The hypnotist describes the character the actor will play in great detail: He’s a grieving father, wearing a Gortex jacket, his fingernails are dirty, he’s 47 years old. The action of the play follows a stage hypnotist who recruits an actor to play opposite him. “Many new plays are very literal,” says Darren Evans, whose company, Theatre on Fire, is producing “An Oak Tree.” “There’s no room for the imagination - in an art form created to engage the audience’s imagination - to create the world onstage.” But in “An Oak Tree,” which runs June 13-22 at the Charlestown Working Theater, the blank slate is exactly the point.Īt each performance, an actor who has not read the script will be guided through the play by another who is responsible for making sure the audience is rooted in the story. Walking onstage without any idea of what will happen sounds like an actor’s nightmare. To create the period atmosphere, SpeakEasy is returning to its roots and performing in the BCA Plaza Theatre space. This story is a reminder that each generation can learn from each other and that we should look for opportunities to do that.” Over the past 40 years, gay characters have moved from clowns and victims to three-dimensional human beings. “But it’s also a celebration of where gay culture came from and where it is now. “We don’t have to interact with people who aren’t like us, and I think that stagnates growth.”ĭaigneault describes the musical as “a bit of a cautionary tale.” “Today, we can filter people through apps,” he says. The differences between the men was important for Vernon to make clear. “But it’s important that Wes learns from the range of men who frequent the UpStairs Lounge.” I call it, ‘50 Shades of Wes,’ ” Daigneault says with a laugh. “Wes has to react to everything - people, objects that are so completely foreign to him. Jata just came off a tour of “Fame” and is a company member in Garth Fagan Dance. He has called on SpeakEasy regulars Will McGarrahan and Russell Garrett, along with newcomers including J’royce Jata, who plays Wes.
“What is striking is the patrons are a mix of ages and interests,” says Paul Daigneault, who is directing “The View UpStairs.” “What brings them together is the bar, which in some ways is the main character in the play.”ĭaigneault has created an ensemble that reflects that range of experience onstage. As Wes tries to find his footing in a past when homosexuality was not accepted, sexual acts between men were illegal, and most of the bar’s patrons were closeted, he meets the assorted regulars at the bar, who were willing to risk everything for the chance to be themselves for a few hours in the UpStairs Lounge. As he pokes around the rundown place, he is transported to 1973, when the second floor of the building was home to the UpStairs Lounge. “The View UpStairs” opens in 2017, when Wes, a designer seeking refuge from New York City, buys an abandoned building in New Orleans. The AIDS crisis broke the link that might have connected the generations.” “I majored in queer studies at NYU, and I came across this tragedy that no one had heard of, not even my professors. It was a really liberating experience and something I highly recommend when visiting New Orleans.“I was struck by the paradox of a period in history when the shared experience of oppression brought gay men together, compared to today, when, despite our freedom to be open, our community has never been more fractured,” says Vernon, 31. In fact, it’s almost as if people are trying really hard to act natural and not stare, as I actually get more leers when I go to clubs fully clothed.
Once you get used to it, it’s actually pretty easy to go up to strangers as you would at a normal bar and have a conversation. It’s mostly locals, many from the LGBT community, and nobody will gawk at you if you decide to walk around naked or topless. While I expected it to be similar to a wild spring break experience, the truth is it was really chill and subdued. You’ll pay $8 to go into the back (it’s $2 extra if you want to rent a towel), and no photos are allowed once you exit the house. Not too many people hangout inside, however, as outside you’ll find an in-ground pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, bar and clothing-optional atmosphere. First you’ll enter a big house with a bar and numerous rooms.
#SECOND STORY FIRE GAY BAR NEW ORLEANS FREE#
One of the many rooms inside The Country Club, which is free to hangout in.Īt the Country Club in New Orleans, you can experience what it’s like to party with your clothes off - literally.