Help Us Make Trans Theatre in Atlanta
Written by Sloka Krishnan and directed by Thandi DeShazor, The Grand Transsexual Draweth Nigh is a magical trans Halloween mystery play; a plea for ritual and transcendence; and an exploration of identity, authenticity, assimilation, and the ways in which we are consumed and alienated by our own desires. It follows a young gay trans man of color and three of his friends on the night when they once and for all become the devourers, not the devoured.
Performances will take place on April 25-26 and May 2-3, 2020, at The Bakery, with a developmental staged reading (free and open to the public!) at Out Front Theatre on March 25. We are excited to be producing this play supported in part by a grant from the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, but the grant will only cover about half our costs. That's where you come in!
Your contribution supports:
- paid opportunities for local queer and trans artists of color;
-
increased diversity of style and content in the Atlanta theatre scene;
-
a new conversation on identity, authenticity, and assimilation in the contexts of queer and trans subcultures and gendered/racialized hierarchies of desirability; and
- a sexy and unsettling new theatrical experience!
Together, we can stretch the edges of what Atlanta theatre can be and contribute to the foundation of a vibrant and growing experimental scene—all while centering queer and trans voices of color.
Who We Are
Thandiwe "Thandi" DeShazor (director, co-producer) is an actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the writer/director of Natural Woman: An Aretha Story, Never Too Much: A Luther Story and Shut Your Mouth: A Little Richard Story. His Atlanta acting credits include Angels in America and The Legend of Georgia McBride. He has appeared in AMC’s "Lodge 49, "Murder Calls," "Fatal Attraction," and "Swamp Murders."
Sloka Krishnan (playwright, co-producer) is an Atlanta-based playwright-lyricist interested in magic; extravagance; ritual; camp; and the disavowal of moral purity and coherent identity. He was a 2017-2018 Horizon Theatre Playwright Apprentice and a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Playwriting. His work has been read and performed in Atlanta by Happy Accident Theatre and Working Title Playwrights; at Horizon's 2018 apprentice showcases; and at the 2019 and 2018 One-Minute Play Festivals at Actor’s Express. Sloka’s writing has been described as subversive, multilayered, and eviscerating (by a boy he once slept with) and as darkly surreal comedy (by a legitimate online publication).
What Your Donation Supports
All performers, designers, and technicians will be paid to participate in the project. This represents over 50% of our budget. Other costs include the $1,700 venue fee; materials (props, scenery, costumes, lighting, sound); marketing (flyers and programs); and rehearsal space. Of course we will be scrappy where we can be! The bulk of your contribution will support paying artists for their work.
Other Ways You Can Help
- Are you connected to a company that might be interested in sponsoring the event? Sponsor benefits include complimentary tickets, program ad space, a vendor table at the show, and more. Contact us and we can talk more! Sponsorship details are also available on our ticket page.
- Speaking of which, buy tickets! Pre-sale tickets help us gauge how many people will be in attendance and how much ticket income we can count on—all of which will support production costs.
- Show up and spread the word! We want to sell out, and we want to reach as wide a community as we can. You can RSVP on Facebook and invite others here. When we report back to the City, we want to be able to show that there's a diverse audience for this type of theatre in Atlanta.