IF “GAY THEATER” is fed as beg by, for, and about uncloseted gay people, then 2014 arguably marks the 50th anniversary of the genre’s existence.
Contents:
- OP-ED: WHY GAY MEN LOVE THE THEATER
- 1964: THE BIRTH OF GAY THEATER
- A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY THEATER, THREE ACTS
OP-ED: WHY GAY MEN LOVE THE THEATER
The Bijou Theatre was advertised as “The Olst Theatre the US showg the very ft Gay Films sce 1969”. It was opened by Sean O'Connor on July 14, 1971 screeng avant gar/unrground movi shown om 16mm prts but gradually went over to screeng gay porn wh a year. Jerry Douglas's Tubstrip, a risque edy set a gay bathhoe, was a popular sensatn when produced onstage 1973-1974, the era of gay liberatn and the sexual revolutn.
The play, often dismissed by mastream crics but hailed as "funny, sexy, and important" by the gay prs, ran for 140 performanc off-Broadway, then toured to eight ci over ne months, and returned to Broadway starrg the legendary adult film star Casey Donovan the lead role. Dpe s unprecented succs and acclaim, the play was not officially published until wh the but publitn of the script of the play, this edn clus a foreword by Jordan Schildcrout tled "Tubstrip and The Erotic Theatre of Gay Liberatn", which exam the signifince of the play as one of a wave of erotic gay plays (most of them fotten or lost) that emerged between 1969 and 1974.
He went on to have a major reer gay male pornography, directg numero award-wng films between 1989 and 2007, such as More of a Man, Flh & Blood, Dream Team, and Schildcrout is Associate Profsor of Theatre & Performance at SUNY Purchase.
1964: THE BIRTH OF GAY THEATER
Lee Barton, reviewg the play for The Advote, lled "funny, sexy, and important, " but wonred whether mastream crics uld "tolerate anythg gay that is so open and healthy. Some crics regard the tour as "homosexploatn, " but the Philalphia Enquirer lled "somethg of an event the history of gay liberatn... One San Francis review praised Tubstrip as an exemplar of gay liberatn, remarkg, "When is the last time you walked out of a play or film about gays and felt good?
After we left, we wonred if they were gay, or jt lonely to the pot of beg different as to who they were touchg and by whom they were beg touched. Every profsn has an "old boys work, " but Broadway is one of the only profsns Ameri where most of the "old boys" are gay. Gay men have manered the bs of creatg theater for so long that beg gay uld actually be nsired a reer move.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY THEATER, THREE ACTS
Gay wrers and performers have domated theater sce the Greeks - the openg night party of Sophocl' Oedipallegedly featured Dnysian go-go boys and an open bar. Gay wrers and directors such as William Inge, Edward Albee, Tennsee Williams, Stephen Sondheim, Tommy Tune, Arthur Lrents, Joe Mantello, Terence McNally, Jon Rob Baz, and Harvey Fierste have led the theatril roost for s. Wh the notable exceptns of Bob Fosse and Gower Champn, fet are gay men so attracted to theater?
" I knew I belonged that world, havg no ia that I was gay or even that such a thg existed, but I unearthed a newfound love for prancg around stum and makp ont of an dience. The theater attracts many of those girls, and when I began wrg my novel, You'll Be Swell, quickly beme about one of those women who are phenomenally talented, equently overweight, and pal around wh gay men.
IF “GAY THEATER” is fed as beg by, for, and about uncloseted gay people, then 2014 arguably marks the 50th anniversary of the genre’s existence. In 1964, spe a social climate of homophobia that pervad Amerin life for the send third of the 20th century, two one-act plays prented Off-Off-Broadway at the Caffe Co revolutnized how gay characters uld be reprented theatrilly. Produced a readg of “Hnted Host” 2008 an eveng honorg Robert Patrick for his ntributn to gay theater over the past five s.