality, and joy.

While the idea of letting people live their authentic selves sounds like an obvious choice, the cultural mainstream clings to their status quo out of fear. Lives that they don’t understand become a perceived threat to their sense of self. But queerness is anything but a threat. It is an invitation for each individual to live their truth.

Throughout American history, Queer Revolutions have been necessary to push our culture to the next stepping stone of queer understanding and acceptance, from the social and political renaissance of the 1920s, to the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the demand for adequate healthcare during the AIDS crisis, and as recently as the 2015 Supreme Court ruling, marriage equality. After each Queer Revolution there is pushback as “straight America'' reacts to these changes as challenges to their existence. States such as Florida attack gender affirming healthcare and restrict expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Regardless of how often the LGBTQIA+ community is knocked down, they always get back up and confront their oppressors with another revolution, whether through protest and activism, re-envisioning mainstream culture through the arts, or simply existing and expressing queer joy and love.

Again and again, theater has functioned as a safe space for revolutionary Queer thought. This season, we celebrate this theater from some of the century’s most influential queer revolutions. Our “A-Side” mainstage season begins in 1920’s with The Drag by legendary Renaissance woman of stage and screen, Mae West. West challenged stereotypes around queerness, providing America with one of its first three-dimensional depictions of American homosexuality. We then fast forward to 1969, the same year as the Stonewall Riots, to experience the Ridiculous Theatrical Company’s subversive and experimental comedy Turds in Hell. Charles Ludlam and Bill Vehr’s early “Ridiculous” theatrical epic would go on to inspire queer icons like RuPaul, Taylor Mac, and John Waters. These shows are supplemented by our B-Side Series which features staged readings from some of our Philly theater partners, an expert panel discussion on the next Queer Revolution, a gender fluid Music Man from Rowan University, and our season opener, South Africa’s Abrahamse & Meyer’s celebrated production of Tennessee Williams’ queer sci-fi tale, A Knightly Quest. The season will conclude with Philly Is Burning, a Pride Month Gala extravaganza that celebrates our local Philadelphia LGBTQIA+ and QTPOC (Queer & Trans People of Color) community.

Join us as we celebrate the transformative power of Queer Art!

Curatorial Committee

Dane Eissler, Lead Curator

Lane Savadove, EgoPo Artistic Director

Dr. Whitney Cox, Assistant Teaching Professor of World Religions at Rowan University

Paule Turner, Chair of Rowan University’s Department of Theatre and Dance

Rebecca Wright, Founding Company Member of Applied Mechanics,