Matthew Dicken's 'BUTYOU'REAMAN' Set for Sold-Out Run at FringeNYC, 8/16-29

This August, renowned storyteller Arthur Strimling directs the New York premiere of a solo performance about an intercultural love affair. Emerging queer storyteller Matthew Dicken and his one-man show "butyou'reaman or: The Seven Men I Came Out to in India" make their area premiere as part of the 19th annual New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC. The debut performance on August 16 sold out more than a week before the start of the festival.

"butyou'reaman or: The Seven Men I Came Out to in India" is one man's joyful retelling of how falling in love while living abroad forced him to reckon with how he fits (and doesn't) with queer community in the US. Blurring humor, poetry, and pop cultures, this portrayal of a white, upper-middle-class gay man calls into question American LGBT politics and the erotic politics of globalized borders.

In discussion with Theatre in the Now's Michael Bradley Block, writer and performer Matthew Dicken discussed his inspiration for creating the performance: "butyou'reaman is a solo performance about my experiences as a white, gay American man living and loving in India during, what I like to call, a cyclone of international sexual shifts. I studied abroad for a semester in New Delhi during my undergraduate, and I actually just returned from a year-long fellowship studying Hindi in Jaipur, which I did right after graduating from Muhlenberg.

He continues, "So, the show was prompted by exploring my own gay identity in India, in another context, and also about an almost 3 year relationship that I had with an Indian man. The show has allowed me to write about negotiating across cultural difference, national difference, difference across race and class both in India and upon return to the US."

"butyou'reaman" features emerging queer storyteller Matthew Dicken, who recently returned to the US after a year in Jaipur, India, where he studied Hindi on a U.S. Department of Education fellowship. In New York, Matthew has worked with Incubator Arts Project, National Theatre of the United States of America (NTUSA), banana bag & bodice, and The TEAM. Matthew holds a B.A. in Theatre from Muhlenberg College, where "butyou'reaman" was commissioned and first performed. He hosts "Only Connect," a queer podcast.

Arthur Strimling (Director) was a founding member of the Talking Band, and appeared in several works directed by Joe Chaikin. He has directed and/or performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, the 92nd Street Y, The Public Theatre, Symphony Space, the Jewish Museum, and at venues across the country. Arthur is Founding Artistic Director of Roots&Branches Intergenerational Theater, a 25-year-old company that brings elder and young actors together to create original plays about age, ageing, and the connections from generation to generation.

For more information and show tickets, visit butyoureaman.tumblr.com/performance.

IF YOU GO:

butyou'reaman or: The Seven Men I Came Out to in India

Written and Performed by Matthew Dicken

Directed by Arthur Strimling

Part of The New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC

A production of The Present Theatre Company

Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Pl (btwn First Ave and Ave A)

Dates: SUN AUG 16 @ 2:45; WED AUG 19 @ 5:15; SAT AUG 22 @ 7; TUE AUG 25 @ 3; SAT AUG 29 @ 9

Tickets: $18 - For tickets visit www.FringeNYC.org

Photo Credit: Ken Ek, Kenek Photography