Ian August's D.Q.M. OR DRAG QUEEN MAGIC Will Premiere at 7th Annual Durango PlayFest

Playwright Ian August will premiere his play, "D.Q.M. or Drag Queen Magic" at the 7th annual Durango PlayFest, June 24-29. Now in its seventh season, PlayFest has fast become a renowned incubator for well-known and emerging playwrights, actors, and directors to develop new works and test them before audiences.

The play follows drag queen Letta Celebrate who just wants to live her life lip-syncing Lady Gaga at birthdays, weddings, and the occasional bar mitzvah. But when a strange woman asks for help after losing everything, Letta finds herself desperate to save her or be doomed to repeat the same day over and over.

August describes his play as "an absurdist comedy about the myth of the magic minority, that was inspired by 'Groundhog Day,' 'Ru Paul's Drag Race' and any number of things that came together in a moment of ridiculousness in my mind."

An award-winning, internationally produced playwright, August has had his plays developed at the Powerhouse Theatre Festival (NY Stage and Film), PlayPenn, the Great Plains Theatre Conference, Ashland New Plays Festival, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, New Jersey Repertory Company, City Theatre of Miami, the Garry Marshall Theatre, UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the New York, Philly, and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, and elsewhere.

M. Graham Smith will serve as director. Recent directing credits include world premieres of Obie winner Christopher Chen's Home Invasion, Kevin Rolston's Deal with the Dragon and Kait Kerrigan's Father/Daughter. His most recent world premiere is the musical, The Mortification of Fovea Munson, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in March 2023. He's a graduate of Wesleyan University where he directed the first workshop of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights, and the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

"As we celebrate Gay Pride this June, I'm reminded that Gay voices on American stages have for too long been sidelined as humorous sidekicks and colorful diversions in straight narratives. However, in their full glory they are voices of truth-telling, resistance, compassion and provocation," Graham says. "Gay voices remind us that culture isn't monolithic or fixed; it's questioning, messy, whip-smart and multi-faceted, and that's what makes them fabulous and integral to our stories and to a thriving and vibrant culture."

Starring in the role of Letta Celebrate is Charlie Levy. Appearing in plays, musicals, and concerts worldwide, they bring with them over two decades as a working artist. A proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, they're a fierce advocate for equality and representation.

Rounding out the cast is Durango actor and improvisor Mary Quinn in multiple roles, and San Francisco-based actor Luisa Frasconi in the role of Nancy.

PlayFest will also feature readings of Becky and Her Lung Transplant by husband-and-wife writing duo Lucy Wright and William Missouri Downs, Drowning by Bill Capossere, and There Are Monsters by Andrea Aptecker.