\u201cI\u2019m not sure we\u2019ve ever seen anything quite like this on our stage,\u201d Dwyer says. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an extremity of design \u2014 and a leap-of-faith undertaking for the department. It\u2019s also an opportunity to accommodate our population of truly gifted students of color, who aren\u2019t just actors, but a variety of theater-making artists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWig Out!\u201d focuses on the intense personal connections of\u00a0 \u201chouses,\u201d the family units at the heart of drag culture \u2014 families that typically include a mother, a father, and a group of \u201cchildren,\u201d while also upending traditional nuclear family roles in favor of something richer and more complex. At the core of \u201cWig Out!\u201d is the fictional House of Light, with mother Rey-Rey (Cameron Silliman) and father Lucian (Alan Mendez).<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019Wig Out!\u2019 is a quick Alice in Wonderland trip into this topsy-turvy world that\u2019s nothing like ours but very much like ours,\u201d McCraney says. \u201cOne of my professors who saw the original run said, \u2018I have no idea what\u2019s going on, but it\u2019s the most fun I\u2019ve ever had.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Drag balls trace their roots to Harlem in the 1860s, flourishing during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and \u201930s. Today\u2019s drag ball culture took shape in the 1960s, as black drag queens began hosting predominantly black drag events. In 1990, the drag scene achieved mainstream recognition with the release of the documentary film \u201cParis Is Burning,\u201d along with pop star Madonna\u2019s drag-inspired hit \u201cVogue.\u201d The balls themselves are extravagant competitions, in which contestants \u201cwalk\u201d and are judged on a specific set of criteria, including the \u201crealness\u201d of their drag, their movement and dance abilities, and their fashion choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I think is so vital about \u2018Wig Out!\u2019 is that it not only makes visible sides of queer culture that aren\u2019t typically part of mainstream culture,\u201d Dwyer says. \u201cIt shines a more inclusive light than, say \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race,\u2019 which is about the extent of many people\u2019s familiarity with drag culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWig Out!\u201d was first produced at the Off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre in New York City, and the same year at the Royal Court Theatre in London. It has been fully produced only once since, in any venue.<\/p>\n
Playwright McCraney\u2019s film \u201cMoonlight\u201d received 2017 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was written by McCraney and director Barry Jenkins, based on McCraney\u2019s unpublished semi-autobiographical play. McCraney was also recently appointed chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama, beginning in July. His plays have been produced by Steppenwolf Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others.<\/p>\n
McCraney got together with the Muhlenberg production\u2019s cast and creative team in February, via Skype. He shared some insights, answered questions, and engaged with the actors\u2019 responses to the play.<\/p>\n
Dwyer has surrounded himself with an accomplished creative team \u2014 which he says has somewhat allayed his concerns as a white director about taking artistic leadership of this project, in which most of the characters are people of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat feels risky to me is making sure my white male privilege doesn\u2019t upstage the heart of the story,\u201d Dwyer says. \u201cI was committed to having the story told, thinking it was probably okay for me to be a creative leader, but not by myself. I\u2019m so fortunate to have some really brilliant, passionate artists of color around me, who are significant creative leaders on the piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
The production team includes managing dramaturg Dr. Sharrell Luckett, a Muhlenberg theater professor; accomplished costume designer Andy Jean; and Broadway wig and hair designer Bobbie Zlotnik. Samuel Antonio Reyes, who choreographed last summer\u2019s acclaimed Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre production of \u201cIn the Heights,\u201d and a veteran of the ballroom scene himself, has created the show\u2019s extensive choreography.<\/p>\n
The show also features makeup design by Joe Dulude II, who designed make-up for the Tony Award-winning Broadway productions of \u201cWicked\u201d and \u201cBeautiful: The Carole King Musical.\u201d Dulude is the Baker Artist-in-Residence for the 2016-17 academic year, thanks to a grant from the Dexter F. & Dorothy H. Baker Foundation. He says his own involvement in the drag scene heavily influences his approach to the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy drag is often about playing with the masculine and feminine,\u201d Dulude says. \u201cSince my own experiences in drag and working with other drag queens is so diverse, that\u2019s what I\u2019m bringing to the show: not just one style of drag but a combination of styles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muhlenberg Junior Evan Brooks, who plays Ms. Nina\/Wilson, one of the children of the House of Light, says the production is a vital performance opportunity for theater students at Muhlenberg.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this moment in our nation\u2019s history, being able to participate in this production is nothing less than a gift,\u201d Brooks says. \u201cI think it\u2019s essential to provide theatrical and educational experiences for under-represented artists, who aren\u2019t acknowledged in the same way as majority-identifying students \u2014 and that\u2019s what the production is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dwyer says the show\u2019s second act will feature a drag ball performance for which audience members will be invited onstage to serve as the crowd for the ball. The production also will feature a lobby display about the history of drag, coordinated by Luckett, and a uniquely interactive intermission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want the audience to leave with an appreciation for drag culture, in all its spectacular diversity,\u201d Dwyer says. \u201cThe mainstream gets an exceptionally narrow version of queer culture, when they get any version at all \u2014 and often it comes at the expense of other, more marginalized versions. We want to broaden their horizons a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWig Out!\u201d plays March 30 \u2013 April 2<\/span><\/span>. Showtimes are Thursday<\/span><\/span> through Saturday<\/span><\/span> at 8 p.m.<\/span><\/span> and Sunday<\/span><\/span> at 2 p.m.<\/span><\/span> Regular admission tickets are $15. Tickets for youth and LVAIC students and staff are $8. The production is recommended for mature audiences.<\/b><\/p>\n Tickets and information are available online at muhlenberg.edu\/theatre<\/span><\/u><\/a> or by phone at 484-664-3333<\/span><\/u><\/a>. Performances are in the Baker Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.<\/p>\n Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is a highly selective, private, four-year residential college located in Allentown, Pa., approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, sciences, business, education and public health. A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.<\/i><\/p>\n Muhlenberg offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and dance. The Princeton Review ranked Muhlenberg\u2019s theater program in the top twelve in the nation for eight years in a row, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theater and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theater and dance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nScott Snyder – Marketing Manager
\nMuhlenberg College
\nDepartment of Theatre & Dance
\n <\/p>\n
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