Orlando – Theater has long been a safe refuge for LGBT kids.
Dana Brazil, Director of Education for Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, says theater is an “open door for people find a home” where there is “a lot less judgment, a lot more acceptance, ” especially for young people who might be discovering they are gay or transgender.
“People who are different, haven’t found a place, gravitate to the theatre,” Brazil says. “It’s like an instant family.”
That’s why it makes perfect sense for Dr. Phillips to team up with the Zebra Coalition, which supports Central Florida’s LGBT youth. On Feb. 25, Dr. Phillips and Zebra (in partnership with Kinky Boots and the True Colors Foundation) gave about 20 students a full day of behind-the-scenes access to theatre, starting with a backstage tour of the performing arts center, followed by roundtable discussions with Dr. Phillips executives, dinner and a show, then finally, a Q&A with Kinky Boots cast members.
During the tour, the students got to briefly observe a Kinky Boots rehearsal, just a few minutes before the cast went on break.
“Hey, guys, how do you like the show? I wish we had more for you, but the union says we have to take three,” a cast member shouted to the delighted, giggling group of students.
After the tour, company manager Matthew Sherr spoke to the teenagers about the business side of Broadway then opened up for questions. The students asked about everything from how to get a theatre internship to how the company keeps the cast costumes clean on the road to how the risqué performance is received in more conservative areas of the country.
“We always say if you leave Kinky Boots in a bad mood, there’s no help for you,” Sherr says, reporting that the show is almost universally well received and, sometimes, the more conservative the area, the more enthusiastic the audience.
“It’s not a show,” he adds. “They are bringing a message to the people.”
Heather Wilkie, executive director of Zebra Coalition, says the youth she works with need that message.
“The show Kinky Boots teaches themes that resonate with our youth, such as acceptance of diversity and following your dreams,” Wilkie says.
After talking with Sherr, the students broke into groups for roundtables covering topics such as marketing, fundraising, education and programming. Brazil says the focus on theatre as a career option is deliberate.
“I hope we’re able to show students some opportunities they could have as a profession,” she says. “It’s okay to be who they are, and we want to expose them to careers they may not have thought of. There are a lot of positions and jobs in theatre and not just as a performer, but business and technical.”
Hannah Kapuschinsky, 15, calls the show “beautiful” and says she’s interested in the tech side of theatre.
“It was super awesome to go backstage, to see the costumes and lighting and sound,” Kapuschinsky said. “It’s so beautiful that people are helping LGBT kids feel accepted.”
“This experience was important for our youth, because it provided a hands-on approach to learning about careers in the arts industry,” Wilkie says. “Youth were able to meet with professionals from all aspects of the field- ranging from technical assistants to operations managers and performers.”
Myala Rood, 14, says she would never be able to see Kinky Boots without the help of Zebra.
“I love musical theatre, so I’m pretty excited to see this,” Rood says. “It’s nice to see the trans community represented.”
Sam Zeller, Kinky Boots cast member, participated in the Q&A following the show. He says they’ve done about ten similar events in cities around the country and the cast “never realized how important this show has been to the transgender community.”
Zeller tells the story of a young girl transitioning into a boy in Detroit, who started to cry while Zeller spoke. His character is not very accepting in to Lola, the show’s female impersonator who steals all the scenes. Zeller says the boy told him he hated him in the show, because when he laughs at Lola it’s “the same laugh I hear every day of my life,” but when Zeller talked about being gay and the show’s theme of acceptance, the teenager understood the show’s message.
“We hugged each other,” Zeller says. “It was a really lovely moment. Sometimes you don’t know that you’re making an impression on people.”
Photos by Deanndra Meno.
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