SAN DIEGO, CALIF.: Diversionary Theatre, the third-oldest LGBT theatre in the country, has announced its 2016-17 season.
“I’m elated to give desperately needed opportunities to female playwrights,” said executive artistic director Matt M. Morrow in a statement. “I’ve also focused on comedic work, with the goal of infusing some levity into what is sure to be a turbulent election year—there is nothing like the redemptive power of laughter. The five stories selected for production celebrate who we are, who we become, and how we create family.”
The season will begin with Justin Huertas’s Lizard Boy (Sept. 29-Oct. 30), about a young recluse who ventures outside of his comfort zone in a quest for love and self-acceptance, and ends up finding an adventure of mythic proportions along the way. The play premiered at Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the same cast will join the Diversionary production, with Huertas in the title role. Seattle Rep director Brandon Ivie will direct with a fresh re-staging for Diversionary.
Next up is The Mystery of Love and Sex (Nov. 25-Dec. 24), by Bathsheba Doran, a Southern Gothic comedy that spans multiple years and looks at the fluid sexual dynamics of two couples in a makeshift family. Morrow will direct.
Following will be two plays by Lisa Kron in repertory: 2.5 Minute Ride and Well (Feb. 9- March 19, 2017). Both plays are autobiographical and explore Kron’s relationship with her parents. 2.5 Minute Ride will be directed by Rosina Reynolds, and Well will be directed by Kym Pappas.
The final mainstage production of the season will be the world premiere of Georgette Kelly’s Ballast (May 4-June 4, 2017). The play explores the waking and dream lives of two trans and cisgender couples as they come to terms with the new relationship they find themselves in. Morrow will direct.
The season will end with SPARK! (May 18-21, 2017), Diversionary’s first new play festival, which will feature three to five new plays presented as staged readings, plus a master class by an esteemed playwright.
Founded in 1986, Diversionary Theatre presents both new and classic plays, as well as musicals, with an emphasis on LGBT themes.
