A local LGBT-focused theater group is this month bringing back a popular collection of marriage-equality themed plays, to again raise funds for local LGBT causes.
Quince Productions will stage “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays” April 19 and 26, with proceeds to benefit Equality Pennsylvania, I’m From Driftwood — an LGBT storytelling organization that is a new beneficiary — and Quince’s summer LGBT festival, GayFest!, where Quince debuted “Standing on Ceremony” last year.
“Standing on Ceremony,” conceived by Brian Shnipper, is a collection of short plays, all touching on the topic of marriage equality, by playwrights Paul Rudnick, Neil LaBute, Moisés Kaufman, José Rivera, Mo Gaffney, Wendy MacLeod, Jordan Harrison and Doug Wright.
Quince producing artistic director Rich Rubin said last summer’s production was a sold-out success.
“We knew it would be a show with great interest. I’m never optimistic enough to anticipate a sell-out but I was thrilled when that happened,” he said, noting that the Equality PA fundraising aspect was a big draw, as was the content of the show. “It’s a unique presentation: short plays written by fairly major playwrights, all with so many different takes on the subject.”
Rubin said Quince was eager to again stage the show, the first time the company has ever brought back a production. He reached out to last summer’s cast who — save one or two actors who had prior commitments — are eagerly returning to their roles, he said.
The company decided not to bring it back as a component of GayFest! but rather in April, as Rubin said “Standing” is a good companion piece to its concurrently running gay-themed play “The Submission” — and in accordance with the old theatrical rule of lighter plays in the spring and darker productions in the fall.
“Not every piece in ‘Standing on Ceremony’ is comic, but overall the show has a very positive feel to it, which I think makes it a good show for the spring,” he said.
The eight short plays all have different feels and focuses, Rubin noted.
“It really is something that any audience member in the world could enjoy,” he said. “These playwrights’ work has had a great appeal for a very general audience. Obviously, LGBT audiences have a stake in the subject matter but — and this was proven last year at GayFest! — it’s certainly not a production limited to LGBT audiences, although we have a sort of special connection to it, by virtue of what it’s about.”
“Standing on Ceremony,” Rubin noted, was written in 2011, so while the topic is timely — the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on same-sex marriage later this month — the timeliness cuts two ways.
“With the Supreme Court arguments and states all over the country legalizing [same-sex marriage], we’re seeing a lot of progress right now,” Rubin said. “But because things are changing so quickly, there are already pieces in this show that are historical pieces. There’s one, for instance, about two women who live in California who have to fly to Iowa to get married. That was during that brief time before Proposition 8 was invalidated. In a way, it’s presenting a timely subject and also depicting the history of what’s happened, even in just the last few years.”
Rubin said last year’s shows raised about $1,500, split between GayFest! and Equality PA, and that I’m From Driftwood was a natural addition to the beneficiary list.
“They’re doing in life what we’re trying to do on stage, which is tell our stories, so it was a perfect fit,” he said.
While the company is limited in its fundraising capacity because of the small size of the theater — Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio 5 — Rubin said audience members will also be encouraged to donate after the show.
“My goal is to sell out and we were also very successful last year with having representatives of the organization the show is benefiting get up and talk about their organization, while the cast goes around with baskets to raise extra money. Maybe our cast was just remarkably cute or something, but I was amazed at how successful that was,” he laughed. “People weren’t putting ones or fives in the basket, but 20s. So in that way, we’re unlimited in how much we can raise for these organizations.”
The April 19 performance benefits GayFest! and I’m From Driftwood, and the April 26 show benefits GayFest! and Equality PA. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit quinceproductions.com.