Z Space Will Host BECOMING A MAN and Launch Trans Artist Initiative with Gender Reveal Party

In conjunction with its upcoming production of BECOMING A MAN—acclaimed memoirist P. Carl's play about one man's gender transition set against a pivotal political moment in America—Z Space, San Francisco's home for bold and risk-taking new work, will host a Gender Reveal Party celebrating the launch of its Trans Artist Initiative on Saturday, May 16 from 7–9 PM.

This free event will feature a moderated discussion and performances by trans and gender non-conforming artists, including P. Carl, Sean Dorsey, Charlie Gray, Honey Mahogany, Shafer Mazow, Chris Steele, Susan Stryker, and more. This event is supported in part by The Zellerbach Family Foundation.

Z Space's Trans Artist Initiative is a multi-year program of commissions, productions, workshops, and community-centered artistic experiences designed to foster empathy and spark dialogue around gender. As a trans-led and primarily LGBTQ+ organization in the heart of San Francisco with a focus on new work, Z Space is uniquely positioned to uplift queer and gender expansive voices--cultivating joy, healing, and bold artistic expression across diverse experiences. Z Space Trans Initiative will provide multiple avenues of formal support for trans artists and transformative, radical work that pushes boundaries, challenges norms, and allows for meaningful and ethical ways to negotiate our differences as a society.
 
Mazow says, “Our goal is to to meet this moment by adding to the canon of stories being seen and heard, to reflect a fuller spectrum of trans lived experiences happening every day—offering audiences relatable touch points grounded in relational dynamics and common universal experiences of being and belonging.” BECOMING A MAN is the initiative's first full production.

In addition, Z Space announces “Here's The T”—a post-performance conversation series offering audiences opportunities to grab a drink and join playwright P. Carl and Z Space Executive Director Shafer Mazow in the Z Space lobby after the performance of Becoming a Man on Thursday and Friday nights throughout the run of the show for an informal community discussion about the themes of the play, the beauty and complexity of trans lives in today's world, and other topics of interest to folks of all genders. “Here's The T” has been made possible by The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.

BECOMING A MAN will perform at Z Space's Steindler Stage beginning Thursday, May 28 through Sunday, June 14, 2026. Tickets are on sale now at www.zspace.org/becoming.
For 50 years, P. Carl lived as a girl and then a queer woman, building a career and a loving marriage while waiting to realize himself in full. When he decides to affirm his gender, his transition puts everything—family, career, friendships—at stake. “This moving narrative illuminates the joy, courage, necessity, and risk-taking of his gender transition” (Kirkus), and poses the question: When we change, can the people we love come with us? Following a world premiere production at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, P. Carl's acclaimed story about the courage—and the community—we need to become ourselves comes to life in its West Coast premiere.
 
Starring Petey Gibson as Carl, the cast of BECOMING A MAN also features (in alphabetical order): Laura Domingo, Eric Esquivel-Gutierrez, Erin Gould, Shoana T. Hunt, Casimir Kotarski, and JoAnne Winter.
 
The creative team for BECOMING A MAN includes P. Carl (Playwright), Lyam B. Gabel (Director), Randy Wong-Westbrook (Scenic Design), Calvin Andereson (Lighting Design), Sophia Craven (Assistant Lighting Design), Nolan Miranda (Costume Design), Joseph Amodei (Sound Design), Peyton Whiteside (Props Design), Sarah Phykitt (Projections Design), Laura Hicks Perreault (Stage Manager), and Cat Knight (Assistant Stage Manager).

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