Ben Strothmann performed his first solo play, Coming Clean, on Wednesday, June 27th at the Kraine Theater as part of the Queerly Festival. The show was directed by Mark Finley. As 2020 thwarted his plans to mount a New York production of the show, he is instead offering a recording of his 2018 Kraine Theater performance as an online virtual theatrical event until March 20th.
Coming Clean traces Strothmann's often comical and compelling journey from growing up gay in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to his adult adventures as New York became his "sexual playground". As a kid, he discovered he was gay when he started developing crushes on cartoon characters, like Foghorn Leghorn and the Pink Panther. And then there's the time when Strothmann openly declared his love for another boy ... in first grade. Through this tale of embarrassing childhood memories, hilarious misunderstandings, and bittersweet brushes with fate, Ben shares his journey of self-discovery, and how he learned to love himself exactly as he is.
He first previewed this 85-minute show in 2014 to a packed house at Judson Memorial Church as part of their "Magic Time" series.
Ben Strothmann, who moved to New York in 2000, is no stranger to the stage or the spotlight. As
Honey LaBronx, he hosts a cooking show as The Vegan Drag Queen, as well as the podcast Big Fat Vegan Radio. He has been a portrait and theatrical photographer since 1995 (Playbill Broadway Yearbook,
BroadwayWorld.com). Strothmann is a proud activist for LGBTQIA+ equality and Animal Rights.
Mark Finley is the artistic director of TOSOS and has directed many of its acclaimed and award-winning productions including
Doric Wilson's A Perfect Relationship and Street Theater. He made his Off- Broadway directorial debut with
Chris Weikel's Penny Penniworth. Recently he has directed Robbie Robertson's Satan In High Heels at Dixon Place,
Byron Loyd's DixieBoy Fireworks for the United Solo Arts Festival, and
Virginia Baeta's Damaged Goods. Mark is also an author, an actor and a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
"Coming Clean" will be available to watch online until March 20th at:
https://www.vegandragqueen.com/coming-clean-a-play-by-ben-strothmann/
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