The fourth annual Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival, which is dedicated to showcasing work by and for transgender, non-binary, and two-spirit+ (TNB2S+) playwrights, directors, dramaturgs, stage managers, and performers, will take place in New York City Oct. 20-26.
The festival will take place at Carnegie Hall, Open Jar Studios, and The LGBT Community Center (The Center) and aims to continue Breaking the Binary Theatre’s mission of opening days for TNB2S+ voices to freely express themselves through performance art.
George Strus, the founding artistic director of Breaking the Binary Theatre, commented that the organizing work behind the festival was therapeutic for them, as it offered the ability to dream big in a time when the LGBTQ community is being attacked in many different directions.
The festival’s kick-off, a one-night-only performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” will take place at Carnegie Hall on Monday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Directed by Tony Award nominee L Morgan Lee, this is a reimagined, queer-centered adaptation of the musical comedy by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The powerhouse cast includes many TNB2S+ artists, such as Laverne Cox, Dylan Mulvaney, Chris Renfro, and others. Tickets are on sale now starting at $60 and proceeds will benefit organizations like Trans Lifeline and Black Trans Liberation.
For the next five nights, Oct. 21-25, the festival will continue at Open Jar Studios, with daily shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The lineup begins with a performance of “Death Comes in Threes” on Oct. 21 and closes with “Punch Back” on Oct. 25. These shows offer a variety of genres, performers, and voices.
More information regarding these performances, including writers, directors, and show descriptions can be found on Breaking the Binary Theatre’s website.
To conclude the week of productions, there will be a final show at The Center on Oct. 26, titled “Limitless: A Collection of Commissioned Scenes and Monologues,” beginning at 5 p.m. This performance was co-envisioned by L Morgan Lee and George Strus and features brand new pieces by 12 different TNB2S+ artists, all engaging with the same questions: What does it mean to be free? What does it feel like to fly? Directed by L Morgan Lee, this production will end the festival on a hopeful and uplifting note.
This year’s festival centers around being able to dream without limits.
“I hope the audience feels this notion of ‘Limitless,’ and feels like there is no such thing as a dream that is too big,” Strus said. “No matter what venue they attend, I hope they leave feeling changed by what Breaking the Binary Theatre is putting out into the world.”
