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About Face Theatre - Looks Fresh
"It's so interesting," says Artistic Director Bonnie Metzgar. "Who would have ever thought that that play would have been the thing to be so successful?" That it was so successful, however, is certainly encouraging. Metzgar has been with the company since 2008, when she left a position at Brown University to move to Chicago and helm About Face Theatre, renowned for its dedication to theatrical innovation, new play development, youth theatre, and engaging actively in issues of sexuality and gender. Some may see these as separate rather than as contributory missions, but Metzgar recognizes that the connection is a matter of perception and renewal, "The gay community and queer people make things new. We look at the world in a new way." And, fittingly, "New work is messy. New work doesn't proceed in a straight line. There can't be a formula." About Face's response to this belief is the XYZ festival, an annual presentation of new work without boilerplates. While similar programs often treat the plays selected for development in the same way regardless of subject matter or theatrical style, About Face digs deeper and presents the work however fits best. The company's dedication to the LGBTQ community is evident in the plays it chooses to produce ad the and in the kind of renewing eye they take to the theatrical form, always looking to experiment and explore. "Do I think it's important to continue to have a great core audience that identifies as LGBT?" asks Metzgar. "Yes. And I want to keep them interested. But aesthetically I hope we're reaching audiences that are also interested in innovation in theater." Another important feature of About Face is its educational mission. The company not only produces educational shows and tours them around schools and colleges, but they also host the Youth Theatre, a safe place for LGBTQ youth in the Chicagoland area to come together, connect, and create. Metzgar swoons, "Young voices are brilliant. Just to have that around. It's just such a life force. Not only is that the next generation of artists, that's the next generation of civic leaders that's hopefully going to have a better idea about how to run things than we do." Metzgar points to the currently running Sweet Tea as a great example of the kind of work that's important to and representative of About Face. Coincidentally another one-man show, this piece explores the lives of real-life gay southern black men. It was born out of the book by the same name for which the author E. Patrick Johnson interviewed over 80 men to learn their stories about being black and gay in the south over the twentieth century. Now, performed by the author himself, these stories are given a chance to breathe. Find out more about About Face Theatre by visiting their website, following them on Twitter, or becoming fan on Facebook. Benno Nelson
You can read more of Theatre In Chicago contributor Benno Nelson's writing at The@er (http://the-at-er.blogspot.com) Full Storefrontal Read the other articles in Benno Nelson's "Full Storefrontal" series that focuses on small theatre companies around Chicago:
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One of America's most-produced plays of the past decade was a one-man show about an East German transvestite, Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife. Like dozens of other adventurous plays engaged in ideas of gender and sexuality, I Am My Own Wife received a healthy dose of its early support from a resilient and passionate Chicago company called About Face Theatre.
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