Shel Silverstein on Fyre Island at Junkyard Social Club

Shel Silverstein on Fyre Island is a new play by Denver and NYC based playwright Drake Susuras, premiering as a stage reading at the Junkyard Social Club in Boulder, CO on May 9th, 2026, as part of the 1st Annual IGNITE New Play Festival in collaboration with Fireside Ink Writers Workshop. The play is set in 1965, following Shel Silverstein during his time as a contributor to Playboy Magazine, when he was assigned to document Fire Island — at the time, America's most prominent queer sanctuary. Using Silverstein's actual illustrations as a narrative framework, Susuras explores the queer history of Cherry Grove and the broader significance of Fire Island as a tangible space for LGBTQ+ community and expression. Susuras, a Henry Award recipient whose work has been staged at venues including the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the 2025 Denver Fringe Festival, continues his focus on uncovering queer histories and identities through an unconventional lens.