20% Theatre Company is thrilled to announce Q-STAGE – a new, experimental series showcasing the work of local queer artists/performing groups. As a company we recognize that “queer” can mean vastly different things to different people. To us, “queer” is a term of radical self-definition – and can relate to personal gender or sexual identity, history, presentation, artistic approach and/or content, and so much more.
Six shows were chosen out of 14 applications, and you are about to read about one of them! We reached out to Anna Sutheim to learn about her Q Stage production of Singing Out.
What attracted you to this Q-Stage opportunity?
What artist doesn’t want to be told “hey, here’s a budget, talented production staff, a venue and 30-60 minutes of stage time- whaddaya wanna do with it”? Also, the idea of applying scared the crap out of me, so I knew I had to try.
What was the most surprising or exciting discovery you made during the rehearsal process?
That I can write and perform a one-woman autobiographical show and not have a heart attack or flee the country (yet, anyway).
If your play/performance piece had a theme song, what artist would sing/play it?
Well, the songs I’ve been listening to on repeat to encourage myself when I get terrified during this process have been Macklemore’s “Can’t Hold Us”, Janelle Monae’s “Electric Lady” and the first movement of J.S. Bach’s Cantata 82 “Ich habe genug” sung by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. So I think those artists (including the dead ones) should all collaborate on something about pushing through fear and being yourself. That would be awesome.
Describe your show in five words or less:
Nervous girl loves opera, ladies.
Or, perhaps:
Singing lesbian finally chills out.
To purchase tickets to this show or any other Q Stage production, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/73249.