NEW YORK and BALTIMORE: Today Baltimore Center Stage (BCS) and New York’s Breaking the Binary Theatre launched a groundbreaking national initiative, the Trans History Project. Created by BCS artist-in-residence Bo Frazier, the project aims to commission, develop, and publish 10 new plays by 10 transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) writers about the real history of gender nonconformity, which has “existed across all cultures since the beginning of time,” said Frazier in a statement.
The first cohort of five playwrights will be selected in the summer of 2025 through an open submission process. Each playwright will receive a commission fee of $10,000 and two-year development residencies at a coalition of regional theatres across the country, including Diversionary Theatre in San Diego, Calif., Rattlestick Theater in New York City, Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Md., and BCS. Every summer during the project, BCS will host an annual convening of commissioned playwrights to share work and be in community with fellow TGNC artists.
“The Trans History Project is part of our broader commitment at Baltimore Center Stage to center marginalized voices in the cultural conversation,” said BCS artistic director Stevie Walker-Webb in a statement. “The trans rights movement stands in the lineage of the Civil Rights Movement, because trans rights are civil rights, and human rights. Until trans playwrights are produced as widely as Lynn Nottage, David Henry Hwang, or María Irene Fornés—none of whom are produced nearly enough—we have work to do. As Toni Cade Bambara said, the role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible, and trans artists are often the most transcendent creatives I know. We’re excited and expectant that the work emerging from this project will be innovative, visionary, and artistically groundbreaking.”
According to creator and program director Bo Frazier, the idea for the project came to them in 2018. Their original vision was to create one play with many playwrights, each writing one vignette about a gender nonconforming person from their culture. But a “dear friend told me to ‘dream bigger’ and thus this project was born,” Frazier said. “Through this work, we will educate the cisgender community, and uplift and empower the trans community, all while engaging the next generation of audiences.”
They added, “One of the major problems about being trans and non-binary in 2025 is that many people think we didn’t exist until 10 years ago. They don’t know the history of the world that has included gender-variant people in all cultures for centuries. Society needs to know about our history, and I am grateful that Stevie Walker-Webb believes in the importance of this project and that an important institution like Baltimore Center Stage wants to tell our stories. This collaboration between BCS, Breaking the Binary, and our regional theatre partners is a dream come true, and I hope it inspires others to program, produce and commission work by the TGNC community.”
The program’s partnering theatres shared excitement for the collaboration, and maintained the importance of championing TGNC stories through this project. Breaking the Binary Theatre dedicated their participation in the Trans History Project to Z (formerly known as Aziza Barnes).
“As the transgender community remains under attack, with our histories and societal contributions being eradicated on a daily basis, it is a great gift to begin commissioning 10 new plays written by members of our community to ensure that our stories are well-documented and more opportunities are presented to TGNC theatremakers,” said Breaking the Binary Theatre founder George Strus in a statement.
“Trans history is LGBTQIA+ history, and we are honored to champion it,” Diversionary Theatre artistic director Sherri Eden Barber said in a statement, noting that it is the company’s 40th year of operations. “Diversionary is thrilled and committed to continue fostering relationships with trans artists, providing a space where their stories can be developed, celebrated, and shared with the world. We are an institution that uplifts trans voices and honors the depth and diversity of their experiences.”
“The Trans History Project aligns perfectly with Round House’s mission to be a theatre for everyone,” said Round House Theatre artistic director Ryan Rilette in a statement. “We strive to produce work that inspires empathy and demands conversation, especially at a time when our TGNC colleagues and loved ones face so much hostility.”
Rattlestick Theater artistic director Will Davis said in a statement that it’s “a vital initiative uplifting trans and non-binary voices. Rattlestick is proud to support this urgent work and help bring these essential stories to the stage.”
The Trans History Project was one of five regional theatre projects to receive the National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing. Project submissions are now open and will be accepted through May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The reading committee consists of trans and gender nonconforming theatre artists across the country, as well as members of the BCS artistic team.
