Discover the groundbreaking efforts of Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones as she shares insights into Texas' first LGBTQ+ commission, a bold step forward in promoting inclusivity amidst challenging statewide legislation. This episode of Queer Voices promises to enlighten listeners with actionable ways to support and improve the quality of life for LGBTQIA+ residents. Commissioner Briones discusses key initiatives like cultural competency training and increased LGBTQIA+ representation on county boards, reflecting an inspiring shift towards progress and justice in Harris County.
Join us as we explore the vibrant world of theater with Derek Charles Livingston, the new Artistic Director of Stages in Houston. Derek shares his vision for creating inclusive and diverse theatrical experiences, emphasizing the unique connection intimate theater settings foster. With a focus on engaging diverse audiences in a post-pandemic world, Derek discusses the challenges and opportunities of attracting new theatergoers while building trust and encouraging repeat visits through thoughtfully selected plays.
In a heartfelt segment, we honor Trans Day of Remembrance with Reverend Leslie Jackson's powerful speech at the Montrose Center's LGBTQ Plus Rally. The episode concludes with a rallying call for unity and resilience, resonating with the reflections of leaders like Ian Haddock of the Normal Anomaly, who emphasizes the power of community support in the face of adversity. Together, we celebrate the courage and hope needed to drive meaningful change and uplift marginalized communities.
Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:
https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody, this is Queer Voices, a podcast and
radio show that's been on theair for several decades.
It's one of the oldest LGBTQplus radio shows in the southern
United States.
This week's episode is allabout community leaders fighting
for LGBTQ plus rights,visibility and artistic
expression, starting withexecutive producer Brian
(00:22):
Levinka's interview with Texas'Harris County Commissioner
Leslie Briones, a proud ally whocreated the first ever LGBTQ
plus commission in the thirdlargest county in America,
harris County.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Harris County is a place of progress.
It's a place that embracesequality for everybody,
opportunity for everyone and,despite the very restrictive,
discriminatory legislation thatthe state of Texas passes and,
frankly, many states across thecountry, harris County remains a
(00:56):
beacon of progress and we're onthe right side of history and
the right side of justice.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Later, brett Collum speaks with the new Artistic
Director of Stages, derekCharles Livingston, of stages
here in Texas and Houston itself.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
They were all, they all added up to make me want to
(01:28):
apply and to come here.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
And throughout this episode we'll be bringing you
speeches from the recent LGBTQplus rally at Houston's Montrose
Center, following the resultsof the presidential election
winner, donald Trump, addressingthe effects his presidency will
have on our LGBTQ pluscommunity.
Queer Voices starts now.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Good evening.
Thanks so much for coming outthis evening.
My name is Avery Bellew, mypronouns are she and her, and
I'm the CEO of the MontroseCenter, and it is good to be
together Despite thecircumstances.
It is good to be together incommunity.
Thank you so much for comingout.
We just wanted to create aspace.
(02:11):
We wanted to create a space forus to come together and hold
space for all the differentemotions we might be having
right now from grief, anger,frustration, disbelief, fear all
(02:35):
of those mashed together in oneright, any combination of those
.
And I just want to say allthose feelings belong, they're
valid and it's okay to not beokay in this moment.
But the other thing I wasthinking about today and I think
about this especially as I lookout at this group of folks is
(02:56):
how this center came to be, andI want to tell you that story
really quickly for folks whodon't know it well.
In the 1970s there was a moment,a moment where the temperature
around anti-LGBTQ rhetoricreally heated up and folks in
this community here in Houstonin the late 1970s many of them
(03:19):
not out, many of them veryafraid got together and decided
to come together in a town hall.
And what they discovered whenthey came together is that,
first of all, there are morethan they realized, and the
other thing is they found theircourage.
They found that they had powerwhen they came together in
(03:41):
community and from that momentthat moment of anti-LGBTQ
rhetoric and fear was acommunity was born, a community
of advocates and activists, andthat community of people got
together and they created amovement.
And that movement here inHouston created organizations
(04:04):
like the Montrose Center, likeLegacy, community Health, like,
eventually, later, allies inHope Organizations that now all
of us have come to rely upon wascreated out of a group of folks
getting together in communitybecause of a moment in time,
creating a movement together bylinking arms and from that
(04:25):
movement movement creatingresources.
So I thought of that today,because we're in another moment.
Y'all this is a moment right.
All of those same feelings mightbe true for all of us, but
what's true is, just like forall of them, it's important to
come together.
To come together in communityand remind each other that we're
(04:46):
not alone, to remind each otherthat we have power when we come
together in community.
And just like our queerancestors in the 1970s and
before, this moment requires usto build a movement.
A movement that insists thatevery single one of us deserves
(05:06):
full, equal civil rights.
A movement that insists thattrans people and non-binary
people and queer people belonghere in this city, in Houston,
they belong in Texas, theybelong in this country.
A movement that creates spacefor our pain and our grief, but
a movement that's also expansiveenough to hold queer joy and
(05:29):
queer celebration as forms ofresistance.
A movement that ensures thatevery single one of us in our
LGBTQ community has theresources and the support we
need not just to survivewhatever is coming across these
four years, but to thrivethrough it.
So, in this moment, where theground feels like it might be
(05:50):
shifting underneath our feet, Iwant you to take a moment and to
feel your two feet on theground beneath you, because this
is ground.
This space.
This center was created by agroup of folks just like us in a
moment where there was fear andanxiety.
They found their courage andthey found their power by coming
(06:14):
together in community andcreating a movement.
So I want you to know that theMontrose Center is here to link
arms with you in community, tobuild power together, to hold
your grief, your fear and youranger, because it all belongs to
link arms with you andaccompany you and to co-create
(06:37):
the movement that we need forwhatever may come our way next.
Later in the program, I'm goingto say a few words about
resources that we have, whichincludes a support group that's
actually happening directlyafter this.
If you need a place to processyour fear and your anxiety and
your grief, we have a licensedpsychologist who's going to have
space up here on the firstfloor for you to just sit
(06:59):
together in community andprocess that.
And we'll talk about otherresources as well, but but for
now I just want to say thank youfor being here in community,
thank you for finding yourcourage by being in this space,
and now's the time for us tocome together and build a
movement for what needs tohappen next and part of how that
movement is going to be builtis by all the other speakers
(07:19):
you're going to hear from todaywho are committed, just like I
am, to making sure that we'reall going to be okay.
This is Avery Bellew mypronouns are she and her and I
am the CEO of the MontroseCenter, houston's LGBTQ Plus
Center, and you are listening toQueer Voices, an integral part
(07:45):
of Houston's LGBTQ pluscommunity.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
This is Brian Levinka .
Today I'm speaking withCommissioner Leslie Briones of
Harris County Commissioner'sCourt.
Welcome to the show,commissioner Briones.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Thank you so much, brian, for the opportunity to be
here, and thank you foreverything you do for our
community.
Thank you for everything thatyou do for our community.
It is my pleasure and I find itenergizing to my soul the
progress we're making together.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
So tell me what is the Commissioner's Court and how
does it work.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
So the Commissioner's Court.
So Harris County is the thirdlargest county in the United
States.
Harris County has 34 cities, sothe county.
I think of it as an umbrellaand we have a variety of
responsibilities, fromadministering elections to being
in charge of justice and safety, funding the sheriff's office,
(08:36):
the constables, the jail, thepublic defenders, the district
attorney's office to floodmitigation we have the Harris
County Flood Control District tobeing the essential super mayor
of the unincorporated areas ofHarris County, ie the places
that are not in a city, in the34 cities.
(08:56):
So we have, just in my precinctalone, it's bigger than eight
US states population-wise wehave Precinct 4, which is
western Harris County, whichgoes out to Katy.
We have A-Leaf, sharpstown,golfton, river Oaks, greenway
Plaza, we go up to Tomball,cypress, waller, and we have 55
(09:19):
parks, 10 community centers,just in my precinct.
So we have a ton of free familyprogramming for folks of all
ages, all abilities, and parksand trails, and so in sum, it is
infrastructure, it is publichealth, it is public safety and
(09:40):
beyond.
Speaker 6 (09:41):
So why did you run for this position?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The truth, brian.
It was an unexpected blessing.
I can tell you the long storyin a second, but I'm the
daughter of teachers now retiredteachers after 50 years of
education, and peace and publicservice was always something
that my parents taught me and mysiblings and I decided to run
for commissioner to help peopleto improve everyone's day-to-day
(10:08):
life, so I have been honored.
It's been almost two years.
I became your commissioner inJanuary 2023, and it has been a
joy ever since.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
So when you became commissioner, you formed an LGBT
liaison group.
Is that right?
So when you became commissioner, you formed an LGBT liaison
group, is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Correct.
So when I took office inJanuary 2023, I was surprised to
learn, brian, that in the thirdlargest county in the United
States we did not have anLGBTQIA plus commission, and so
I'm an extremely proud ally,always have been, always will be
, and my team and I decided weare going to put this on the
(10:49):
Commissioner's Court agenda.
Hopefully we'll get ourcolleagues support to share
actionable ideas on what we cando as a county to continue to
advance equality and justice andopportunity for our LGBTQIA
(11:11):
plus community, and so that'swhat we did.
So in the summer of 2023, weput this item on the
commissioner's court agenda.
It was approved by a majorityof the vote and we launched it,
and so it's an 11-member bodyall volunteers, all community
leaders, activists, thoughtleaders and this inaugural
(11:39):
report, which we justtransmitted at this past Tuesday
, yesterday, november 12thCommissioner's Court meeting,
was the first inaugural report,so it had actionable ideas on
how we can drive progress.
And I'll stop here, but I'mhappy to go into some of the
recommendations.
(11:59):
But I'm energized personallybecause I used to be a public
school teacher eighth and 10thgrade, and this was a long time
ago, almost 20 years ago and mystudents at the time in South
Texas.
Many of them, who were LGBTQIA,didn't feel comfortable being
(12:20):
their authentic selves at school, at home and, you know, in
their neighborhoods, and Ialways wished there was more I
could do and I was a listeningear and created a safe space in
my classroom.
But now fast forward now asyour commissioner.
It's energizing to me thatwe've created this commission.
(12:41):
We have our first report andwe're already busy at work
taking action to implement therecommendations.
Speaker 6 (12:47):
So before you came there, the Commissioner's Court
was pretty conservative, if Iunderstand, if I remember
correctly.
So it's like a breath of freshair on the Commissioner's Court,
I think.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It is.
It is so, actually, before Igot there for one term before me
, so for the four-year termbefore me, there were three
Democrats and two Republicans.
Before that, though, it hadbeen conservative for decades
and then we had three-twoDemocratic majority, and then,
when I took office in 2023, itwas the first time we had had a
(13:19):
Democratic supermajority.
However, you know, when I tookoffice, there hadn't been this
commission and, again, as aproud ally, I was like I'm going
to take the initiative to makethis happen because we are.
Harris County, to me, is whatTexas I pray one day will be.
Harris County is a place ofprogress.
(13:40):
It's a place that embracesequality for everybody,
opportunity for everyone, and,despite the very restrictive,
discriminatory legislation thatthe state of Texas passes and,
frankly, many states across thecountry, harris County remains
to me a beacon of progress, andwe're on the right side of
(14:02):
history and the right side ofjustice, and so this commission
is testament to it, and I am avery action oriented person, and
so what I told the commissionwhen we started is like we want
your ideas and we don't justwant reports.
We are going to put them inaction together.
And it's been so fabulous,brian, because the first year of
the commission, they went outinto the community.
(14:24):
They had four town halls acrossthe county making sure we're
going everywhere in HarrisCounty, in every different
region, to make sure voices areheard, and so these
recommendations are not onlyfrom the 11 thought leaders on
the commission, they are fromthe community and these town
(14:45):
halls will continue, and so Ihope, with your partnership,
helping us spread the word, wewill have more folks attend the
town halls we will hold in 2025.
And our next meeting for thecommission is actually November
21st.
So we hope you will help usspread the word and come
(15:06):
yourself, brian, and share yourideas on how we can improve as a
county and where we can driveprogress.
Speaker 6 (15:13):
I would love that.
You know it's a very scary timein our country right now,
especially in the state of Texas, so I'm very happy to see what
you're doing at the county level, kind of giving us protections.
So, what are you proudest ofwith the commission?
Speaker 2 (15:29):
So I'm proud that they immediately once we
launched in June of 2023, youknow, a year later we now have
actionable recommendations thatwe can dive into, and those
range from a quality of lifesurvey for LGBTQIA plus
residents across the county.
(15:50):
It is helping to improve accessto physical and mental health
resources.
One item that we've alreadygotten hard at work we met with
Sheriff Gonzalez on Monday ishelping to improve the Harris
County Sheriff's Office in termsof implementing LGBTQIA plus
cultural competency trainingliaisons, best practices
(16:13):
throughout the agency, not onlyto keep our LGBTQ plus residents
in Harris County safe in ourcommunity and, if and when they
may have law enforcementencounters, that our law
enforcement agents are astrained as possible in how to
deal with them in a culturallysensitive way as possible.
(16:34):
In how to deal with them in aculturally sensitive way.
We've also been, and my teamand I have appointed many
LGBTQIA plus individuals onvarious boards and commissions
in Precinct 4.
And one of the recommendationsfor the commission is to make
sure we have a lined up talentpipeline of LGBTQIA plus
individuals who are willing toserve on county boards and
(16:58):
commissions, because thesecommissions range from Harris
Health, which is one of thebiggest safety net healthcare
providers in the nation to youknow, centers for youth and
seniors and sports, and you knowflood mitigation, economic
opportunity to small, you knowchambers, et cetera, et cetera,
(17:21):
et cetera.
So there's many boards andcommissions, and what I like
about the commission, it's a wayto convene.
There's so many greatnonprofits doing fantastic work,
but how do we harness the powerof government to amplify what
our community organizations arealready doing?
So those are some of therecommendations that were
(17:42):
offered by the commission inthis first report and I look
forward to many, many years ofservice with the commission and
many years of driving progress.
And again, service with thecommission and many years of
driving progress.
And again, in light of theTexas climate and national
climate, it is imperative thatin Harris County we continue to
be on the right side of historyand justice and take action to
(18:05):
the greatest degree within ourauthority to make sure it's a
place where everybody feelswelcomed, respected, celebrated
and where everyone can thrive.
Speaker 6 (18:16):
If you're joining us, we're speaking with
Commissioner Leslie Briones ofthe Harris County Commissioner's
Court, precinct 4, talkingabout the inaugural report of
the LGBT Commission findings.
So, commissioner Briones, thankyou for coming on.
Is there anything you want ourlisteners to know before we head
out?
Speaker 2 (18:33):
No, thank you, Brian.
I, you know, I'm a proud nativeTexan.
I grew up in South Texas on theborder.
I am a you know mom of threelittle kids.
I am a proud Christian and I,you know, I'm devastated and
heartbroken by so many thingsthat are happening, but I remain
(18:54):
hopeful, and I remain hopefulbecause of the tenacity and
passion and persistence right ofour community.
And I think about again, as aproud Texan, how we always talk
about everything's bigger inTexas, and maybe that's
referring to highways or trucksor who knows.
My dream is that when we talkabout everything is bigger in
(19:17):
Texas we're talking about ourjustice is bigger, our tolerance
is bigger, our respect isbigger, our opportunity is
bigger.
This work, continuing thisfight, continuing to build
spaces where we all feelaccepted, welcomed and
celebrated, we will get to thatTexas that my children and all
(19:40):
children and all of us deserve.
So in these moments where wemay feel challenged, it's all
the more reason to double down,because I believe that justice
prevails, right and truthprevails, and so I think a lot
about that quote from MartinLuther King Jr about the arc of
(20:02):
the moral universe is long, butit bends towards justice and
here in Harris County we'regoing to bend it with everything
we can, and the arc of themoral universe does bend towards
justice.
So we must remain hopeful and wemust continue the work together
in unity.
And so I appreciate you, brian,I appreciate everything you do
(20:25):
for the community, and my teamand I in Harris County, precinct
4, are at your service.
So please reach out anytime andif anyone's interested, please
join us at the next HarrisCounty LGBTQIA Plus Commission
meeting on November 21st.
We look online, you'll see thecommission's website and we
(20:47):
really would love yourpartnership in helping to drive
progress here in Harris County.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
Is there a website or a place where people can get
more information?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yes, you can go to cp4.harriscountytxgov
cp4.harriscountytxgov so that'sour website, harris County,
precinct 4, and you will see thecommission proudly.
All the information is thereand again, whether it's a
pothole, whether it's the nexthurricane, whether it's a
(21:18):
community event, a park,anything we can do to ever serve
you, we are here for you and wewill continue to persist
together.
So, thank you so much, brian,for the opportunity and I will
see you soon.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Well, thank you.
We've been speaking withCommissioner Briones.
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
So I'm really pleased to introduce our next speaker,
Ian Haddock, CEO of the NormalAnomaly Woo.
Speaker 8 (21:52):
Good evening everybody.
I'm going to be honest with youall about my feelings in this
moment today.
Today, what voting has seemedto show is, though, no matter
how hard we fight, we are in alosing battle.
It has seemed to show us thatour bodies and our lives are not
(22:16):
important.
It has shown us that freedomseems to be a mirage and a hot
street that, upon furtherinspection, is not water that
can fuel our fight.
This grief in this moment feelsdifferent.
This anxiety-inducing,depression-producing feeling has
me myself terrified of ourfuture.
(22:38):
Walking through the airport inOrlando just today, it felt like
I was being encapsulated by acrowd of people who abhor my
existence.
It reminds me of the sameanxiety I felt on a layover
there right after Pulse.
Even standing here in front ofyou, I'm normally very confident
(23:00):
and very sure of myself.
I am trembling because rightupstairs in room 107, I was here
a couple years ago whilecommunity had to identify one of
our own, a black trans woman,tracey Singleton.
It feels like that.
It feels like isolation anddespair and embarrassment.
(23:21):
It feels like fear.
But I'm here to acknowledgethat even in the face of fear,
we can change things.
Even in the face of fear, wecan accomplish the impossible.
And as I wrote those words, Ihad to ask myself how in how can
(23:42):
I do that in the face of thenext four years of more hateful
policies, bans and rights beingtaken and potentially decades of
lasting effects after?
But I give you the words of thelate, great Martin Luther King
Jr Hate cannot drive out hate.
Only love can do that.
And that's not the kumbaya typeof love that doesn't see the
(24:06):
people who willingly placeoppression on us.
It is more love for those wholook love and identify with us.
It is creating more unity andmore resources.
They were never coming to saveus.
We have always needed to be theone to save ourselves.
So, as we move along throughthese next couple of months
(24:28):
before the inauguration andafter, know that the Norma
Anomaly is here to support thecommunity, as well as our
partners here, as thoughtpartners, resource sharers and
possibilities strategists.
Because, despite thehopelessness we collectively
feel right now, I'm reminded ofthe act of activists and the
(24:49):
black lives matter movement andthe bayard Rustins, the words of
Langston Hughes, the thoughtsof Kimberly Crenshaw, the
strategy of Dr Charles Law, theadvocacy of our very own Monica
Roberts, and it goes to show you, no matter what the hell they
give us, we will still show up24 hours in the middle of grief
(25:15):
to show who the hell we are.
So I invite you, before I stepdown, to hear the words of
Langston Hughes' poem Harlemwhat happens to a dream deferred
?
Does it dry up like a raisin inthe sun or fester like a sore
(25:37):
and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meator crust and sugar over like a
syrupy sweet, or does it explode?
(25:59):
I urge us, in our grief, to notallow our dream deferred to sit
by the wayside and deny us tonot see our hope fulfilled.
If not for us for trans teensnot able to seek care, if not
for us, for people who can havechildren, who cannot make a
choice on their own bodies.
If not for us, for same-sexfamilies in fear they will lose
their rights.
If not for us, it is for ourfuture.
(26:22):
We are, and have always been,who we've been waiting for your
presence.
Here is hope, literallypersonified.
So let's grieve, let's lend ashoulder, a hand, a smile, a
tissue, and then let's organizelike never before, with the
(26:46):
power of our ancestors, with theenergy of our foreparents, with
the explosion of a dreamdeferred.
So, as I said, to the extentyou feel comfortable, grab
someone next to you and saywe're here to save us.
(27:08):
Say it louder we're here tosave us.
Say it louder we're here tosave us.
We're here to save us.
Say it one more time we're hereto save us.
We're here to save us, and ourcommunity does not fail.
And our community does not failEven in this moment.
(27:32):
Let's clap for our future.
We are there.
Speaker 9 (27:45):
This is Queer Voices.
Hey, there I am Brett Cullum,and today I am joined by Derek
Charles Livingston, who hasrecently taken over as Artistic
Director for Stages Houston.
He was preceded by KenMcLaughlin, who stepped down
after 25 seasons.
Most recently, derek was theDirector of New Play Development
at the Utah ShakespeareFestival, and Derek also
(28:07):
previously served as theManaging Artistic Director of
the Celebration Theater in LosAngeles, and he has worked
extensively as an actor in newplay development and I am so
excited to have you here onQueer Voices.
Welcome, and hey, just welcometo.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Houston in general.
Well, thank you so much.
You know, it's so exciting tobe here and to be in such a
diverse city and a city withsuch an active queer community
and an active African-Americancommunity and Latinx community
and all communities, and thatreally sort of feeds me
personally as an artist.
So, thank you for the welcometo Houston.
I'm really happy to be here.
Speaker 9 (28:39):
It really is.
I mean, it's amazing thetheater that goes on, and you
mentioned specific groups and,oh my gosh, so much happening
theatrically with every one ofthose communities, and we'll
definitely get into all of thatmix.
But just quickly, how did youpersonally end up in theater?
When did you discover that itwas something that you wanted to
do?
Speaker 3 (28:57):
There probably wasn't a time that I didn't want to do
theater, except for, you know,I grew up in a very working
class and disenfranchised blackand brown neighborhood where,
you know, in those kinds ofschools we just don't have
active arts programs.
I mean they kind of exist.
Don't have active arts programs, I mean they kind of exist.
Every school has a band, that'skind of the bottom piece, but
there really wasn't a strongarts program, there was a little
(29:18):
bit, and so it always seemedlike just a dream or something
that was really on the peripheryof what was possible.
I did spend my own money, myallowance money or babysitting
money or a lawn mowing moneythat I saved up, and I would go
see the bus and truck tours thatcame through Sacramento at the
big civic center downtown on myown, even as an elementary
(29:40):
school kid or a junior highschool kid.
And the Sacramento has a summerstock, the Sacramento Music
Circus, which literally when Iwas growing up was in a big tent
and it was theater in the roundand every two weeks it was
theater in the round and everytwo weeks there was a different
musical and my mother wouldoccasionally take us to that for
the more kid-friendly shows.
And then, one year of mybirthday she bought me a summer
(30:02):
season subscription.
That was amazing.
But you know I wanted to do itbut the thought that I could was
just never sort of in the realmof the possible.
But I got to college, therewere open auditions for a
musical and, mind you, I'd nevertaken a voice lesson in my
entire life.
I'd never been in a musical inmy entire life except for a
church program or something.
But you know, it was an opencall.
(30:23):
So I said, oh, anybody can showup.
So I showed up and I sang thegreatest love of all, acapella,
and I got called back for thelead and I thought, wow, I must
have talent.
It's the only thing thathappened that entire first year.
So I decided I should take anacting class.
That might be a good idea.
From there I started acting andI was the worst person in my
(30:45):
acting class.
It was only one person who wasmore challenged than I and he
literally froze and could not dohis first monologue.
He'd never been in an actingclass or speech class in his
entire life and other than thatI would say I was sort of the
bottom of the barrel in terms ofthe acting.
But you know, did it?
Got better, got cast in acouple of shows, started doing
more of it and I think theseminal moment that I'd like to
talk about and I'm going to namedrop shamelessly here the new
(31:07):
play development program andgraduate program was in the
English department, not in thetheater department at Brown, and
it was run by this theaterperson named Paula Vogel.
Oh yeah, yeah, just, you knowone of the most now one of most
America's influentialplaywrights and playwright
instructors.
You know like literally abouthalf of the Pulitzer Prize
(31:30):
winners in the last 20 years atsome point were one of Paula's
students.
It's a track record that isastounding.
And she would do theseworkshops of the graduate work,
graduate students' work,featuring undergraduate students
as actors.
And I was in one and I didn'tunderstand what was going on
with it.
So I just made big, boldchoices and I remember Paula
asked me at the end of it shesaid, hmm, do you direct?
(31:50):
And I don't know if it wasbecause the acting was so bad or
if the choices were so bold,but for the, the new play
festival that year, she alwaysyou featured her graduate
students because they were.
They were graduate students inplaywriting, were paying tuition
for that, but she always triedto have an undergraduate to whom
she highlighted.
So she paired me with a fellowundergraduate to direct her play
(32:12):
and that playwright's name wasrachel shankin, who went on to
win the t Tony Award for thebook for the Putnam County
Spelling Bee.
So I directed her first showand I was her first director and
she was far more brilliant thanI.
But again, I made some boldchoices and I don't know how she
was ever happy, but she wascertainly gracious even then as
a college student and that kindof started me directing in
(32:32):
college and I got much betterand I got really good at it.
By the time I left I was prettygood.
I mean I got an education incollege which was good because
it was a very expensiveeducation.
So that's kind of how I gotstarted.
In the first year out of Brown Iwas very fortunate.
The first six months I had aninternship in casting at
(32:57):
Playwrights Horizons and it wasan amazing year.
The previous four years, withinthe previous four years, the
theater had produced a world,premiered, three Pulitzer Prize
winning works Sunny in the Parkwith George Driving, miss Daisy
and the Heidi Chronicles and theHeidi Chronicles was on
Broadway at that time, and soone of my jobs was to be a
casting assistant on the HeidiChronicles and I was actually
(33:20):
there when Tony Shalhoub came into audition to replace Skip
sitting in the stage manager'soffice with the wonderful you
know, departed Wendy Wasserstein, who was a lovely person and an
amazing playwright.
And also that season was theworkshop and first production of
Once on this Island.
So I met Stephen Flaherty andLynn Ahrens and who were just
the loveliest people in theentire world, and I got to watch
(33:42):
a new musical, which is now aseminal musical in the canon,
develop from workshop with thepeople in the room and in fact
for the first production I wasthe person they set lights to
because I was the only person onstaff who was the right color
to match the actors in the show.
The second act of what is nowFalsettos was done that year.
(34:05):
It was a one act, falsetto Land, and I have this wonderful
picture of me with the originalcast of that and I was sitting
behind James Lapine on openingnight of that show.
So you know, and again, justamazing time to be there and I
was sitting at my desk as alowly casting intern and I was
filing pictures and this beardedman comes around the corner
with his arms crossed because wewere doing a workshop of his
(34:26):
new musical, and I look up and Iinternally gasp.
I was smart enough not toaudibly gasp and, very Homer
Simpson style, across my brain Isaid don't say something stupid
, don't say something stupid,don't say something stupid.
And I turned to the bearded manwith his arms across his chest.
I said, oh, I know who you are,very casually, and he said, hi,
(34:47):
stephen Sondheim.
And I said, yes, I know I loveyour work.
And he said thank you, yes, Iknow I love your work.
And he said thank you.
So it was.
You know, it was an amazingexperience at 21 years old.
And then I couldn't afford to bean intern in New York anymore,
so I went to, I was became anassistant at a boutique talent
agency.
That year we had a couple ofpeople who were Tony award
nominees, including SusanShulman on the first revival of
(35:10):
Sweeney Todd, which was a circlein the square.
And then Rocky Carroll was oneof our clients.
He was in the originalproduction of the Piano Lesson.
In fact, I was sitting inRocky's house seats with the two
lead agents on opening night ofthe Piano Lesson, with Charles
Dutton, esa-petha Merkson andRocky Carroll.
And you know, as a young21-year-old African-American man
(35:31):
, to see myself on Broadway inthat way, as as so beautifully
depicted by August Wilson's play, was, you know, life altering.
So of course, you know, fourmonths later I was out of New
York and wasn't doing theateranymore.
That was the beginning.
Speaker 9 (35:48):
I want all of my friends right now to take notes
that tell me that I name droptoo much.
This is how you name drop.
You got like all the greats inlike a very short amount of time
.
I am going to learn from you.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I didn't even say bill finn's name.
Speaker 9 (36:00):
You know we'll sneak him in later.
Okay now.
You've obviously had a storiedcareer.
You've worked with some greatpeople.
Sounds like the universe was onyour side it sounds like they
put some of the people in placefor you to really develop, and I
find that's true with a lot ofartists.
I find that we all run in theselike weird circles where we get
(36:21):
connected with people that leadto the next thing.
And now you've got a verydaunting job because you are
stepping into some shoes.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
I'm going to say exciting job daunting, a little
bit more exciting than daunting,but go ahead.
No, no, no.
Speaker 9 (36:35):
I feel you.
These shoes have been worn fora quarter of a century, yes, and
in this juncture in time aswell.
How did you end up decidingthat Stages Houston was where
you needed?
Speaker 3 (36:47):
to be.
Well, you know, I mentioned alittle bit about Houston and its
diversity, which was veryimportant to me personally but
also meant that there was anaudience and various types of
audiences here for works thatreally speak to me as someone
who is not just a very strongAfrican-American identity but a
very strong BIPOC identity, butyou know who also loves shows
like Patsy Cline as well, youknow.
(37:08):
Or Best of the Whole House inTexas, you know, was blown away
by Stephen Karam's the Humans,you know.
So really all kinds of theaterspeaks to me, and so that seemed
to be very possible here.
The other thing was that thosekinds that kind of work was very
much in Stage's tradition wasto do all types of work
appealing to various audiences,from those things that I say,
you know, make you laugh outloud to those that give you ugly
(37:30):
cries.
Right, I had been an artisticdirector, as you pointed out
before, at a theater in LosAngeles, a celebration theater,
which had an intimate stage, andI just love the intimacy of
theater in a small setting Imean, I've worked in big
theaters as well, there'ssomething very special about
that and Stages has threeintimate theaters.
You mentioned that I was thedirector of new play development
(37:53):
at the Utah ShakespeareFestival, which I did for four
years.
But two of the years while Iwas doing that job I was also
the interim artistic directorand I always loved the task of
artistic direction, of choosinga season, of working with the
artists, of oversight, of havingconversations.
From that perspective, the loveof the job, the work that
Stages had been doing, thereputation of Stages here in
(38:16):
Texas and Houston itself theywere all they all added up to
make me want to apply and tocome here.
If you go to our website and ifyou come to our building, you'll
see it literally writ large onour walls.
We sit together in the dark sowe can learn how to love each
other in the light.
And you know somebody who youknow in that period, right after
(38:39):
I left New York and was doingtheater, who for a decade was
very much a social justicewarrior.
That idea that we still canlearn from each other, we can
learn to love each other and bemore human with one another, is
very much encoded almost in myDNA and it's a very big part of
the work that I did, you know,when I wasn't doing theater, and
(39:00):
it still guides me and feeds meas an artist, and the fact that
that was so important here,that it's on the walls and it's
on our website, it's on the backof my business card, and it was
the ethos and the culture ofthis place as well made this
really the right fit for me, andI was lucky enough that the
search committee saw somethingin me that they thought would be
(39:21):
good for Stages.
Speaker 9 (39:22):
You know, stages exists in a very different space
than most of the other Houstontheaters because you've got
things like the Alley or theHobby Center very large spaces,
not very intimate, and they'regoing to produce the big,
splashy Phantom of the Opera or,like some big actor, for
Christie, murder mystery orsomething that's a spectacle
(39:43):
spectacle, a pageant if you willand you've got stages,
professional theater, regionaltheater has done so many world
premieres and different thingslike that.
But that audience is rightthere in every space.
There is not one space instages that feels like an
auditorium.
They all feel like you areright there.
How are you going to selectplays going forward?
How?
(40:04):
What are you looking for?
What is the legacy that youwant to leave?
Because you inherited a seasonright now, designed by Ken, so
we really don't know you yet asan artistic director.
I mean, we're about to get alittle sneak peek because you
get to pick one play, but you'regoing to design the seasons
going forward.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Works that elucidate, entertain and elevate.
So they elevate our minds andour spirits and they elevate
people and the people in themand the audience members who
come to attend, who co-attendthem.
That educate us about who weare as human beings.
And I want to distinguish thatas being different from
(40:42):
preaching or being very messagey.
I think that the best plays theplaywright's goal and theme is
in them and maybe even theplaywright's point of view.
But I don't think it's goodtheater when it's polemical as
opposed to being dramatic andstory-driven and interesting in
that way.
And as an artistic director, Ibelieve very strongly that
(41:03):
artistic directors artisticallydirect, that is, they impart an
aesthetic and a belief, evenwhen they're not directing, to
other directors and artistsabout what we're trying to do on
the stage and the audiencewe're trying to reach and the
way in which we're trying to doit.
Speaker 9 (41:20):
What do you think is your biggest challenge coming
out?
Speaker 3 (41:22):
of Stages, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, which is a
storied 62-year theater, and,having been in conversations
with theater leaders all acrossthe country, we're still working
and struggling to get audiencesback post-pandemic and the
theater attending habit haschanged and so learning to
adjust to that.
So you know, previouslytheaters like ours in the All
(41:43):
alley and Utah ShakespeareFestival were very driven by
subscribers to renewed seasonafter season.
A lot of that has gone away andwe have rise of more single
ticket buyers, and so the thingis we have to make sure that all
of our productions are stillmeeting the mark and still doing
all those things that I talkedabout for our regular audience
members and then building up anidentity for them with the
(42:05):
organization, and so we have tomake sure that we are strongly
going after them for thatparticular show and that the
experience is so great that thenext time we do a similar show
that is attracted to them, theywill go oh, Stages did this
other thing that I really likedand they're doing something
similar.
Let me go back there againbecause I can trust them,
because the work was so good.
Theater tenders have reallyshifted to that model.
(42:29):
I want to go see that thing andnot just necessarily a theater
overall, and that's okay.
We have to acknowledge that'sreality and it's no one's fault.
And the other thing is wereally want to lean in at stages
to what is the total theatergoing experience, so that you
can sit at home and Netflix andwatch anything you want at one
o'clock in the morning or twoo'clock in the morning.
But when you come to thetheater, not only sitting in a
(42:51):
group absorbing narrative withother people, which is a
different experience but what isthe experience when you walk
into our lobby and walk into ourspace so it goes beyond just
you know what is the show aboutand how do'd you learn all those
lines?
They were really engagingpeople and hopefully people come
to those experiences and go.
Oh, when I go to stages, it'snot just the show, it's the full
(43:13):
experience and I cannot getthat sitting at home.
Speaker 9 (43:16):
No, it's amazing and I encourage anybody that's never
gone to absolutely experiencestages.
Because it is a really good bartoo.
You do.
I ate dinner there the othernight before Ruth Brown and wine
and cheese.
Well, tell me what are some ofyour personal favorite plays.
(43:37):
I would love to get to know youlike your kind of tastes.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
Well, you know, it's funny because this is where,
being an artistic director, it'sreally important to understand
your own aesthetic, but alsospeaking to an audience.
So I will get up at threeo'clock in the morning to go see
Uncle Vanya Wow, I, as anartistic director, I'm aware
that everyone is not going to dothat, that most people are
(44:03):
gonna come at eight o'clock tosee Uncle Vanya and that's okay,
but I love it, right?
I mentioned earlier the pianolesson, which is still one of my
all-time great experiences intheater, and I think the
language in August Wilson'splays are incredible, the most
profound experiences and themost emotional experiences I've
(44:25):
had in a theater, I will say,bodied in one playwright,
matthew Lopez.
So Matthew Lopez is thewhipping man which I had a
chance to do as an actor was themost emotionally arresting and
involved experience.
I had playing Simon in thatproduction in Las Vegas and
(44:46):
there were times when the othertwo actors and I you know it
ends in a very emotional momentand all of us are crying.
We would come off stage in thedressing room and look at each
other and cry all over again.
And, interestingly enough, acompletely different type of
play, matthew Lopez's theInheritance, which I saw
literally the last day onBroadway before the pandemic,
(45:08):
before Governor Cuomo closed thetheater, and as somebody in
that you may have talked aboutthat period after I was living
in New York and doing theater.
Well, the job that I got afterthat was an AIDS prevention
educator in Rhode Island and didthat work through all of New
England and which meant that at22 years old, not only was my
job HIV prevention and education, but then also when I was
(45:29):
surrounded by a community as anopenly queer man where people
were dying and I realized Ihadn't processed that, and
there's a moment in MatthewLopez's play that undid me so
much I sobbed.
My sobs filled the theater,literally filled the theater, so
(45:49):
much so I had strangers walkingup to me giving me hugs at the
intermission break.
And it was funny because therewas this part of me that was so
emotionally drawn in that Icould not control my sobbing.
In fact, a theater reviewerwrote about the experience of
sitting in the audience with mewithout ever and I met him a
year later what that was like tohave this man so emotionally
(46:12):
moved by this.
And then there was a theaterprofessional me cataloging oh,
this is a problem.
Oh, this is a problem?
Oh, he should fix that, or thisdoesn't quite land.
So jump forward.
A year later, the GeffenTheater in Los Angeles does the
Los Angeles premiere of it, andI swear it's as if Matthew Lopez
and I had a conversation,because almost everything for me
that was problematic in the NewYork production he had
(46:35):
addressed for this Los Angelesproduction.
Those are my most profoundexperiences.
I can sing every note of SweeneyTodd.
I can't say I can sing it well,but every note of Sweeney Todd.
An award-winning director for aproduction of Sweeney Todd and
directed an award-winningproduction of Head to Begin.
The Angry Inch at Celebrationand I think you know, one of the
(46:55):
finest American musicalswritten in the last 25 years is
a very non-musical in terms ofits theme and subject, but it
shows how the music was maturedand that's Next to Normal.
Those are some of the, theimmediate, just immediately off
the top of my head.
We could, you know, I, if wedid this too long, I would come
up with a list of 50 works thatreally speak to me, but you know
(47:15):
oh, yeah, no, but I can tellyou, mitchell greco is dying to
do cabaret at stages, so oh,that away.
Oh, this is trust me.
It's there and and I loveCabaret.
In fact, I saw literally threeproductions of it last year.
Cabaret is such a great showand it can speak to.
It never stops speaking to,whatever is happening in our
current culture.
Speaker 9 (47:35):
And it's so wonderful that it can become that, as the
years go on, I think there's alot of musicals that don't have
that ability to time travel.
Yes, well, thank you so much,derek Charles Livingston.
We have gone on and on and I'msure everybody's like what are
these two really doing and whatare they talking about?
But Stages is obviously whatwe're talking about and I thank
you so much.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
The new era which you are going to be a part of, and
I'm excited to be here and Ihope everyone comes to Stages
and you know audience stages hasa long history of of producing
plays in the queer community, orof the queer community going
back to bent almost 40 years ago, and we're still putting queer
characters on stage, so comesupport us and you know we still
(48:15):
talk about that productionevent.
Speaker 9 (48:17):
it's amazing.
I can tell you that the firstgay show that I ever saw was at
stages and as far asthematically and all of that, I
didn't know that that kind oftheater existed because I was so
used to going to these bigsplashy musicals and these
things that were, you know whatwe call pageant shows or
whatever.
(48:38):
And then when I saw that and Iremember sitting there in the
original space with the columnsthat kind of blocked some of the
view, and it was there, youknow, and it's right in front of
you and I think that that's thejoy of stages.
And why?
I'm so excited to have you therebecause obviously you've got a
very personal sense of what youwant to do, so and that'll
really shine through.
So break legs, as they say.
Speaker 3 (48:58):
Thank you so much, brett.
All right, thank you for thistime.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (49:04):
Thank you for this time.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
This is Queer Voices.
Before we close out thisepisode of Queer Voices with
Reverend Leslie Jackson, seniorPastor of St Peter United, and
his powerful speech at theMontrose Center's LGBTQ Plus
Rally, we at Queer Voices wantto acknowledge Trans Day of
Remembrance, held annually today, november 20th.
Transgender individuals,particularly women of color,
(49:38):
face disproportionately highrates of violence and murder
worldwide.
Today serves as a day toremember the lives lost to
transphobic violence and notonly to bring awareness to the
ongoing struggle for transgenderrights and safety, but to vow
to root out transphobia whereverit rears its ugly head.
Closing us out on queer voices.
(49:59):
From his speech at the MontroseCenter's LGBTQ plus rally, here
is Reverend Leslie Jackson.
Speaker 10 (50:06):
I'm going to do this old school Baptist way is how
I'm going to start out, blackBaptist in particular.
First, giving honor to God, whois the head of my life.
Second, giving honor to theshepherd of this house, the
Montrose Center, avery, thankyou for putting this together.
And instead of giving honor tothe ministers on the roster,
(50:29):
I'll say honor to the speakerswho have been on the roster
today for such an amazing job.
Let's give them a round ofapplause.
Listen y'all, we are from Texas.
We live here in Texas.
We live in a perpetual liminalstate between hope and being
(50:50):
absolutely pissed off statebetween hope and being
absolutely pissed off.
This has been the case for along, long time.
You've heard all of the otherspeakers most all of them
mentioned something that I thinkis very important for us to
remember.
They all referred to people whocame before us.
Avery talked about the strugglein the community and how this
(51:14):
center came about.
You've heard them talk aboutthe struggles of black people in
this country and the leaderswho stood up in their moment,
and I'm reminded of the slaveswho fought for their freedom and
struggled for their rights tolive their lives and to flourish
(51:35):
and to thrive, what they had togo through.
I'm reminded of the people whosat at lunch counters in this
city and were spit on, cursed at, despised.
I'm reminded of the people whodecided not to ride buses
(51:56):
because they were gonna boycottuntil they were able to get what
they wanted.
I'm reminded of all the LGBTQadvocates that came before me
and had they not have done theirwork and done what they did, I
would not have had the right tomarry and now be divorced amen.
(52:16):
So what we have to remember isthat out of crisis comes
opportunity.
Out of conflict can come change.
(52:39):
I read it somewhere in a book.
It said something along thelines of "'We are surrounded by
such a great cloud of witnesses"'Let us throw off everything
that hinders us "'and run therace that is set before us.
The witnesses are all of ourancestors black, white, blue,
(53:00):
green and yellow who fought fortheir rights and for equality.
For us.
Today, they are our witnesses,and they came before us.
Now guess what?
What?
It's our time.
It is our time, it is ourmoment to do the work, because
somewhere there is a child undertheir bed, worried about what
(53:24):
their future is going to be, andwhile we are upright and while
we can stand up for them, we cancreate a better future for
ourselves and for them.
This fight can't just be aboutus individually.
This is about us together.
This is about us together.
The statement is not we are notgoing back.
(53:47):
That's not the statement for me.
The statement for me is I amnot going down.
I am not going down without afight.
I am not going down.
You are not going to take awaymy life.
You're not going to take awaymy ability to thrive and to
flourish.
I am not going down.
If others have done it beforeus, we owe it to them and to
(54:12):
those who are coming after us toplant the very trees under
which they will enjoy the shade.
Amen and Ashe.
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (54:32):
I want to say a big thank you to all of you for
showing up today.
Thank you for reminding us whatit looks like to find our
courage by being together incommunity, to name our power by
being together in community.
I want to say thank you to allthe speakers who shared their
wisdom with us today, theirpassion, who represented their
(54:53):
organizations.
My ask is this Do not let thismoment end here.
Let this be a moment that is astart of a movement.
Roll up your sleeves, getinvolved, volunteer we have lots
of those opportunities here atthe center.
Donate money, talks, supporteach other.
(55:17):
Most of all, remember thatcaring for yourself is a way to
care for your community.
And, most of all, don't forgetthat you're not alone.
Thank you so much for comingout tonight.
Speaker 7 (55:38):
This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston
and as a podcast available fromseveral podcasting sources.
Check our webpagequeervoicesorg.
For more information.
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka, deborah
Moncrief-Bell is co-producer,brett Cullum and David
(56:02):
Mendoza-Druzman are contributors, and Brett is also our
webmaster.
Speaker 5 (56:08):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
to improve clarity and runtime.
This program does not endorseany political views or animal
species.
Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
participants and theorganizations they represent.
In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
remaining product For QueerVoices.
Speaker 7 (56:22):
I'm Glenn Holt, Thank you.
Hello everybody, this is Queer Voices, a podcast and
radio show that's been on theair for several decades.
It's one of the oldest LGBTQplus radio shows in the southern
United States.
This week's episode is allabout community leaders fighting
for LGBTQ plus rights,visibility and artistic
expression, starting withexecutive producer Brian
(00:22):
Levinka's interview with Texas'Harris County Commissioner
Leslie Briones, a proud ally whocreated the first ever LGBTQ
plus commission in the thirdlargest county in America,
harris County.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Harris County is a place of progress.
It's a place that embracesequality for everybody,
opportunity for everyone and,despite the very restrictive,
discriminatory legislation thatthe state of Texas passes and,
frankly, many states across thecountry, harris County remains a
(00:56):
beacon of progress and we're onthe right side of history and
the right side of justice.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Later, brett Collum speaks with the new Artistic
Director of Stages, derekCharles Livingston, of stages
here in Texas and Houston itself.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
They were all, they all added up to make me want to
(01:28):
apply and to come here.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
And throughout this episode we'll be bringing you
speeches from the recent LGBTQplus rally at Houston's Montrose
Center, following the resultsof the presidential election
winner, donald Trump, addressingthe effects his presidency will
have on our LGBTQ pluscommunity.
Queer Voices starts now.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Good evening.
Thanks so much for coming outthis evening.
My name is Avery Bellew, mypronouns are she and her, and
I'm the CEO of the MontroseCenter, and it is good to be
together Despite thecircumstances.
It is good to be together incommunity.
Thank you so much for comingout.
We just wanted to create aspace.
(02:11):
We wanted to create a space forus to come together and hold
space for all the differentemotions we might be having
right now from grief, anger,frustration, disbelief, fear all
(02:35):
of those mashed together in oneright, any combination of those
.
And I just want to say allthose feelings belong, they're
valid and it's okay to not beokay in this moment.
But the other thing I wasthinking about today and I think
about this especially as I lookout at this group of folks is
(02:56):
how this center came to be, andI want to tell you that story
really quickly for folks whodon't know it well.
In the 1970s there was a moment,a moment where the temperature
around anti-LGBTQ rhetoricreally heated up and folks in
this community here in Houstonin the late 1970s many of them
(03:19):
not out, many of them veryafraid got together and decided
to come together in a town hall.
And what they discovered whenthey came together is that,
first of all, there are morethan they realized, and the
other thing is they found theircourage.
They found that they had powerwhen they came together in
(03:41):
community and from that momentthat moment of anti-LGBTQ
rhetoric and fear was acommunity was born, a community
of advocates and activists, andthat community of people got
together and they created amovement.
And that movement here inHouston created organizations
(04:04):
like the Montrose Center, likeLegacy, community Health, like,
eventually, later, allies inHope Organizations that now all
of us have come to rely upon wascreated out of a group of folks
getting together in communitybecause of a moment in time,
creating a movement together bylinking arms and from that
(04:25):
movement movement creatingresources.
So I thought of that today,because we're in another moment.
Y'all this is a moment right.
All of those same feelings mightbe true for all of us, but
what's true is, just like forall of them, it's important to
come together.
To come together in communityand remind each other that we're
(04:46):
not alone, to remind each otherthat we have power when we come
together in community.
And just like our queerancestors in the 1970s and
before, this moment requires usto build a movement.
A movement that insists thatevery single one of us deserves
(05:06):
full, equal civil rights.
A movement that insists thattrans people and non-binary
people and queer people belonghere in this city, in Houston,
they belong in Texas, theybelong in this country.
A movement that creates spacefor our pain and our grief, but
a movement that's also expansiveenough to hold queer joy and
(05:29):
queer celebration as forms ofresistance.
A movement that ensures thatevery single one of us in our
LGBTQ community has theresources and the support we
need not just to survivewhatever is coming across these
four years, but to thrivethrough it.
So, in this moment, where theground feels like it might be
(05:50):
shifting underneath our feet, Iwant you to take a moment and to
feel your two feet on theground beneath you, because this
is ground.
This space.
This center was created by agroup of folks just like us in a
moment where there was fear andanxiety.
They found their courage andthey found their power by coming
(06:14):
together in community andcreating a movement.
So I want you to know that theMontrose Center is here to link
arms with you in community, tobuild power together, to hold
your grief, your fear and youranger, because it all belongs to
link arms with you andaccompany you and to co-create
(06:37):
the movement that we need forwhatever may come our way next.
Later in the program, I'm goingto say a few words about
resources that we have, whichincludes a support group that's
actually happening directlyafter this.
If you need a place to processyour fear and your anxiety and
your grief, we have a licensedpsychologist who's going to have
space up here on the firstfloor for you to just sit
(06:59):
together in community andprocess that.
And we'll talk about otherresources as well, but but for
now I just want to say thank youfor being here in community,
thank you for finding yourcourage by being in this space,
and now's the time for us tocome together and build a
movement for what needs tohappen next and part of how that
movement is going to be builtis by all the other speakers
(07:19):
you're going to hear from todaywho are committed, just like I
am, to making sure that we'reall going to be okay.
This is Avery Bellew mypronouns are she and her and I
am the CEO of the MontroseCenter, houston's LGBTQ Plus
Center, and you are listening toQueer Voices, an integral part
(07:45):
of Houston's LGBTQ pluscommunity.
Speaker 6 (07:47):
This is Brian Levinka .
Today I'm speaking withCommissioner Leslie Briones of
Harris County Commissioner'sCourt.
Welcome to the show,commissioner Briones.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Thank you so much, brian, for the opportunity to be
here, and thank you foreverything you do for our
community.
Thank you for everything thatyou do for our community.
It is my pleasure and I find itenergizing to my soul the
progress we're making together.
Speaker 6 (08:10):
So tell me what is the Commissioner's Court and how
does it work.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
So the Commissioner's Court.
So Harris County is the thirdlargest county in the United
States.
Harris County has 34 cities, sothe county.
I think of it as an umbrellaand we have a variety of
responsibilities, fromadministering elections to being
in charge of justice and safety, funding the sheriff's office,
(08:36):
the constables, the jail, thepublic defenders, the district
attorney's office to floodmitigation we have the Harris
County Flood Control District tobeing the essential super mayor
of the unincorporated areas ofHarris County, ie the places
that are not in a city, in the34 cities.
(08:56):
So we have, just in my precinctalone, it's bigger than eight
US states population-wise wehave Precinct 4, which is
western Harris County, whichgoes out to Katy.
We have A-Leaf, sharpstown,golfton, river Oaks, greenway
Plaza, we go up to Tomball,cypress, waller, and we have 55
(09:19):
parks, 10 community centers,just in my precinct.
So we have a ton of free familyprogramming for folks of all
ages, all abilities, and parksand trails, and so in sum, it is
infrastructure, it is publichealth, it is public safety and
(09:40):
beyond.
Speaker 6 (09:41):
So why did you run for this position?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The truth, brian.
It was an unexpected blessing.
I can tell you the long storyin a second, but I'm the
daughter of teachers now retiredteachers after 50 years of
education, and peace and publicservice was always something
that my parents taught me and mysiblings and I decided to run
for commissioner to help peopleto improve everyone's day-to-day
(10:08):
life, so I have been honored.
It's been almost two years.
I became your commissioner inJanuary 2023, and it has been a
joy ever since.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
So when you became commissioner, you formed an LGBT
liaison group.
Is that right?
So when you became commissioner, you formed an LGBT liaison
group, is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Correct.
So when I took office inJanuary 2023, I was surprised to
learn, brian, that in the thirdlargest county in the United
States we did not have anLGBTQIA plus commission, and so
I'm an extremely proud ally,always have been, always will be
, and my team and I decided weare going to put this on the
(10:49):
Commissioner's Court agenda.
Hopefully we'll get ourcolleagues support to share
actionable ideas on what we cando as a county to continue to
advance equality and justice andopportunity for our LGBTQIA
(11:11):
plus community, and so that'swhat we did.
So in the summer of 2023, weput this item on the
commissioner's court agenda.
It was approved by a majorityof the vote and we launched it,
and so it's an 11-member bodyall volunteers, all community
leaders, activists, thoughtleaders and this inaugural
(11:39):
report, which we justtransmitted at this past Tuesday
, yesterday, november 12thCommissioner's Court meeting,
was the first inaugural report,so it had actionable ideas on
how we can drive progress.
And I'll stop here, but I'mhappy to go into some of the
recommendations.
(11:59):
But I'm energized personallybecause I used to be a public
school teacher eighth and 10thgrade, and this was a long time
ago, almost 20 years ago and mystudents at the time in South
Texas.
Many of them, who were LGBTQIA,didn't feel comfortable being
(12:20):
their authentic selves at school, at home and, you know, in
their neighborhoods, and Ialways wished there was more I
could do and I was a listeningear and created a safe space in
my classroom.
But now fast forward now asyour commissioner.
It's energizing to me thatwe've created this commission.
(12:41):
We have our first report andwe're already busy at work
taking action to implement therecommendations.
Speaker 6 (12:47):
So before you came there, the Commissioner's Court
was pretty conservative, if Iunderstand, if I remember
correctly.
So it's like a breath of freshair on the Commissioner's Court,
I think.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It is.
It is so, actually, before Igot there for one term before me
, so for the four-year termbefore me, there were three
Democrats and two Republicans.
Before that, though, it hadbeen conservative for decades
and then we had three-twoDemocratic majority, and then,
when I took office in 2023, itwas the first time we had had a
(13:19):
Democratic supermajority.
However, you know, when I tookoffice, there hadn't been this
commission and, again, as aproud ally, I was like I'm going
to take the initiative to makethis happen because we are.
Harris County, to me, is whatTexas I pray one day will be.
Harris County is a place ofprogress.
(13:40):
It's a place that embracesequality for everybody,
opportunity for everyone, and,despite the very restrictive,
discriminatory legislation thatthe state of Texas passes and,
frankly, many states across thecountry, harris County remains
to me a beacon of progress, andwe're on the right side of
(14:02):
history and the right side ofjustice, and so this commission
is testament to it, and I am avery action oriented person, and
so what I told the commissionwhen we started is like we want
your ideas and we don't justwant reports.
We are going to put them inaction together.
And it's been so fabulous,brian, because the first year of
the commission, they went outinto the community.
(14:24):
They had four town halls acrossthe county making sure we're
going everywhere in HarrisCounty, in every different
region, to make sure voices areheard, and so these
recommendations are not onlyfrom the 11 thought leaders on
the commission, they are fromthe community and these town
(14:45):
halls will continue, and so Ihope, with your partnership,
helping us spread the word, wewill have more folks attend the
town halls we will hold in 2025.
And our next meeting for thecommission is actually November
21st.
So we hope you will help usspread the word and come
(15:06):
yourself, brian, and share yourideas on how we can improve as a
county and where we can driveprogress.
Speaker 6 (15:13):
I would love that.
You know it's a very scary timein our country right now,
especially in the state of Texas, so I'm very happy to see what
you're doing at the county level, kind of giving us protections.
So, what are you proudest ofwith the commission?
Speaker 2 (15:29):
So I'm proud that they immediately once we
launched in June of 2023, youknow, a year later we now have
actionable recommendations thatwe can dive into, and those
range from a quality of lifesurvey for LGBTQIA plus
residents across the county.
(15:50):
It is helping to improve accessto physical and mental health
resources.
One item that we've alreadygotten hard at work we met with
Sheriff Gonzalez on Monday ishelping to improve the Harris
County Sheriff's Office in termsof implementing LGBTQIA plus
cultural competency trainingliaisons, best practices
(16:13):
throughout the agency, not onlyto keep our LGBTQ plus residents
in Harris County safe in ourcommunity and, if and when they
may have law enforcementencounters, that our law
enforcement agents are astrained as possible in how to
deal with them in a culturallysensitive way as possible.
(16:34):
In how to deal with them in aculturally sensitive way.
We've also been, and my teamand I have appointed many
LGBTQIA plus individuals onvarious boards and commissions
in Precinct 4.
And one of the recommendationsfor the commission is to make
sure we have a lined up talentpipeline of LGBTQIA plus
individuals who are willing toserve on county boards and
(16:58):
commissions, because thesecommissions range from Harris
Health, which is one of thebiggest safety net healthcare
providers in the nation to youknow, centers for youth and
seniors and sports, and you knowflood mitigation, economic
opportunity to small, you knowchambers, et cetera, et cetera,
(17:21):
et cetera.
So there's many boards andcommissions, and what I like
about the commission, it's a wayto convene.
There's so many greatnonprofits doing fantastic work,
but how do we harness the powerof government to amplify what
our community organizations arealready doing?
So those are some of therecommendations that were
(17:42):
offered by the commission inthis first report and I look
forward to many, many years ofservice with the commission and
many years of driving progress.
And again, service with thecommission and many years of
driving progress.
And again, in light of theTexas climate and national
climate, it is imperative thatin Harris County we continue to
be on the right side of historyand justice and take action to
(18:05):
the greatest degree within ourauthority to make sure it's a
place where everybody feelswelcomed, respected, celebrated
and where everyone can thrive.
Speaker 6 (18:16):
If you're joining us, we're speaking with
Commissioner Leslie Briones ofthe Harris County Commissioner's
Court, precinct 4, talkingabout the inaugural report of
the LGBT Commission findings.
So, commissioner Briones, thankyou for coming on.
Is there anything you want ourlisteners to know before we head
out?
Speaker 2 (18:33):
No, thank you, Brian.
I, you know, I'm a proud nativeTexan.
I grew up in South Texas on theborder.
I am a you know mom of threelittle kids.
I am a proud Christian and I,you know, I'm devastated and
heartbroken by so many thingsthat are happening, but I remain
(18:54):
hopeful, and I remain hopefulbecause of the tenacity and
passion and persistence right ofour community.
And I think about again, as aproud Texan, how we always talk
about everything's bigger inTexas, and maybe that's
referring to highways or trucksor who knows.
My dream is that when we talkabout everything is bigger in
(19:17):
Texas we're talking about ourjustice is bigger, our tolerance
is bigger, our respect isbigger, our opportunity is
bigger.
This work, continuing thisfight, continuing to build
spaces where we all feelaccepted, welcomed and
celebrated, we will get to thatTexas that my children and all
(19:40):
children and all of us deserve.
So in these moments where wemay feel challenged, it's all
the more reason to double down,because I believe that justice
prevails, right and truthprevails, and so I think a lot
about that quote from MartinLuther King Jr about the arc of
(20:02):
the moral universe is long, butit bends towards justice and
here in Harris County we'regoing to bend it with everything
we can, and the arc of themoral universe does bend towards
justice.
So we must remain hopeful and wemust continue the work together
in unity.
And so I appreciate you, brian,I appreciate everything you do
(20:25):
for the community, and my teamand I in Harris County, precinct
4, are at your service.
So please reach out anytime andif anyone's interested, please
join us at the next HarrisCounty LGBTQIA Plus Commission
meeting on November 21st.
We look online, you'll see thecommission's website and we
(20:47):
really would love yourpartnership in helping to drive
progress here in Harris County.
Speaker 6 (20:53):
Is there a website or a place where people can get
more information?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Yes, you can go to cp4.harriscountytxgov
cp4.harriscountytxgov so that'sour website, harris County,
precinct 4, and you will see thecommission proudly.
All the information is thereand again, whether it's a
pothole, whether it's the nexthurricane, whether it's a
(21:18):
community event, a park,anything we can do to ever serve
you, we are here for you and wewill continue to persist
together.
So, thank you so much, brian,for the opportunity and I will
see you soon.
Speaker 6 (21:30):
Well, thank you.
We've been speaking withCommissioner Briones.
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
So I'm really pleased to introduce our next speaker,
Ian Haddock, CEO of the NormalAnomaly Woo.
Speaker 8 (21:52):
Good evening everybody.
I'm going to be honest with youall about my feelings in this
moment today.
Today, what voting has seemedto show is, though, no matter
how hard we fight, we are in alosing battle.
It has seemed to show us thatour bodies and our lives are not
(22:16):
important.
It has shown us that freedomseems to be a mirage and a hot
street that, upon furtherinspection, is not water that
can fuel our fight.
This grief in this moment feelsdifferent.
This anxiety-inducing,depression-producing feeling has
me myself terrified of ourfuture.
(22:38):
Walking through the airport inOrlando just today, it felt like
I was being encapsulated by acrowd of people who abhor my
existence.
It reminds me of the sameanxiety I felt on a layover
there right after Pulse.
Even standing here in front ofyou, I'm normally very confident
(23:00):
and very sure of myself.
I am trembling because rightupstairs in room 107, I was here
a couple years ago whilecommunity had to identify one of
our own, a black trans woman,tracey Singleton.
It feels like that.
It feels like isolation anddespair and embarrassment.
(23:21):
It feels like fear.
But I'm here to acknowledgethat even in the face of fear,
we can change things.
Even in the face of fear, wecan accomplish the impossible.
And as I wrote those words, Ihad to ask myself how in how can
(23:42):
I do that in the face of thenext four years of more hateful
policies, bans and rights beingtaken and potentially decades of
lasting effects after?
But I give you the words of thelate, great Martin Luther King
Jr Hate cannot drive out hate.
Only love can do that.
And that's not the kumbaya typeof love that doesn't see the
(24:06):
people who willingly placeoppression on us.
It is more love for those wholook love and identify with us.
It is creating more unity andmore resources.
They were never coming to saveus.
We have always needed to be theone to save ourselves.
So, as we move along throughthese next couple of months
(24:28):
before the inauguration andafter, know that the Norma
Anomaly is here to support thecommunity, as well as our
partners here, as thoughtpartners, resource sharers and
possibilities strategists.
Because, despite thehopelessness we collectively
feel right now, I'm reminded ofthe act of activists and the
(24:49):
black lives matter movement andthe bayard Rustins, the words of
Langston Hughes, the thoughtsof Kimberly Crenshaw, the
strategy of Dr Charles Law, theadvocacy of our very own Monica
Roberts, and it goes to show you, no matter what the hell they
give us, we will still show up24 hours in the middle of grief
(25:15):
to show who the hell we are.
So I invite you, before I stepdown, to hear the words of
Langston Hughes' poem Harlemwhat happens to a dream deferred
?
Does it dry up like a raisin inthe sun or fester like a sore
(25:37):
and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meator crust and sugar over like a
syrupy sweet, or does it explode?
(25:59):
I urge us, in our grief, to notallow our dream deferred to sit
by the wayside and deny us tonot see our hope fulfilled.
If not for us for trans teensnot able to seek care, if not
for us, for people who can havechildren, who cannot make a
choice on their own bodies.
If not for us, for same-sexfamilies in fear they will lose
their rights.
If not for us, it is for ourfuture.
(26:22):
We are, and have always been,who we've been waiting for your
presence.
Here is hope, literallypersonified.
So let's grieve, let's lend ashoulder, a hand, a smile, a
tissue, and then let's organizelike never before, with the
(26:46):
power of our ancestors, with theenergy of our foreparents, with
the explosion of a dreamdeferred.
So, as I said, to the extentyou feel comfortable, grab
someone next to you and saywe're here to save us.
(27:08):
Say it louder we're here tosave us.
Say it louder we're here tosave us.
We're here to save us.
Say it one more time we're hereto save us.
We're here to save us, and ourcommunity does not fail.
And our community does not failEven in this moment.
(27:32):
Let's clap for our future.
We are there.
Speaker 9 (27:45):
This is Queer Voices.
Hey, there I am Brett Cullum,and today I am joined by Derek
Charles Livingston, who hasrecently taken over as Artistic
Director for Stages Houston.
He was preceded by KenMcLaughlin, who stepped down
after 25 seasons.
Most recently, derek was theDirector of New Play Development
at the Utah ShakespeareFestival, and Derek also
(28:07):
previously served as theManaging Artistic Director of
the Celebration Theater in LosAngeles, and he has worked
extensively as an actor in newplay development and I am so
excited to have you here onQueer Voices.
Welcome, and hey, just welcometo.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Houston in general.
Well, thank you so much.
You know, it's so exciting tobe here and to be in such a
diverse city and a city withsuch an active queer community
and an active African-Americancommunity and Latinx community
and all communities, and thatreally sort of feeds me
personally as an artist.
So, thank you for the welcometo Houston.
I'm really happy to be here.
Speaker 9 (28:39):
It really is.
I mean, it's amazing thetheater that goes on, and you
mentioned specific groups and,oh my gosh, so much happening
theatrically with every one ofthose communities, and we'll
definitely get into all of thatmix.
But just quickly, how did youpersonally end up in theater?
When did you discover that itwas something that you wanted to
do?
Speaker 3 (28:57):
There probably wasn't a time that I didn't want to do
theater, except for, you know,I grew up in a very working
class and disenfranchised blackand brown neighborhood where,
you know, in those kinds ofschools we just don't have
active arts programs.
I mean they kind of exist.
Don't have active arts programs, I mean they kind of exist.
Every school has a band, that'skind of the bottom piece, but
there really wasn't a strongarts program, there was a little
(29:18):
bit, and so it always seemedlike just a dream or something
that was really on the peripheryof what was possible.
I did spend my own money, myallowance money or babysitting
money or a lawn mowing moneythat I saved up, and I would go
see the bus and truck tours thatcame through Sacramento at the
big civic center downtown on myown, even as an elementary
(29:40):
school kid or a junior highschool kid.
And the Sacramento has a summerstock, the Sacramento Music
Circus, which literally when Iwas growing up was in a big tent
and it was theater in the roundand every two weeks it was
theater in the round and everytwo weeks there was a different
musical and my mother wouldoccasionally take us to that for
the more kid-friendly shows.
And then, one year of mybirthday she bought me a summer
(30:02):
season subscription.
That was amazing.
But you know I wanted to do itbut the thought that I could was
just never sort of in the realmof the possible.
But I got to college, therewere open auditions for a
musical and, mind you, I'd nevertaken a voice lesson in my
entire life.
I'd never been in a musical inmy entire life except for a
church program or something.
But you know, it was an opencall.
(30:23):
So I said, oh, anybody can showup.
So I showed up and I sang thegreatest love of all, acapella,
and I got called back for thelead and I thought, wow, I must
have talent.
It's the only thing thathappened that entire first year.
So I decided I should take anacting class.
That might be a good idea.
From there I started acting andI was the worst person in my
(30:45):
acting class.
It was only one person who wasmore challenged than I and he
literally froze and could not dohis first monologue.
He'd never been in an actingclass or speech class in his
entire life and other than thatI would say I was sort of the
bottom of the barrel in terms ofthe acting.
But you know, did it?
Got better, got cast in acouple of shows, started doing
more of it and I think theseminal moment that I'd like to
talk about and I'm going to namedrop shamelessly here the new
(31:07):
play development program andgraduate program was in the
English department, not in thetheater department at Brown, and
it was run by this theaterperson named Paula Vogel.
Oh yeah, yeah, just, you knowone of the most now one of most
America's influentialplaywrights and playwright
instructors.
You know like literally abouthalf of the Pulitzer Prize
(31:30):
winners in the last 20 years atsome point were one of Paula's
students.
It's a track record that isastounding.
And she would do theseworkshops of the graduate work,
graduate students' work,featuring undergraduate students
as actors.
And I was in one and I didn'tunderstand what was going on
with it.
So I just made big, boldchoices and I remember Paula
asked me at the end of it shesaid, hmm, do you direct?
(31:50):
And I don't know if it wasbecause the acting was so bad or
if the choices were so bold,but for the, the new play
festival that year, she alwaysyou featured her graduate
students because they were.
They were graduate students inplaywriting, were paying tuition
for that, but she always triedto have an undergraduate to whom
she highlighted.
So she paired me with a fellowundergraduate to direct her play
(32:12):
and that playwright's name wasrachel shankin, who went on to
win the t Tony Award for thebook for the Putnam County
Spelling Bee.
So I directed her first showand I was her first director and
she was far more brilliant thanI.
But again, I made some boldchoices and I don't know how she
was ever happy, but she wascertainly gracious even then as
a college student and that kindof started me directing in
(32:32):
college and I got much betterand I got really good at it.
By the time I left I was prettygood.
I mean I got an education incollege which was good because
it was a very expensiveeducation.
So that's kind of how I gotstarted.
In the first year out of Brown Iwas very fortunate.
The first six months I had aninternship in casting at
(32:57):
Playwrights Horizons and it wasan amazing year.
The previous four years, withinthe previous four years, the
theater had produced a world,premiered, three Pulitzer Prize
winning works Sunny in the Parkwith George Driving, miss Daisy
and the Heidi Chronicles and theHeidi Chronicles was on
Broadway at that time, and soone of my jobs was to be a
casting assistant on the HeidiChronicles and I was actually
(33:20):
there when Tony Shalhoub came into audition to replace Skip
sitting in the stage manager'soffice with the wonderful you
know, departed Wendy Wasserstein, who was a lovely person and an
amazing playwright.
And also that season was theworkshop and first production of
Once on this Island.
So I met Stephen Flaherty andLynn Ahrens and who were just
the loveliest people in theentire world, and I got to watch
(33:42):
a new musical, which is now aseminal musical in the canon,
develop from workshop with thepeople in the room and in fact
for the first production I wasthe person they set lights to
because I was the only person onstaff who was the right color
to match the actors in the show.
The second act of what is nowFalsettos was done that year.
(34:05):
It was a one act, falsetto Land, and I have this wonderful
picture of me with the originalcast of that and I was sitting
behind James Lapine on openingnight of that show.
So you know, and again, justamazing time to be there and I
was sitting at my desk as alowly casting intern and I was
filing pictures and this beardedman comes around the corner
with his arms crossed because wewere doing a workshop of his
(34:26):
new musical, and I look up and Iinternally gasp.
I was smart enough not toaudibly gasp and, very Homer
Simpson style, across my brain Isaid don't say something stupid
, don't say something stupid,don't say something stupid.
And I turned to the bearded manwith his arms across his chest.
I said, oh, I know who you are,very casually, and he said, hi,
(34:47):
stephen Sondheim.
And I said, yes, I know I loveyour work.
And he said thank you, yes, Iknow I love your work.
And he said thank you.
So it was.
You know, it was an amazingexperience at 21 years old.
And then I couldn't afford to bean intern in New York anymore,
so I went to, I was became anassistant at a boutique talent
agency.
That year we had a couple ofpeople who were Tony award
nominees, including SusanShulman on the first revival of
(35:10):
Sweeney Todd, which was a circlein the square.
And then Rocky Carroll was oneof our clients.
He was in the originalproduction of the Piano Lesson.
In fact, I was sitting inRocky's house seats with the two
lead agents on opening night ofthe Piano Lesson, with Charles
Dutton, esa-petha Merkson andRocky Carroll.
And you know, as a young21-year-old African-American man
(35:31):
, to see myself on Broadway inthat way, as as so beautifully
depicted by August Wilson's play, was, you know, life altering.
So of course, you know, fourmonths later I was out of New
York and wasn't doing theateranymore.
That was the beginning.
Speaker 9 (35:48):
I want all of my friends right now to take notes
that tell me that I name droptoo much.
This is how you name drop.
You got like all the greats inlike a very short amount of time
.
I am going to learn from you.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I didn't even say bill finn's name.
Speaker 9 (36:00):
You know we'll sneak him in later.
Okay now.
You've obviously had a storiedcareer.
You've worked with some greatpeople.
Sounds like the universe was onyour side it sounds like they
put some of the people in placefor you to really develop, and I
find that's true with a lot ofartists.
I find that we all run in theselike weird circles where we get
(36:21):
connected with people that leadto the next thing.
And now you've got a verydaunting job because you are
stepping into some shoes.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
I'm going to say exciting job daunting, a little
bit more exciting than daunting,but go ahead.
No, no, no.
Speaker 9 (36:35):
I feel you.
These shoes have been worn fora quarter of a century, yes, and
in this juncture in time aswell.
How did you end up decidingthat Stages Houston was where
you needed?
Speaker 3 (36:47):
to be.
Well, you know, I mentioned alittle bit about Houston and its
diversity, which was veryimportant to me personally but
also meant that there was anaudience and various types of
audiences here for works thatreally speak to me as someone
who is not just a very strongAfrican-American identity but a
very strong BIPOC identity, butyou know who also loves shows
like Patsy Cline as well, youknow.
(37:08):
Or Best of the Whole House inTexas, you know, was blown away
by Stephen Karam's the Humans,you know.
So really all kinds of theaterspeaks to me, and so that seemed
to be very possible here.
The other thing was that thosekinds that kind of work was very
much in Stage's tradition wasto do all types of work
appealing to various audiences,from those things that I say,
you know, make you laugh outloud to those that give you ugly
(37:30):
cries.
Right, I had been an artisticdirector, as you pointed out
before, at a theater in LosAngeles, a celebration theater,
which had an intimate stage, andI just love the intimacy of
theater in a small setting Imean, I've worked in big
theaters as well, there'ssomething very special about
that and Stages has threeintimate theaters.
You mentioned that I was thedirector of new play development
(37:53):
at the Utah ShakespeareFestival, which I did for four
years.
But two of the years while Iwas doing that job I was also
the interim artistic directorand I always loved the task of
artistic direction, of choosinga season, of working with the
artists, of oversight, of havingconversations.
From that perspective, the loveof the job, the work that
Stages had been doing, thereputation of Stages here in
(38:16):
Texas and Houston itself theywere all they all added up to
make me want to apply and tocome here.
If you go to our website and ifyou come to our building, you'll
see it literally writ large onour walls.
We sit together in the dark sowe can learn how to love each
other in the light.
And you know somebody who youknow in that period, right after
(38:39):
I left New York and was doingtheater, who for a decade was
very much a social justicewarrior.
That idea that we still canlearn from each other, we can
learn to love each other and bemore human with one another, is
very much encoded almost in myDNA and it's a very big part of
the work that I did, you know,when I wasn't doing theater, and
(39:00):
it still guides me and feeds meas an artist, and the fact that
that was so important here,that it's on the walls and it's
on our website, it's on the backof my business card, and it was
the ethos and the culture ofthis place as well made this
really the right fit for me, andI was lucky enough that the
search committee saw somethingin me that they thought would be
(39:21):
good for Stages.
Speaker 9 (39:22):
You know, stages exists in a very different space
than most of the other Houstontheaters because you've got
things like the Alley or theHobby Center very large spaces,
not very intimate, and they'regoing to produce the big,
splashy Phantom of the Opera or,like some big actor, for
Christie, murder mystery orsomething that's a spectacle
(39:43):
spectacle, a pageant if you willand you've got stages,
professional theater, regionaltheater has done so many world
premieres and different thingslike that.
But that audience is rightthere in every space.
There is not one space instages that feels like an
auditorium.
They all feel like you areright there.
How are you going to selectplays going forward?
How?
(40:04):
What are you looking for?
What is the legacy that youwant to leave?
Because you inherited a seasonright now, designed by Ken, so
we really don't know you yet asan artistic director.
I mean, we're about to get alittle sneak peek because you
get to pick one play, but you'regoing to design the seasons
going forward.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Works that elucidate, entertain and elevate.
So they elevate our minds andour spirits and they elevate
people and the people in themand the audience members who
come to attend, who co-attendthem.
That educate us about who weare as human beings.
And I want to distinguish thatas being different from
(40:42):
preaching or being very messagey.
I think that the best plays theplaywright's goal and theme is
in them and maybe even theplaywright's point of view.
But I don't think it's goodtheater when it's polemical as
opposed to being dramatic andstory-driven and interesting in
that way.
And as an artistic director, Ibelieve very strongly that
(41:03):
artistic directors artisticallydirect, that is, they impart an
aesthetic and a belief, evenwhen they're not directing, to
other directors and artistsabout what we're trying to do on
the stage and the audiencewe're trying to reach and the
way in which we're trying to doit.
Speaker 9 (41:20):
What do you think is your biggest challenge coming
out?
Speaker 3 (41:22):
of Stages, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, which is a
storied 62-year theater, and,having been in conversations
with theater leaders all acrossthe country, we're still working
and struggling to get audiencesback post-pandemic and the
theater attending habit haschanged and so learning to
adjust to that.
So you know, previouslytheaters like ours in the All
(41:43):
alley and Utah ShakespeareFestival were very driven by
subscribers to renewed seasonafter season.
A lot of that has gone away andwe have rise of more single
ticket buyers, and so the thingis we have to make sure that all
of our productions are stillmeeting the mark and still doing
all those things that I talkedabout for our regular audience
members and then building up anidentity for them with the
(42:05):
organization, and so we have tomake sure that we are strongly
going after them for thatparticular show and that the
experience is so great that thenext time we do a similar show
that is attracted to them, theywill go oh, Stages did this
other thing that I really likedand they're doing something
similar.
Let me go back there againbecause I can trust them,
because the work was so good.
Theater tenders have reallyshifted to that model.
(42:29):
I want to go see that thing andnot just necessarily a theater
overall, and that's okay.
We have to acknowledge that'sreality and it's no one's fault.
And the other thing is wereally want to lean in at stages
to what is the total theatergoing experience, so that you
can sit at home and Netflix andwatch anything you want at one
o'clock in the morning or twoo'clock in the morning.
But when you come to thetheater, not only sitting in a
(42:51):
group absorbing narrative withother people, which is a
different experience but what isthe experience when you walk
into our lobby and walk into ourspace so it goes beyond just
you know what is the show aboutand how do'd you learn all those
lines?
They were really engagingpeople and hopefully people come
to those experiences and go.
Oh, when I go to stages, it'snot just the show, it's the full
(43:13):
experience and I cannot getthat sitting at home.
Speaker 9 (43:16):
No, it's amazing and I encourage anybody that's never
gone to absolutely experiencestages.
Because it is a really good bartoo.
You do.
I ate dinner there the othernight before Ruth Brown and wine
and cheese.
Well, tell me what are some ofyour personal favorite plays.
(43:37):
I would love to get to know youlike your kind of tastes.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
Well, you know, it's funny because this is where,
being an artistic director, it'sreally important to understand
your own aesthetic, but alsospeaking to an audience.
So I will get up at threeo'clock in the morning to go see
Uncle Vanya Wow, I, as anartistic director, I'm aware
that everyone is not going to dothat, that most people are
(44:03):
gonna come at eight o'clock tosee Uncle Vanya and that's okay,
but I love it, right?
I mentioned earlier the pianolesson, which is still one of my
all-time great experiences intheater, and I think the
language in August Wilson'splays are incredible, the most
profound experiences and themost emotional experiences I've
(44:25):
had in a theater, I will say,bodied in one playwright,
matthew Lopez.
So Matthew Lopez is thewhipping man which I had a
chance to do as an actor was themost emotionally arresting and
involved experience.
I had playing Simon in thatproduction in Las Vegas and
(44:46):
there were times when the othertwo actors and I you know it
ends in a very emotional momentand all of us are crying.
We would come off stage in thedressing room and look at each
other and cry all over again.
And, interestingly enough, acompletely different type of
play, matthew Lopez's theInheritance, which I saw
literally the last day onBroadway before the pandemic,
(45:08):
before Governor Cuomo closed thetheater, and as somebody in
that you may have talked aboutthat period after I was living
in New York and doing theater.
Well, the job that I got afterthat was an AIDS prevention
educator in Rhode Island and didthat work through all of New
England and which meant that at22 years old, not only was my
job HIV prevention and education, but then also when I was
(45:29):
surrounded by a community as anopenly queer man where people
were dying and I realized Ihadn't processed that, and
there's a moment in MatthewLopez's play that undid me so
much I sobbed.
My sobs filled the theater,literally filled the theater, so
(45:49):
much so I had strangers walkingup to me giving me hugs at the
intermission break.
And it was funny because therewas this part of me that was so
emotionally drawn in that Icould not control my sobbing.
In fact, a theater reviewerwrote about the experience of
sitting in the audience with mewithout ever and I met him a
year later what that was like tohave this man so emotionally
(46:12):
moved by this.
And then there was a theaterprofessional me cataloging oh,
this is a problem.
Oh, this is a problem?
Oh, he should fix that, or thisdoesn't quite land.
So jump forward.
A year later, the GeffenTheater in Los Angeles does the
Los Angeles premiere of it, andI swear it's as if Matthew Lopez
and I had a conversation,because almost everything for me
that was problematic in the NewYork production he had
(46:35):
addressed for this Los Angelesproduction.
Those are my most profoundexperiences.
I can sing every note of SweeneyTodd.
I can't say I can sing it well,but every note of Sweeney Todd.
An award-winning director for aproduction of Sweeney Todd and
directed an award-winningproduction of Head to Begin.
The Angry Inch at Celebrationand I think you know, one of the
(46:55):
finest American musicalswritten in the last 25 years is
a very non-musical in terms ofits theme and subject, but it
shows how the music was maturedand that's Next to Normal.
Those are some of the, theimmediate, just immediately off
the top of my head.
We could, you know, I, if wedid this too long, I would come
up with a list of 50 works thatreally speak to me, but you know
(47:15):
oh, yeah, no, but I can tellyou, mitchell greco is dying to
do cabaret at stages, so oh,that away.
Oh, this is trust me.
It's there and and I loveCabaret.
In fact, I saw literally threeproductions of it last year.
Cabaret is such a great showand it can speak to.
It never stops speaking to,whatever is happening in our
current culture.
Speaker 9 (47:35):
And it's so wonderful that it can become that, as the
years go on, I think there's alot of musicals that don't have
that ability to time travel.
Yes, well, thank you so much,derek Charles Livingston.
We have gone on and on and I'msure everybody's like what are
these two really doing and whatare they talking about?
But Stages is obviously whatwe're talking about and I thank
you so much.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
The new era which you are going to be a part of, and
I'm excited to be here and Ihope everyone comes to Stages
and you know audience stages hasa long history of of producing
plays in the queer community, orof the queer community going
back to bent almost 40 years ago, and we're still putting queer
characters on stage, so comesupport us and you know we still
(48:15):
talk about that productionevent.
Speaker 9 (48:17):
it's amazing.
I can tell you that the firstgay show that I ever saw was at
stages and as far asthematically and all of that, I
didn't know that that kind oftheater existed because I was so
used to going to these bigsplashy musicals and these
things that were, you know whatwe call pageant shows or
whatever.
(48:38):
And then when I saw that and Iremember sitting there in the
original space with the columnsthat kind of blocked some of the
view, and it was there, youknow, and it's right in front of
you and I think that that's thejoy of stages.
And why?
I'm so excited to have you therebecause obviously you've got a
very personal sense of what youwant to do, so and that'll
really shine through.
So break legs, as they say.
Speaker 3 (48:58):
Thank you so much, brett.
All right, thank you for thistime.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (49:04):
Thank you for this time.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
This is Queer Voices.
Before we close out thisepisode of Queer Voices with
Reverend Leslie Jackson, seniorPastor of St Peter United, and
his powerful speech at theMontrose Center's LGBTQ Plus
Rally, we at Queer Voices wantto acknowledge Trans Day of
Remembrance, held annually today, november 20th.
Transgender individuals,particularly women of color,
(49:38):
face disproportionately highrates of violence and murder
worldwide.
Today serves as a day toremember the lives lost to
transphobic violence and notonly to bring awareness to the
ongoing struggle for transgenderrights and safety, but to vow
to root out transphobia whereverit rears its ugly head.
Closing us out on queer voices.
(49:59):
From his speech at the MontroseCenter's LGBTQ plus rally, here
is Reverend Leslie Jackson.
Speaker 10 (50:06):
I'm going to do this old school Baptist way is how
I'm going to start out, blackBaptist in particular.
First, giving honor to God, whois the head of my life.
Second, giving honor to theshepherd of this house, the
Montrose Center, avery, thankyou for putting this together.
And instead of giving honor tothe ministers on the roster,
(50:29):
I'll say honor to the speakerswho have been on the roster
today for such an amazing job.
Let's give them a round ofapplause.
Listen y'all, we are from Texas.
We live here in Texas.
We live in a perpetual liminalstate between hope and being
(50:50):
absolutely pissed off statebetween hope and being
absolutely pissed off.
This has been the case for along, long time.
You've heard all of the otherspeakers most all of them
mentioned something that I thinkis very important for us to
remember.
They all referred to people whocame before us.
Avery talked about the strugglein the community and how this
(51:14):
center came about.
You've heard them talk aboutthe struggles of black people in
this country and the leaderswho stood up in their moment,
and I'm reminded of the slaveswho fought for their freedom and
struggled for their rights tolive their lives and to flourish
(51:35):
and to thrive, what they had togo through.
I'm reminded of the people whosat at lunch counters in this
city and were spit on, cursed at, despised.
I'm reminded of the people whodecided not to ride buses
(51:56):
because they were gonna boycottuntil they were able to get what
they wanted.
I'm reminded of all the LGBTQadvocates that came before me
and had they not have done theirwork and done what they did, I
would not have had the right tomarry and now be divorced amen.
(52:16):
So what we have to remember isthat out of crisis comes
opportunity.
Out of conflict can come change.
(52:39):
I read it somewhere in a book.
It said something along thelines of "'We are surrounded by
such a great cloud of witnesses"'Let us throw off everything
that hinders us "'and run therace that is set before us.
The witnesses are all of ourancestors black, white, blue,
(53:00):
green and yellow who fought fortheir rights and for equality.
For us.
Today, they are our witnesses,and they came before us.
Now guess what?
What?
It's our time.
It is our time, it is ourmoment to do the work, because
somewhere there is a child undertheir bed, worried about what
(53:24):
their future is going to be, andwhile we are upright and while
we can stand up for them, we cancreate a better future for
ourselves and for them.
This fight can't just be aboutus individually.
This is about us together.
This is about us together.
The statement is not we are notgoing back.
(53:47):
That's not the statement for me.
The statement for me is I amnot going down.
I am not going down without afight.
I am not going down.
You are not going to take awaymy life.
You're not going to take awaymy ability to thrive and to
flourish.
I am not going down.
If others have done it beforeus, we owe it to them and to
(54:12):
those who are coming after us toplant the very trees under
which they will enjoy the shade.
Amen and Ashe.
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (54:32):
I want to say a big thank you to all of you for
showing up today.
Thank you for reminding us whatit looks like to find our
courage by being together incommunity, to name our power by
being together in community.
I want to say thank you to allthe speakers who shared their
wisdom with us today, theirpassion, who represented their
(54:53):
organizations.
My ask is this Do not let thismoment end here.
Let this be a moment that is astart of a movement.
Roll up your sleeves, getinvolved, volunteer we have lots
of those opportunities here atthe center.
Donate money, talks, supporteach other.
(55:17):
Most of all, remember thatcaring for yourself is a way to
care for your community.
And, most of all, don't forgetthat you're not alone.
Thank you so much for comingout tonight.
Speaker 7 (55:38):
This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston
and as a podcast available fromseveral podcasting sources.
Check our webpagequeervoicesorg.
For more information.
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka, deborah
Moncrief-Bell is co-producer,brett Cullum and David
(56:02):
Mendoza-Druzman are contributors, and Brett is also our
webmaster.
Speaker 5 (56:08):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
to improve clarity and runtime.
This program does not endorseany political views or animal
species.
Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
participants and theorganizations they represent.
In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
remaining product For QueerVoices.
Speaker 7 (56:22):
I'm Glenn Holt, Thank you.
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