Photo Coverage: Director Change Postpones TAKE ME OUT at the Flight Theater

TAKE ME OUT performances at the Flight Theater have been postponed. The show will re-open under the directon of Emanuel Millar at a future date.

One weekend of performances took place in January 2014 at the Flight Theater in the Complex and received lots of positive reviews from the press and audiences. Don't miss it when it returns!

Featured in the TAKE ME OUT cast are Barry Brisco, Kyle Colton, Will Bethencourt, Takumi Bansho, Christian Harris, Hayden Lam, Oscar Pena, Brian Perras, Edwin Rush, Richard Sabine, Gustaf Saige, Peter Stoia, Justin Teitell, and PJ Waggaman.

First produced in 2002, TAKE ME OUT won the 2003 Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Play, 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding play, 2003 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, 2003 Tony Award for Best Play, 2003 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, and the 2003 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play. TAKE ME OUT was also a finalist for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The play's main character, Darren Lemming, is a popular and successful mixed-race baseball player at the peak of his career when he decides to come out. Several of his teammates react strongly (some supportive and accepting, and some not), and the drama plays out over the course of a baseball season as they learn only team work will make the dream work. Much of the play is set in the locker room of a professional baseball team, and as such has an all-male cast that explores themes of homophobia, racism, class, and masculinity in sports.

While Glenn Burke was out to teammates and team owners in the 1970s and Billy Bean came out in 1999 after retiring from playing in Major League Baseball for eight seasons, at the time of the writing of this play no Major League Baseball player had ever come out to the public during his career. This play is the dramatic exploration of what such an event might be like.

Playwright Greenberg has stated that one of the compulsions for creating a baseball play was his complete immersion into the sport in 1999 after following the New York Yankees' (then) record 114-win season the previous year, beginning with David Wells' perfect game. Many believe the inspiration for Lemming is American Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter of the Yankees, and for racist pitcher Shane Mungitt, former National League pitcher John Rocker, then of the Atlanta Braves.

Please note that due to full frontal nudity, no one under 18 will be admitted. Please bring your photo ID to present at the box office for admission.

Photo credit: Shari Barrett

The cast of TAKE ME OUT includes (seated from left): Rich Sabine, Kyle Colton, Barry Brisco, Will Bethencourt, PJ Waggaman. (standing from left): Takumi Bansho, Gustaf Saige, Edwin Rush, Justin Teitell, Peter Stoia

Kippy (Will Bethencourt) and Darren (Barry Brisco) prove baseball is a game of camaraderie, not differences.

Mason (Rich Sabine) listens to Darren's (Barry Brisco) baseball dreams

The coach listens to Kippy's explanation of why the game was lost. (clockwise from left): PJ Waggaman, Kyle Colton, Gustaf Saige, Takumi Bansho, Will Bethencourt