TampaRep to Present STRAIGHT WHITE MEN in February

Tampa Repertory Theatre will start 2024 with Young Jean Lee's provocative comedy, Straight White Men, which will run February 2nd through 18th at the USF Theatre Centre in the TAR 120 space. The preview performance will be open to the public on February 1st, with the Opening Night Celebration on Friday, February 2nd at 6:00pm, just before official opening night.

Straight White Men is a nuanced, thought-provoking, and outright hilarious exploration of identity, privilege, and masculinity in contemporary America. The story of the play follows three brothers, Matt, Jake, and Drew, as they return to their family home with their father, Ed, for Christmas. Guided by the “Persons in Charge”, the audience observes these heterosexual males through a fresh lens.

The TampaRep production is helmed by Producing Artistic Director Emilia Sargent, director of last season's acclaimed The Elephant Man, and TTB Award-winner for Outstanding Actress in All My Sons. The cast of local heavy-hitters include TampaRep's Managing Artistic Producer, Jim Sorensen (The Dreamer Examines His Pillow), Artistic Producer Christopher Marshall (The Elephant Man), James Putnam (All My Sons) and Don Walker (The Elephant Man), all returning to the TampaRep stage to play the titular “Straight White Men”.

Also returning to TampaRep will be Randi J. Norman (The Crucible) as a Person In Charge, along with newcomers Berry Ayers (aka Beneva Fruitville) and Gabby Cabrera, representing the NON Straight White Male views that provide counterpoint to the action.

The crew is helmed by veteran Stage Manager Rachel Harrison with Wren Beers to assist, as well as provide services as Prop Master. The creative team includes returning TampaRep designers Jim Sorensen (The Elephant Man) as scenic designer, Georgia Mallory Guy (The Crucible) as sound designer, Jayce Bertucelli (All My Sons) as lighting designer, Meli Mossey (TTB Award-winner for All My Sons) as costume designer with help from Sofia Pickford. Michelle Petrucci choreographs and Jack Holloway directs the stage combat, while Lindsay MacConnell provides social media support and technical direction is by Paul McColgan.

Straight White Men will be presented at the USF Theatre Centre in room TAR 120, located at 3837 USF Holly Dr., Tampa, FL 33620. Performances will be on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays (select 3pm matinee and 7:30pm evening), and Sunday 3pm matinees, February 1st through 18th.

As always with TampaRep, Opening Night is a fundraising event and party, with open bar and catered bites. Plan to attend on Friday, February 2nd, starting at 6:00pm to mix and mingle with the creatives and your fellow audience members. Tickets to all other performances are “Choose Your Price”, ranging from the $60 True Ticket to a limited number of $12 Theatre Lover Tickets. Guests are encouraged to pay the admission that fits best with their budget.

In 2018, the production of Straight White Men at the Hayes Theater marked the first time a play written by an Asian-American woman was produced on Broadway, but Young Jean Lee was well known for her experimental downtown Manhattan works well before. Lee does not shy away from difficult topics, but she also approaches them with curiosity and humor. She thrives on probing widely held notions about gender, class and identity. Through observing these fascinating and sometimes hilarious characters, the performances provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and reflection on how the modern straight white man's position in society has evolved.  Straight White Men is a thought-provoking and challenging play that will stay with you long after it ends.

Lee challenges the audience to think critically about what it means to be a straight white man in America today. By structuring her play like a social science experiment which we are invited to participate in, the audience is asked to consider the ways in which we can all work together to create a more just and equitable society. Lee's play is not a simple condemnation of white male privilege. Instead, it is a compassionate exploration of the ways in which white men are both shaped by and complicit in systems of oppression. The play is a reminder that identity is subjective, and there is no one right way to be a man.

Director Emilia Sargent shares, “This is the third year TampaRep has wanted to produce this play, and I'm looking forward to finally sharing it with our audience. Already in rehearsals, we have laughed intensely, and we have had fascinating and revealing conversations about what straight white men actually are, and what we want them to be – or think we want them to be.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.tamparep.org or call the TampaRep Box Office at (813) 556-8737.

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