TRANS FEMME to Open at Fuse Theater in Portland
The production centers on a support group's interpersonal dynamics with an all-trans femme cast.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble will continue its commitment to being the nationwide leader in trans representation onstage with the world premiere of Mikki Gillette's Trans Femme. Performances will run October 9 – 25, 2026.
Set in 2011, the story revolves around a trans femme support group. Drama ensues when the relationship of the group's leaders, Sloan and Astrid, is challenged by fiery newcomer Leela. Meanwhile, the impoverished Kat pins her hopes on the older Sunny's pledges that she'll leave her cis wife Fran. Tempers and intrigue fly, as the women struggle not to turn the stigmas society directs toward them onto one another or themselves.
The play will be directed by Asae Dean, and marks Gillette and Dean's seventh collaboration as writer and director. At a moment when the federal government has declared trans people don't exist, Trans Femme gives voice to both the toll anti-trans prejudice takes on those who experience and the resilience of a community that refuses to be erased.
Mikki Gillette is an award-winning playwright who's been called 'the Joan of Arc of the trans community in Portland theatre' by Oregon Arts Watch. Her shows Riot Queens and American Girl were each featured in American Theatre and the latter was voted Best Play in the Broadway World Portland Awards following its 2023 production. Other productions include The Queers (Fuse Theatre '22), My Perfectly Valid Objections (Salt and Sage '23) and They Them Their (Fuse Theatre '23), and Blonde on a Bum Trip (Fuse Theatre '24), No More Candy (Salt and Sage '24), Tears and Glitter (Salt and Sage '25), Mimetic Desire (Salt and Sage '25), and Magnetic Electric (Fuse Theatre '25). Upcoming shows include The Dark Stuff (Twilight Theatre '26).
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Mean Girls Stumptown Stages (1/22-2/14) |
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Alice in Wonderland Jr. Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre (HART) (10/09-10/25) |
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Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue Paramount Theater Ashland (11/04-11/04) |
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream Oregon Shakespeare Festival (3/13-10/25) |
