This Many People, 2008-2010
Developed by OutLook Theater Project, premiering at the 2010 National Queer Arts Festival, San Francisco. This Many People is an original full-length play based on the personal histories of Bay Area LGBT seniors. For two years, OutLook gathered material through interviews with seniors and interactive story-sharing workshops in collaboration with New Leaf Outreach to Elders and Lavender Seniors of the East Bay. The collaborating ensemble, which included two LGBT seniors, developed the play in Spring 2009 during an AIRSpace residency at The Garage, which culminated in workshop performances in late May 2009. OutLook cast a mixture of professional actors and community members to perform in the full production, which premiered at CounterPulse in June 2010 as part of the Queer Arts Festival. Kevin Rolston was the lead writer for the play, which was directed by Rebecca Schultz and choreographed by Lynn Johnson.
This Many People, set in February 2004 (when 4,000 same sex couples were married at San Francisco City Hall), follows an intergenerational cast of characters in their search for meaningful connection and community. In the process, they recall both joyous and painful parts of their personal histories, negotiate their relationship with San Francisco, a city both of refuge and of struggle, and begin to see glimmers of recognition across decades of age difference. This Many People played to packed houses and generated an enthusiastic response, particularly from LGBT seniors who were thrilled to see their stories on stage.