Why This Play…Again?????

Why This Play?

This year is my 8th production of Private Lives Private Lies. I asked myself this question: Why do I continue to produce this play?

I produce it for many reasons:

1. To begin, I’m an activist! I fight for the underdog and I’ve been doing this since I was a teen. Activists resist in different ways. I’ve found theater to be one of the ways I can open minds and hearts! 
2. My goal of PLPL is to keep our lives visible. Our stories matter. I want to highlight some of the difficult stories our community often deals with like Rejection for being different; Addiction (drugs and alcohol ) which occurs as a way of coping with rejection and the inability to live freely and authentically; Living a lie or being in the closet is damaging to the soul; and Relationship discord. People in general struggle to express themselves honestly in their relationships.
3. There’s a therapeutic component- I’m an MFT – my life’s work is helping people improve their lives and that improvement is often about freedom to be who they areWH. I have a desire to reach more people and theater is a way I thought I could do that and it has proven to be true. Therapeutically people relate to not just one but two or three of the stories portrayed. They thank me after having a good cry.
4. There’s also an educational component-I want to offer the wilder community an understanding and experience of the experiences and issues in the LGBTQ community. I want them to see and feel and my hope is to open hearts and birth empathy for those who may misunderstand the LGBTQI community. Also I wanted to educate all people, gay or straight, on how to work through difficult issues and shine a light on how we as a general population are not honest or do not fully disclose the truth about who we are and what is going on within us. People struggle (but most often don’t show it) because of the stories they carry from wounded childhoods and from society’s standards that don’t fit what they want. Shame!
5. It’s entertaining as well. I like a little humor. We have to break up the seriousness of life with humor. We all suffer in our lives but laughing is our therapy and gives us strength and power to move forward when life seems unbearable so I offer moments to release and breakup negative energy.
6. Because God and my Spirits continue to give me messages that I must do it. I get a feeling when I need to produce another show. I can’t fight it even when things aren’t moving like I desire. I just breathe and trust that everything will work out just the way it’s supposed to. 
7. The hardest part of the journey is recruiting actors. My focus is to gather people who want to experience the stage. Most people would love to take the stage and be a star but they have received messages that this is impossible for so many reasons. I work a lot with a client’s negative voices in my practice that say “You can’t and don’t try!” “This is for someone else who’s better!” And so on! So I have to penetrate those voices that have been controlling the person’s mind for years. People can’t believe they can do it! And they can! I want to give them an opportunity to prove to themselves that they are capable and talented. By showtime they are amazed at their transformation and they are so proud of themselves.  I’m touched deeply when I see them blossom. I believe, if you believe in someone, anything is possible.
8. Rehearsals-Working with the actors. We have fun and we become an instant family. Everyone loves and supports each other. That commonality thing. I get to offer exercises to get them engaging with each other and it’s incredibly fun. We cry and laugh deeply. I create a playground for them to be free. No worries, no judgement, no shame, no isolation, never feeling unloved. After the first rehearsal I understand more clearly why I continue to do this.
9. Seeing and hearing what the actors get out of their participation. I have heard so many cast members say that they could relate to the role that they were cast in. Their stories are being shared live and they get to express them which is therapeutic. Also it’s a great way for the cast to build relationships with each other. Good friendships are formed.
10. The audience gets to be affected. They get to see their stories or a friend’s story come to life. They learn and open their hearts because people tell their stories during our Q and A: A trans woman who came out was a very important moment for her and all who witnessed it; a young person who wanted to know how to come out to his parents; a grandmother who thanked us for this education because she had her granddaughter tell her that actually she was a boy after cutting off all her hair… there are many more stories!
11. It makes me feel good that I can touch so many lives! I want the LGBTQ plus and all people to love themselves and to live authentic lives. We must stop hiding and be our true selves. Our lives matter and we have the right to decide how we want to live them. This is one of the ways I take a stand against Hatred and the administration that tears down marginalized people. My activism is building others up! I stand up against injustice and inequality, homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, racism, sexism, anti-semitism, and anyone on the fringe.

This is why I continue. I believe I have something to say to the lovers and the haters. So come out and support the show, the cast, and the gifts that are offered. July 20-21 in Cotati at Congregation Ner Shalom!