Short Summary
My name is MJ Kaufman and I'm a playwright. I write about queer and trans people, about love and death and the human experience. My play GALATEA is a trans love story set against the backdrop of a climate crisis. I am producing this play August 25-28th on Pier 6 of Brooklyn Bridge Park.
This play is an adaptation of a play from 400 years ago. It takes place in a village on the edge of the sea that is threatened with flooding and so the villagers hold a virgin sacrifice every five years to appease the ocean god and keep the village from being swallowed by the sea. Two young people in the village, both afraid of being chosen as the virgin sacrifice, decide to dress up as boys and run off into the woods. Where they meet as boys and fall in love. And they also meet all kinds of other queer characters. It's almost like a queer dance party in the woods.
Our production will be free and open to the public. It will be a low-waste production using sustainable energy sources and design based in natural and recycled materials. Our cast will be trans or gender non-conforming actors.
What We Need & What You Get
Our project is already 80% funded with generous support from the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre by the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in association with The New York Foundation for the Arts.
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We need to raise $7,775.00 to close the gap in our budget. This funding will go directly to paying artists, bringing their total wages up to $20/hour. Whatever funds we will receive through this campaign will go directly towards supporting artists!
The Impact
By supporting this project you are supporting trans love stories! And queer theater! And low-waste theater! And art addressing our changing climate!
We need to pay artists a living wage, especially queer and trans theater artists in New York City after the last two years which have devastated our industry.
This play has already been developed at WP Theater, Redbull Theater, the Lark Play Development Center and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I have produced my own work before on numerous occasions and this time am collaborating with producer Nidia Medina who brings extensive experience producing site specific and outdoor productions.
Risks & Challenges
Many risks and challenges surround producing a site-specific play in a park- Rain! Sunburns! Noise! Mosquitoes! Lack of nearby dressing rooms! These are all challenges we are proactively working to solve, keeping ourselves nimble and flexible for inevitable unforeseen challenges.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please share our video and our campaign! Tell your friends! And most importantly, come out and see the show!