Memoir NEVER A GIRL, ALWAYS A BOY Will Be Adapted For The Stage

Award-winning memoir Never Once a Girl, Always a Boy by Jo Ivester has been adapted for the stage and will have industry presentations on Friday, October 13, 2023. The stage adaptation, titled ALWAYS A BOY, is written by Jo Ivester and her son Jeremy Ivester, and directed by Tony-Award winning producer JJ Maley (A Strange Loop), with dramaturg and creative consultant Mika Kauffman (Turning Krasniqi, The Civility of Albert Cashier). A production at Austin's Ground Floor Theatre is scheduled to run for three weeks, opening on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

Called “a multifaceted, rich, and moving exploration of the trans experience" by Kirkus Reviews in a starred review, and recipient of the 2020 National Indie Excellence Juror's Choice Award, the book and the author's advocacy work inspired an invitation to the White House for the Ivesters from the President and Dr. Biden for a Pride Month Celebration.

ALWAYS A BOY  is a theatrical testament to the strength and power of radical familial love. As Joshua and his mother, Rachel, prepare for another big family wedding day, they can't help but reminisce about the last family wedding, when Joshua began his gender journey alongside his sister's matrimony journey. This brings up harsh truths that have not been expressed to Mom, but with the help of his younger inner co-conspirators, Joshua finds the courage to revisit some unsavory and celebratory moments with his mother. In doing so, they both discover that while their love remains constant, there's always room for growth and learning. 

“It's easy to dehumanize and fear what you don't understand. I hope that by sharing my story I can show how human I am -- that we are just people and therefore deserving of love, and support, and the ability to exist in this world,” said co-producer and playwright Jeremy Ivester. 

“At a time when too many people have weaponized hatred against the transgender community for the sake of political gain, this play provides a heartwarming example of a family embracing their loved one with respect and acceptance,” said author, playwright, and producer Jo Ivester.

“I'm passionate about stories that are dedicated to authentically representing the communities they portray,” said director JJ Maley. “In our working and reworking of the script, we have gone through multiple rounds of feedback with trans community members, specifically in the theatre community. We are committed to continuing that dialogue in order to share a story that not only includes, but celebrates the people most impacted by this work.”

The production is committed to authentic casting with gender queer actors, and collaborated with a group of trans people in shaping the show. The cast includes Barzin Akhavan (The Kite Runner, Network), Gabrielle Carteris (“Beverly Hills 90210”), Rodd Cyrus (Encores! The Light in the Piazza), JJ Hawkins (“Charmed”), Ash Spencer (“A Million Little Things”), TL Thompson (Straight White Men), Parker Wingate (UNC Greensboro), and Jessy Yates (Yale). The reading is produced by Transpirational Productions, executive produced by ShowTown Productions, with general management by ShowTown Theatricals, and casting by DPD Casting.

JEREMY IVESTER (Playwright/Co-Producer, he/him) is the trans, gay man whose true-life story inspired the play Always a Boy, as well as the award-winning, best-selling memoir, Never a Girl, Always a Boy, upon which the play is based.

JO IVESTER (Author/Playwright/Producer, she/her) is the author of two award-winning social justice memoirs: The Outskirts of Hope (2015) and Never a Girl, Always a Boy (2020). Jo's book Never a Girl, Always a Boy is an Amazon bestseller that has been accepted as a go-to resource for parents upon learning that their child is transgender. She is an LGBTQ+ Activist and serves on boards of Equality Texas and Ground Floor Theatre, and is the President of PFLAG Georgetown and of Georgetown PRIDE. Jo is also a contributor to NBC Think and My Child Told Me They're Trans . . . What Do I Do? (2023). Jo holds a BS from MIT in civil engineering and urban planning; MBA from Stanford. For more info, visit joivester.com.

JJ MALEY (Director, they/he/ze) is a performer, producer, writer, director, and consultant. Recently, JJ starred in Command Z directed by Steven Soderbergh. Producing credits include A Strange Loop (Tony Award), Indecent (Tony Nomination), What the Constitution Means to Me (Tony Nomination), and Be More Chill.  He developed and directed many new works in NY, including Goldilocks: The Drag Musical, Trombone Lesson, and Luna Fest. They were the assistant director to Tyne Rafaeli on Power Strip (LCT3) and Usual Girls (Roundabout).  For more visit jjmaley.com.

MIKA KAUFFMAN (Dramaturg & Creative Consultant, they/ze/he) is a multi-hyphenate queer, trans and neurodivergent artist, primarily a director and choreographer, musical theatre writer, dramaturg, and producer. Mika creates collaborative trauma-informed spaces with a focus on community building to cultivate new work Off-Broadway and beyond. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, and is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of the Trans Entertainment Guild, an organization dedicated to bettering the working conditions and lives of trans and gender expansive people in entertainment. For credits and more, visit mikakauffman.com.