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When I get the sensation

Baltimore lesbian playwright has ‘fresh sensibility’

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‘A Peppermint Patty Christmas’

Through Dec. 18

Strand Theater Company

1823 N. Charles Street, Baltimore

$10-$15

443-874-4917

Budding lesbian playwright Kate Bishop hit a nerve with her debut with lesbian Baltimore residents. (Photo courtesy of Bishop)

By titling her new play ā€œA Peppermint Patty Christmas,ā€ Kate Bishop puts a queer spin on a holiday classic. Like the beloved Peanuts TV special of everyoneā€™s youth (ā€œA Charlie Brown Christmasā€), Bishopā€™s piece in some ways explores the deeper meanings of the season.

And though inspired by the animated favoriteā€™s freckle-faced Tomboy whose female sidekick addresses her as ā€œsir,ā€ Bishop has written a grownup work about a lesbian striving to strengthen relationships with partner and family.

In Bishopā€™s play (commissioned by Baltimoreā€™s Strand Theater Company), girlfriends Patricia and Marcie live in Brooklyn where the former is a gym-owning jock and the latter, a brainy graduate student writing her dissertation on Christmas. Not a big fan of the yuletide, Patricia has vowed to change things up this year. When she takes her girlfriend to spend Christmas with her less-than-functional family in Dundalk (a working class Baltimore suburb), Patricia is intent on foregoing small talk for total honesty. Itā€™s time to be completely above board about her life.

Bishop came out to her family long before she ever brought a girlfriend home for the holidays. Still, a lot of her play is autobiographical: Like Patricia and Marcie, Bishop and her partner of nine years are an interracial couple. But perhaps most importantly, Bishopā€™s real life experiences with family and her career as a social worker (her clients are primarily Baltimore teens whoā€™ve recently been diagnosed with HIV) prompts her to write ā€“ often humorously ā€” about real life. Few of us, she says, truly recognize the idealized holidays we see depicted on greeting cards and commercials.

Last June, Bishop began her association with the Strand when her first play, a one act titled ā€œHow I learned to Eat Pussy,ā€ was produced as part of their 2010 Friends and Neighbors Festival. Jayme Kilburn, the companyā€™s artistic director, was initially attracted to the playwrightā€™s unapologetic and mature voice. She explains,

ā€œI have read too many plays where the central character is a lesbian in high school and falls in love with a pretty girl, experiments, is tortured by her feelings of inadequacy, etc., etc.,” Kilburn says. “Although those plays have their place ā€¦ this was very different from that. It celebrated the discovery of her sexual orientation and was a very positive and detailed account of her first experience with a woman.ā€

Not surprising given the title, Bishopā€™s play struck a chord with Baltimoreā€™s lesbian, theater-going community. The show ran for only a weekend, but each of the performances was sold out. Lesbians were letting the Strand know that they wanted to see more work about lesbian women, so when the company decided to commission an original holiday piece (to add to its season comprised of plays all written by women), they went to Bishop.

A resident of Baltimoreā€™s Mt. Vernon neighborhood, the cityā€™s cultural epicenter, for almost five years, Bishop, 37, grew up in the Pittsburgh suburbs and lived in Cleveland for a decade. She has a Bachelor of Arts in gender studies from Hiram College and a master’s in social work from Case Western Reserve University.

ā€œThis theater stuff is still pretty new to me, but I now feel a future in it,ā€ Bishop says. ā€œWhile I still need to work on some of the basics, I think I have a fresh sensibility and a lot to say. More and more Iā€™m writing for a broader audience.ā€

Kilburn concurs.

ā€œKate has said that she wants to see more butch women on stage, and is not entirely satisfied with the current portrayals of lesbian women,” she says. “I think Kate could be instrumental in pushing lesbian characters into the spotlight. Anybody can watch her plays and relate to her characters. The Strand’s mission is to promote women’s voices, and Kate’s work fits into the mission perfectly.ā€

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Sexy, spooky werewolf tale comes to Congressional Cemetery

ā€˜LĆ½kos Ɓnthrōposā€™ explores story of men who live double lives

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Patrick Kilpatrick (left) and Nicholas Gerwitz inĀ LĆ½kos ƁnthrōposĀ at CongressionalĀ Cemetery

LĆ½kos Ɓnthrōpos
Oct. 31-Nov. 24
Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m., 75 minutes without intermission
Congressional Cemetery
1801 E St., S.E.
Tickets: bob-bartlett.com

Just in time for Halloween, Bob Bartlett is reprising ā€œLĆ½kos Ɓnthrōpos.ā€ With his sexy, spooky werewolf tale, the gay playwright brings his passion for horror and site-specific productions to historic Congressional Cemetery on Capitol Hill.  

ā€œVampires are great and I love ghosts and kind of believe in the spirit world, but werewolves are my favorite,ā€ he says. 

Bartlett is interested in the duality of men who turn into wolves and consequently live double lives. The character heā€™s written is on the queer spectrum but not particularly discriminating. However, one night a month when the moon is full, he reliably leaves his wife and kids and hooks up with a guy. The playā€™s conceit starts off with two men cruising in the dark outdoors. 

Before penning ā€œLĆ½kos Ɓnthrōpos,ā€ Bartlett believed ā€œthere isnā€™t a lot of horror theater, and what there is, isnā€™t particularly sophisticated. Itā€™s kind of grand guignol, or tongue in cheek,ā€ and he was ā€” and remains ā€” eager to expand on that. 

So, he spent a month in the summer of 2022 in Rhodes, Greece, immersed in lycanthropy. Based in an Airbnb far from any touristy hubbub, he explored the countryside and wrote his werewolf-themed play. 

ā€œIt was sunny, dry summertime, and I wrote a good deal of the play in ruins and ancient amphitheaters; I looked at classical texts, including Ovidā€™s ā€˜Metamorphoses,ā€™ and included much of what I learned in my play.ā€ 

His characters talk about rocky landscape, the heavens, and the effect of the moon on the Earth ranging from tides to our moods and, of course, its impact on werewolves. Itā€™s all a bit more nuanced than the classic Hollywood take, i.e. Lon Chaney Jrā€™s 1941 horror hit ā€œThe Wolf Man.ā€  

In keeping with the playwrightā€™s love for site specific locales, ā€œLĆ½kos Ɓnthrōposā€ premiered around Halloween in 2022 in a clearing in the woods on a farm near Bartlettā€™s home in Davidsonville, Md.  

The team that opened the two-hander in the woods, director Alex Levy and cast members Patrick Kilpatrick and Nicholas Gerwitz, remain on board for the Congressional Cemetery version. 

Moving the story from the farm to an urban cemetery in the Nationā€™s Capital presented some amusing challenges: ā€œI definitely did some tweaking; rewrites include references to the city and all the dog walkers found in the cemetery. Itā€™s been fun.ā€  

A horror fanatic since childhood, Bartlett cut his teeth on George A. Romeroā€™s ā€œNight of the Living Dead,ā€ when his aunt let him stay up past his bedtime and watch the scary classic on TV, and though he only made it through the first five minutes, and didnā€™t didnā€™t sleep for a week, he was hooked.  

Growing up in Accokeek, Md., Bartlett was introduced to theater through his high school pit band. Later he acted, and did some directing at the community theater level. After returning to school for a second masterā€™s in playwrighting, he took up writing. 

With his current production, he says ā€œThe gods had my back. We open on Halloween and its first weekend will be performed under a full moon,ā€ says Bartlett. ā€œPeople (about 30 per performance) are asked to bring a fold up chair, blanket and lantern or flashlight. They will meet as a group and walk together, with a guide, to the performance site at the cemetery where the actors will be in place surrounded by a circle of eerie light. Death metal will be pounding from the woods.  

ā€œSometimes itā€™s more terrifying if the violence is offstage. I believe in the mantra donā€™t show the monster, so there are moments when the characters turn off the lights.ā€

Also, a longtime professor of theater at Bowie State University, Bartlett is a semester from retiring after which he intends on becoming ā€œa full-time creepy writer.ā€

Upcoming projects include a play about the controversial and closeted FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and his longtime romantic partner Clyde Tolson, who not incidentally are buried just a few yards apart in Congressional Cemetery. Largely fictional, the play wonā€™t be site specific, but, says Bartlett, will have its own monster in Hoover.

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A contemporary take on ā€˜Romeo and Julietā€™ at Folger

Creating a world that appeals to young audiences

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Fran Tapia as Lady Capulet, Caro Reyes Rivera as Juliet, and Luz Nicolas as Nurse in William Shakespeareā€™sĀ ā€˜Romeo and Juliet,ā€™ directed by Raymond O. Caldwell at the Folger Theatre through Nov. 10.Ā (Photo by Erika Nizborski)

ā€˜Romeo and Julietā€™
Through November 10
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St. S.E., Washington, D.C.
$20-$84
Folger.edu

In out director Raymond O. Caldwellā€™s production of ā€œRomeo and Julietā€ currently playing at Folger Theatre, the Capulet family are Puerto Rican except for Lord Capulet (Todd Scoffield) who is white with a Southern accent. 

Fran Tapia (Lady Capulet), Luz Nicolas (Nurse), and Caro Reyes Rivera (Juliet) all speak Spanish when they are together. Rosa Garay LĆ³pez (Translator and Interpreter) translated certain scenes into Spanish. The Montagues are played by a cast of multiracial and multiethnic actors.

Tapia, a Helen Hayes Award-winning actor, identifies as part of the LGBTQ community. She says, “I am Chilean, Latina, queer and a proud immigrant.”  

After receiving her acting degree in Santiago de Chile, Catholic University, Tapia started working professionally as an actor and a dancer with contemporary dance companies.

The newly single actor has been living in D.C. since 2019 and plans to remain based here. Recently, she shared her experiences playing Julietā€™s mother in Shakespeareā€™s story of the star-crossed lovers, a play she first read as a girl in Santiago. 

WASHINGTON BLADE:  Typically, Lady Capulet is portrayed as detached, a woman who canā€™t even remember her daughterā€™s age. Whatā€™s your spin on the Capulet matriarch?

FRAN TAPIA:  From what Iā€™ve read and seen, including productions and films, sheā€™s a woman who has distanced herself from her daughter.

I see the part differently. I want to make it special, to get away from the hard mother. She does care about her husband and daughter. Her expectations are shaped by society more than anything, she has conservative goals, but that doesnā€™t mean that she doesnā€™t love her daughter.

BLADE: What else about your Lady Capulet is unique?

TAPIA: First of all, sheā€™s Puerto Rican. She speaks in Spanish and English. She loves to sing. Sheā€™s a party girl. Sheā€™s a devoted wife and partner in crime with Lord Capulet, sharing both his ambition and devotion to family. 

Lady Capulet wants to look pretty and she loves money. And she wants to be blonde, of course. I wear 26-inch blonde extensions for the part. Iā€™m giving so much drama to it. Itā€™s fun and dramatic and over the top.

She can share secrets with the Nurse played by Luz [Nicolas]. There are nuances with how she speaks to her. Lady Capulet speaks English when she wants to be formal. Luz brings the comedy. Sheā€™s also, a very good dramatic actress.

BLADE: Itā€™s a contemporary take on the Bardā€™s masterpiece. 

TAPIA: Itā€™s super contemporary. Raymond [Caldwell] is looking to create a world that appeals to young audiences. Heā€™s working with so many designers doing projection, lighting, and sound. There are so many surprises for you. 

BLADE: Am I right in guessing itā€™s not set in Verona.

TAPIA: Itā€™s set in a fictionalized Washington, D.C., inspired by the election year. The Capulets are a conservative political family based on nobody in particular. Theyā€™re struggling for power through the marriage of their daughter. Unlike the source material, theyā€™re not trying to marry off a teenager. Itā€™s more about preserving a legacy. Thatā€™s scary to lose when youā€™re used to having it.

BLADE: How is working with Raymond? Iā€™ve heard so many good things about him. 

TAPIA: Prior to joining the cast, Iā€™d heard from friends that he was good, but I had no idea how good. When I got this part, I gave myself the opportunity to offer my resources like singing. And heā€™s been super receptive. 

Raymond is very clear and bold. Lady Capulet has problems with addiction more intense than I imagined. I wonā€™t specify but weā€™re diving into all of that. There are so many kinds of addiction including social media for instance. In real life, Iā€™m addicted to Diet Coke as anyone in the cast can tell you. 

BLADE: Is Lady Capulet a part youā€™ve longed to play? 

TAPIA: Not really, but under the direction of Raymond Iā€™m loving every second of it. His view of things has given me a lot of freedom that I didnā€™t expect.

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ā€˜Acting their asses offā€™ in ā€˜Exception to the Ruleā€™

Studio production takes place during after-school detention

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Cast of ā€˜Exception to the Ruleā€™ at Studio Theatre (Shana Lee Hill, Khalia Muhammad, Jacques Jean-Mary, Sabrina Lynne Sawyer, Khouri St.Surin, and Steven Taylor Jr.) (Photo by Margot Schulman)

ā€˜Exception to the Ruleā€™
Through Sunday, October 27
Studio Theatre
1501 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
$40-$95
Studiotheatre.org

After-school detention is a bore, but itā€™s especially tiresome on the last day of classes before a holiday.  

In Dave Harrisā€™s provocative new play ā€œException to the Ruleā€ (now at Studio Theatre) thatā€™s just the case. 

Itā€™s Friday, and the usual suspects are reporting to room 111 for detention before enjoying the long MLK weekend. First on the scene are blaring ā€œbad girlā€ Mikayla (Khalia Muhammad) and nerdy stoner Tommy (Steven Taylor Jr.), followed by mercurial player Dayrin (Jacques Jean-Mary), kind Dasani (Shana Lee Hill), and unreadable Abdul (Khouri St.Surin).Ā 

The familiar is jaw-droppingly altered by the entrance of ā€œCollege Bound Erikaā€ (Sabrina Lynne Sawyer), a detention first timer whose bookworm presence elicits jokes from the others: What happened? You fail a test? 

Dasani (whoā€™s teased for being named for designer water) dubs Erika ā€œSweet Peaā€ and welcomes her to the rule-breaking fold. Together the regulars explain how detention works: The moderator, Mr. Bernie, shows up, signs their slips, and then they go. But today the teacher is tardy. 

As they wait, the kids pass the time laughing, trash talking, flirting, and yelling. When not bouncing around the classroom, Dayrin is grooming his hair, while Dasani endlessly reapplies blush and lip gloss. At one point two boys almost come to blows, nearly repeating the cafeteria brawl that landed them in detention in the first place.  

Itā€™s loud. Itā€™s confrontational. And itā€™s funny.

Erika is naively perplexed: ā€œI thought detention was quiet. A place where everyone remembers the mistakes that got them here and then learns how to not make the same mistakes again.ā€ 

For room 111, the only connection to the outside world is an increasingly glitchy and creepy intercom system. Announcements (bus passes, the schoolā€™s dismal ranking, the impending weekend lockdown, etc.) are spoken by the unseen but unmistakably stentorian-voiced Craig Wallace. 

Dave Harris first conceived ā€œException to the Ruleā€ in 2014 during his junior year at Yale University. In the program notes, the Black playwright describes ā€œException to the Ruleā€ as ā€œa single set / six actors on a stage, just acting their asses off.ā€ Itā€™s true, and they do it well. 

Miranda Haymon is reprising their role as director (they finely helmed the playā€™s 2022 off-Broadway debut at Roundabout Theatre Company in New York). Haymon orchestrates a natural feel to movement in the classroom, and without entirely stilling the action on stage (makeup applying, scribbling, etc.), the out director gives each member of the terrific cast their revelatory moment. In a busy room, we learn that Tommyā€™s goofiness belies trauma, that Mikayla is admirably resourceful, and most startling, why Erika, the schoolā€™s top student, is in detention.   

Mr. Bernie is clearly a no-show. And despite his absence, the regulars are bizarrely loath to leave the confines of 111 for fear of catching yet another detention. Of course, itā€™s emblematic of something bigger. Still, things happen within the room.

While initially treated as a sort of mascot, awkwardly quiet Erika becomes rather direct in her questions and observations. Suddenly, sheā€™s rather stiffly doling out unsolicited advice. 

Itā€™s as if an entirely new person has been thrown into the mix.  

Not all of her guidance goes unheeded. Take fighting for instance. At Erikaā€™s suggestion, St.Surinā€™s Abdul refrains from kicking Dayrinā€™s ass. (Just feet from the audience gathered for a recent matinee in Studioā€™s intimate Mead Theatre, Abdulā€™s frustration resulting from anger while yearning for a world of principled order is palpable as evidenced when a single tear rolled down the actorā€™s right cheek) 

Set designer Tony Cisek renders a no-frills classroom with cinder block walls, a high and horizontal row of frosted fixed windows that become eerily prison like when overhead fluorescent lighting is threateningly dimmed.  

Still, no matter how dark, beyond the classroom door, a light remains aglow, encouraging the kids to ponder an exit plan. 

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