More thoughts on my current community theatre experience…

1. The presence of throngs of elementary and middle school children in the cast of GREASE lends a certain surreal edge to the show: the middle school girls, embarrassed by puberty, try to melt into the dark shadows of the stage while they mope through their choreography, while the tiny, waifish 6 and 7-year-olds strike sexualized poses as their stage mommies shout encouragement from the audience. It reminds me of those sick Junior Beauty Pageants where the girls are dressed up like 40-year-old hookers…

2. This cast is the most homophobic group of people I’ve been around in a long time (yes — a theatre group!). All the middle school and high school boys mince and lisp through gay joke after joke. Methinks some of them do it a little too well and aren’t particulary convincing when they play it “straight.” Time will tell. And sadly, I keep my mouth shut — I could be an out and positive gay presence to these kids who could be struggling with issues of sexual orientation, but thanks to comments from some of the “adults” in charge of the production, I stay silent. The last place I thought I’d go back in the closet would be on stage…