Thanasis Theatre Company Will Present Body-Positive Reading of THE BOYS IN THE BAND
Thanasis Theatre Company founder Jordan Westfall will direct the reading.
On Thursday, August 27th at 7:30pm, Thanasis Theatre Company will be making its New York City debut with an industry staged reading of Mart Crowley’s The Boys in The Band at The Producer’s Club on west 44th St. Tickets are free.
The purpose of this reading is two-fold: first, as an industry showcase for the nine professional actors taking part; as well as an invitation to Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway creative teams to produce this version of the show in full, in collaboration with Thanasis.
Whether discussing the original 1968 version or the 2018 Broadway revival, there has not yet been a commercial, New York City production of The Boys in the Band featuring even one fat actor, let alone a cast led by a group of them. Why might that be? Furthermore, is there any correlation between that reason and the core themes of self-loathing and shame so potent throughout the play? Because in Thanasis’ production, there most certainly is.
In a 2013 study led by David A Moskowitz, on the topic of fat men in the queer community –often referred to as “bears” – it was stated:
“The Bear community exists as a subculture in reaction to the larger gay community. It rejects the normative idealized male beauty revered by mainstream gay men. We speculate that Bears are viewed as less attractive than what is traditionally considered to be attractive…The partners they can attract may be limited and, in response to this limitation, they may be particularly attuned to seek out partners who will not reject them.”
That is, more or less, the premise of this presentation: to better understand the lives of queer men who’ve always felt physically rejected by the broader community; who’ve never even been invited to the birthday party at the center of the show’s events, let alone hosted it.
At the helm of this production, as Harold, is Metropolitan Opera bass and self-described “Bear Princess” Matthew Anchel (Jeanine Tesori’s Grammy-nominated Grounded; Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America). Alongside him are Niko Granados (The Golden Games) as Emory; Michael Gioia (Bitching & Belting) as Larry; James Cunha (We Foxes) as Alan; Elijah Stinson (The Color Purple) as Bernard; Michael Koutelos as Donald; John Joseph as Hank; Chris Wiacek as Cowboy; and Jordan Westfall as Michael. The production also includes Michelle Israel as Producer and Production Stage Manager; James Cunha as Fight Choreographer; and Thanasis Theatre Company founder, Jordan Westfall, as director.
“The ultimate goal in all of this,” said Westfall, is for me to pass the directorial reigns to someone else; someone who either sees our presentation; or, conversely, someone who’s carefully selected by whichever New York City Theatre Company is inspired enough to produce this version of the show in full in the future.
“And despite The Crown Theater at The Producer’s Club only holding 56 people,” Westfall continued, “we’ve invited over 150 industry professionals to this event.
“Everyone from artistic directors, to producers, to literary managers, to casting directors – along with agents and managers. However, should our actual performance on 8/27 reach capacity – we’re opening up our Invited Dress Rehearsal the night before, on 8/26 at Ripley Grier Studios, for 32 or so people.”
