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Helen Hayes nominees announced

Winners for local theater to be announced April 25 in Washington

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The Helen Hayes Award nominees for regional theater were announced Monday. Winners will be announced at a ceremony April 25.

Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Diane Coburn Bruning, Improbable Frequency, Solas Nua
listBullet.jpg Ben Cunis, King Arthur, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Parker Esse, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Maurice Hines, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Irina Tsikurishvili, King Arthur, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Irina Tsikurishvili, Othello, Synetic Theater
Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Mara Blumenfeld, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Murell Horton, The Liar, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg William Ivey Long, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Reggie Ray, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Othello, Synetic Theater
Outstanding Director, Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg Toby Orenstein, Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
listBullet.jpg Eric Schaeffer, Chess, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Molly Smith, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Molly Smith, The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Mary Zimmerman, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Director, Resident Play
listBullet.jpg Kasi Campbell, Travels With My Aunt, Rep Stage
listBullet.jpg Joseph Haj, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Robert Richmond, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Howard Shalwitz, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Paata Tsikurishvili, Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Paata Tsikurishvili, The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater
Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Steel Burkhardt, Hair, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Brent Michael DiRoma, Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg David Pittsinger, South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg Maurice Hines, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Marc Kudisch, Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Geoff Packard, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Nicholas Rodriguez, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Bobby Smith, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
listBullet.jpg Cody Williams, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Carmen Cusack, South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Jaqueline Grabois, Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Caroline Sheen, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Kacie Sheik, Hair, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Caren Lyn Tackett, Hair, The Kennedy Center
Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg E. Faye Butler, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Eleasha Gamble, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Carrie A. Johnson, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
listBullet.jpg Lauren Molina, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Jill Paice, Chess, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Hollis Resnik, The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play
listBullet.jpg Lise Bruneau, Mikveh, Theater J
listBullet.jpg Naomi Jacobson, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Sarah Marshall, Mikveh, Theater J
listBullet.jpg Jennifer Mendenhall, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Erika Rose, In Darfur, Theater J
listBullet.jpg Holly Twyford, Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Colin K. Bills, Antony and Cleopatra, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Colin K. Bills, The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Dan Covey, On the Verge or The Geography of Yearning, Rep Stage
listBullet.jpg T.J. Gerckens, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Klyph Stanford, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Justin Townsend, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production
listBullet.jpg George Fulginiti-Shakar, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Jon Kalbfleisch, Sunset Boulevard, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Fred Lassen, Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Konstantine Lortkipandze, Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Doug Peck, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Paul Sportelli, The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg James Sugg, Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Tony Cisek, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Simon Higlett, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg James Kronzer, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Eugene Lee, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Derek McLane, The Lisbon Traviata, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Daniel Ostling, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Anthony Cochrane, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Irakli Kavsadze, Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Konstantine Lortkipandze, Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Matthew M. Nielson, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Matt Otto, Johnny Meister and the Stitch, Solas Nua
listBullet.jpg Tom Teasley, The Ramayana, Constellation Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg Ed Dixon, Sunset Boulevard, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg James Konicek, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
listBullet.jpg Jeremy Kushnier, Chess, Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg John Manzari, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Leo Manzari, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Jesse J. Perez, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Larry Yando, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play
listBullet.jpg Louis Butelli, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Adam Green, The Liar, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Michael Tolaydo, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza, Theater J
listBullet.jpg Ted van Griethuysen, All’s Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Paxton Whitehead, All’s Well That Ends Well, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg MaryLee Adams, Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
listBullet.jpg Lauren ‘Coco’ Cohn, Glimpses of the Moon, MetroStage
listBullet.jpg Jesaira Glover, Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
listBullet.jpg Marva Hicks, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Hollis Resnik, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Jenna Sokolowski, Annie, Olney Theatre Center
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play
listBullet.jpg Colleen Delany, Pirates! A Boy at Sea, Imagination Stage
listBullet.jpg Naomi Jacobson, Richard II, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg MacKenzie Meehan, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Studio Theatre
listBullet.jpg Phylicia Rashad, every tongue confess, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Dawn Ursula, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Ellen Harvey, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Jodi Kimura, South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Marc Kudisch, Golden Age, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Josh Lamon, Hair, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Hoon Lee, Golden Age, The Kennedy Center
The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical
listBullet.jpg every tongue confess, Marcus Gardley Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), music by, Zina Goldrich The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg Sycamore Trees, book, music & lyrics by, Ricky Ian Gordon Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), book & lyrics by, Marcy Heisler The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg The Liar, David Ives Shakespeare Theatre Company
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, musical arrangements by, Deborah Wicks La Puma The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg Sycamore Trees, book by, Nina Mankin Signature Theatre
listBullet.jpg Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, music by, Michael Silversher The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg Pirates! A Boy at Sea, Charles Way Imagination Stage
listBullet.jpg Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, script & lyrics by, Mo Willems The Kennedy Center Family Theater
The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play
listBullet.jpg Philip Fletcher, Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg John Glover, The Lisbon Traviata, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Graham Michael Hamilton, Hamlet, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Mitchell Hébert, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Bill Largess, The Foreigner, The Bay Theatre Company, Inc.
listBullet.jpg Alex Mills, Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Cody Nickell, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Ian Merrill Peakes, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Johnny Ramey, Superior Donuts, The Studio Theatre
listBullet.jpg Alexander Strain, New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza, Theater J
Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
listBullet.jpg If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Adventure Theatre
listBullet.jpg Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre
Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
listBullet.jpg American Buffalo, The Studio Theatre
listBullet.jpg Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Travels With My Aunt, Rep Stage
Outstanding Non-Resident Production
listBullet.jpg Avenue Q, The Broadway Musical, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg The Last Cargo Cult, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg South Pacific, The Kennedy Center
listBullet.jpg Thurgood, The Kennedy Center
Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences
listBullet.jpg If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Adventure Theatre
listBullet.jpg Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg The Nutcracker, The Puppet Co.
listBullet.jpg Pirates! A Boy at Sea, Imagination Stage
listBullet.jpg Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred), The Kennedy Center Family Theater
listBullet.jpg The Red Balloon, Adventure Theatre
Outstanding Resident Musical
listBullet.jpg Annie, Olney Theatre Center
listBullet.jpg Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Hairspray, Toby’s Dinner Theatre
listBullet.jpg The Light in the Piazza, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Little Shop of Horrors, Ford’s Theatre
listBullet.jpg Oklahoma!, Arena Stage
listBullet.jpg Sweeney Todd, Signature Theatre
Outstanding Resident Play
listBullet.jpg Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
listBullet.jpg Hamlet, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Henry VIII, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza, Theater J
listBullet.jpg Orestes, A Tragic Romp, Folger Theatre
listBullet.jpg Othello, Synetic Theater
listBullet.jpg Superior Donuts, The Studio Theatre
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Theater

A trip ‘through media, memory to examine cultural imperialism’

Ashil Lee on Woolly’s ‘Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt’

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Ashil Lee as Kurosawa in ‘Akira Kurosawa Explains His
Movies and Yogurt (with live and active cultures!)’ (Photo courtesy Gisela Estrada Photography)

‘Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with live & active cultures!)’
Through June 1
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
641 D St., N.W.
Tickets start at $55
Woollymammoth.net

New York City-based artist Ashil Lee, 31, acts and directs. When you enter their name in a search engine, you’re first likely to find “Korean American trans nonbinary child of immigrants.”

Currently they’re playing in Woolly Mammoth Theatre’s world premiere production of Julia Izumi’s “Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with live & active cultures!),” a trip “through media and memory to examine cultural imperialism, ‘healthy’ consumption, and why we make art.”

The play isn’t exactly a biopic of innovative Japanese filmmaker Kurosawa (1910-1998), says Lee.  

“It’s more of a jumping off point for our own emotional journeys, which is parallel to how he’s inspired other filmmakers,” they continue. “While you may not have seen his ground-breaking samurai films, you’ve undoubtedly seen lots of movies and TV directly inspired by his work.” 

Recently, I called Lee at their temporary Woolly-provided Penn Quarter digs just a block from the theater. Smart and warmly engaging, they were enthusiastic to share what brings them to D.C. 

WASHINGTON BLADE: How did you find your way into this interestingly titled play?

ASHIL LEE: My part, Actor Two, was originally written for a female actor. When playwright and cast member Julia [Izumi] asked me if I was open to auditioning for the role, I agreed and subsequently booked the part. 

Julia and I know each other from working in New York [“The Nosebleed” at The Lincoln Center Theatre] where she was associate director and an understudy, and I was an actor. She learned the part, but never went on stage, so our experience was limited to the rehearsal room 

Now I get to act with Julia with people watching.

BLADE: Actor Two sounds pretty wide open. 

LEE: And that’s what so great about it. A name like Actor Two that means you’re going to play a lot of different roles which is true in this case. More specifically, I play Stage Hand, myself, and an older version of Kurosawa. 

BLADE: You play the iconic filmmaker’s filmmaker? 

LEE: All of the cast play Kurosawa at different stages in his life. Similar to varied cultural strains of yogurt, we call them the different strains of Kurosawa.

The play includes other characters too: Heigo, Kurosawa’s older brother and childhood influence: and a famous fetishizer who proves a problematic guest, someone we love to hate.

BLADE: Are you a Kurosawa fan? 

LEE: Actually, I’ve never seen a Kurosawa film. And since one of my characters hasn’t seen any of his work either, I thought I’d hold off seeing any. This is a play that’s equally appealing to both those who know a lot about Kurasawa and those who’ve never heard of him. 

BLADE: Changing gears. Were your parents disappointed that you didn’t take a conventional career path?

LEE: I’m fortunate that my mother is an artist. She has seen the value of artistry and has encouraged me to go into the arts. To some extent, I think she lives vicariously through the way I do art as a job. Still, my parents haven’t entirely shaken that immigrant success driven mentality. They believe “you can be an artist but you have to be the best.” Whatever the best means. 

BLADE: And how are they with your gender? 

LEE: My parents know that I’m nonbinary and they’ve been understanding, however I haven’t talked much about the transmasc part of it; I’m letting them take their time on that. 

BLADE: As a kid in Lafayette, Kentucky, you played bugs (Glow-Worm, Cricket, and Charlotte). What do you like playing now? 

 LEE: I especially like parts where you play yourself and get to put on different characters. If I could only be in that kind of play for the rest of my life, I’d be more than satisfied. That’s my jam.

As a trans performer it’s such a gift. I’m able to show up completely as myself and then step into different characters without quieting myself. It feels like a gift. I think about it in relation to my gender but also my race. 

BLADE: You’re current gig in a sentence?

LEE: It’s awonderful mishmash, a theatrical playground that takes you to a lot of different places in a short amount of time and leaves you thinking about your own life. 

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Theater

Theatre Prometheus spreads queer joy with ‘Galatea’

Two girls dressed as boys who find love despite the odds

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Cate Ginsberg as Phillida and Amber Patrice Coleman as Galatea (Photo by Charlotte Hayes)

‘Galatea’
Through May 10
Theatre Prometheus
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, Md.
$27
Theatreprometheus.org

In a timely move, Theatre Prometheus thought it would be a beneficial thing to spread a little queer joy. And since the company’s mission includes engaging audiences and artists in queer and feminist art, there was nothing to stop them. 

Co-artistic directors Tracey Erbacher and Lauren Patton Villegas, both queer, agree they’ve found that joy in John Lyly’s “Galatea,” an Elizabethan-era comedy about Galatea and Phillida, two girls dressed as boys who find love despite some rather slim odds.  

Now playing at Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus, the upbeat offering is a mix of contemporary and period, and strives to make audiences happy. Galatea’s cast includes Amber Coleman and Cate Ginsberg as the besotted pair. 

Erbacher, also the production’s director, adds “queer joy is something that I prioritized in casting actors and interviewing production people. I asked them what it means to them, and resoundingly the reply — from both them and the play — is that queer joy is the freedom to be yourself without having to think about it.

“Galatea” was first brought to Prometheus’s attention by Caitlin Partridge, the company’s literary director. Erbacher recalls, “she strongly suggested I read this very queer play. I read it and fell absolutely in love. And because it’s a comedy — I really like directing comedy — I knew that I could lean into that while not neglecting its universal themes of young love.” 

Villegas, who’s not ordinarily drawn to the classics, was also instantly smitten with Galatea.

“Usually with classics, the language doesn’t jump out at me the way modern works do,” she says. “But not so with ‘Galatea.’ The first time I heard it read aloud, I found it easy to follow and entirely accessible in the best way.”

Whether Lyly deliberately wrote a queer play isn’t known. What’s definitely known is the play was written with an all-boy performing troupe in mind; that’s partly why there are so many young female roles, the parts 10-year-old boys were playing at the time. 

There’s not a lot known about Lyly’s personal life, mostly because he wasn’t wildly famous. What’s known about the times is that there wasn’t a concept of “gay,” but there were sodomy laws regarding homosexual activity in England geared toward men having sex with men; it was all very phallocentric, Erbacher says.

She categorically adds, “Women’s sexuality wasn’t considered in the equation. In fact, it was often asked whether women were even capable of having sex with other women. It just was not part of the conversation. If there wasn’t a dick involved it didn’t count.

“Perhaps that’s how the playwright got around it. If there were two male characters in the play he could not have done it.”

Prometheus has done adaptations of ancient myths and some classics, but in this case it’s very faithful to the original text. Other than some cuts winnowing the work down to 90 minutes, “Galatea” is pretty much exactly as Lyly wrote it. 

And that includes, “girls dressed as boys who fall in love thinking girls are boys,” says Erbacher. “And then they start to clock things: ‘I think he is as I am.’ And then they don’t care if the object of their affection is a boy or a girl, the quintessential bisexual iconic line.” 

And without spoiling a thing, the director teases, “the ending is even queerer than the rest of the play.”

Erbacher and Villegas have worked together since Prometheus’s inception 11 years ago. More recently, they became co-artistic directors, splitting the work in myriad ways. It’s a good fit: They share values but not identical artistic sensibilities allow them to exchange objective feedback.

In past seasons, the collaborative pair have produced an all-women production of “Macbeth” and a queered take on [gay] “Cymbeline,” recreating it as a lesbian love story. And when roles aren’t specifically defined male or female, they take the best actor for the part.  

With Galatea, Prometheus lightens the current mood. Erbacher says, “the hard stuff is important but exhausting. We deserve a queer rom-com, a romantic sweeping story that’s not focused on how hard it is to be queer, but rather the joy of it.”

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Theater

Timely comedy ‘Fake It’ focuses on Native American themes

Arena Stage production features two out actors

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Eric Stanton Betts (standing) and Brandon Delsid in ‘Fake It Until You Make It.’ (Photo by Daniel Rader)

‘Fake It Until You Make It’
Through May 4
Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., S.W.
Tickets start at $59
Arenastage.org

A farce requires teamwork. And Larissa FastHorse’s “Fake It Until You Make It” now at Arena Stage is no exception. 

The timely comedy focuses on Native American nonprofits fractiously housed in a shared space. Friction rises when rivals River (Amy Brenneman), a white woman operating in the Indigenous world, goes up against the more authentic Wynona (Shyla Lefner) to win a lucrative Native-funded grant.   

While Brenneman (best known for TV’s Judging Amy) is undeniably a big draw, it takes a group collaboration to hit marks, land jokes, and pull off the well-executed physical comedy including all those carefully timed door slams.

As members of the six-person “Fake It” cast, Brandon Delsid and Eric Stanton Betts, both out actors of partly indigenous ancestry, contribute to the mayhem. Respectively, Delsid and Betts play Krys and Mark, a pair of two-spirited Native Americans who meet farcically cute and enjoy one of the play’s more satisfying arcs. 

For Krys, every attractive man is a potential next fling, but when Mark, handsome and relatively reserved, arrives on the scene, it’s something entirely different. 

Both onstage and sometimes off, Betts plays the straight man to Delsid’s waggishness. But when it comes down to real life business, the friends are on the same page: not only are the L.A.-based, up-and-coming actors intensely serious about their film and stage careers, but they’re also particularly engaged in the themes of Indigenous People found in “Fake It.” 

On a recent Wednesday following a matinee and an audience talkback, they were ready for a phone interview. 

In establishing whose voice was whose, Delsid clarified with “I’m the one who sounds a little like a Valley girl.” 

WASHINGTON BLADE: Brandon, you’ve been with the show since its early work-shopping days in 2022 and through its debut in Los Angeles and now Washington. Have things evolved? 

BRANDON DELSID: Definitely. I’ve grown up in the last couple of years and so has my character; it’s hard to know where I end and Kry begins. There’s been a real melding.

Eric and I are both queer, and to get to play these roles that are so human, imperfect, sexy, and interesting is really joyful.

As queer artists you don’t always get the chance to do work like this. So many stories are queer trauma, which is incredibly important, but it’s liberating to feel joy and ride it off into the sunset, which, without revealing too much, is kind of what we get to do.

BLADE: There’s some race shifting in “Fake It” particularly with regard to “pretendian” (a pejorative term describing a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous status). 

ERIC STANTON BETTS:  The last few years I’ve been on a journey with my cultural identity and place in the world. I’m a mixed BIPOC artist, my dad is Black and Native American by way of the Cherokee tribe and my mom is white. 

Since 2020, I’ve tried to figure out where I belong in this cultural history that I haven’t had a tie to throughout my life; it’s gratifying to find my way back to my indigeneity and be welcomed. 

In the play, race shifting is introduced through farce. But it’s never in a disrespectful way; it’s never mocked or done in a way to take away from others. The playwright parallels race shifting with gender fluidity. 

DELSID: But in life, there are people posing as Indigenous, actively taking grants, and the play goes there, we don’t hold back. Larissa, our playwright, has made it clear that she’s not trying to figure it out for us. With that in mind, we hope people leave the theater interested and curious to learn more. 

BLADE: Mark arrives kind of the middle of some crazy drama, bringing along a jolt of romance. 

BETTS:  Yeah, when I show up, we’re all sort of shot out of a cannon, struggling to keep up with the initial lie. 

DESLID: A very gay cannon. 

BLADE: What’s up next for you two?

BETTS: Both Brandon and I are up for the same part in a TV pilot, so one of us may be getting some very good news. I also have a Tyler Perry film coming out soon [he plays a model, not an unfamiliar gig for Betts]. 

DELSID: Coming up, I have a recurring part on HBO’s “The Rehearsal,” and a supporting part in “June and John,” a Luc Besson film. But doing “Fake It Until You Make It” in L.A. and now D.C. has been a special time in our lives. It’s 23/7 togetherness. There’s that hour for sleep. 

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