Interview: Jimmy Moore of THE BOYS IN THE BAND at The Classic Theatre Of San Antonio

I’ve written a few reviews from shows I’ve seen at the San Pedro Playhouse and Classic Theatre venues. The two theatres are in a wonderful partnership, and if you go back and read those reviews (A Raisin in the Sun and Midummer Sueno), you will see that I absolutely loved their work. These people are producing important, excellent theatre that I am always honored to experience and review. That is why I was so excited to interview Jimmy Moore, the Producing Artistic Director of the San Pedro Playhouse. He and his team specifically scheduled The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley to coincide with pride month to celebrate the experiences of the gay community, and he was excited to let me know that the show  is about to become an official pride month event in San Antonio! For this upcoming production of The Boys in the Band, he is taking on a different role, as he will be an actor portraying the role of Michael. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and am delighted to share with you his thoughts on the show and on the work they are doing at San Pedro Playhouse and Classic Theatre. 

How long have you been the artistic director at San Pedro Playhouse and what has that journey been like?

I had been at The Classic since December of 2021, and then in June of 2023, the opportunity to come and take the role of artistic director at the San Pedro Playhouse came available. When that happened, I said absolutely, and I want to bring The Classic with me. That was how this wonderful partnership was born where The Cellar Theatre became The Classic Theatre, and now both organizations are working in tandem to really bring the best of San Antonio theatre under one roof. So, downstairs we’re able to do these wonderfully intimate, classic, diverse, impactful works--mostly plays, like A Raisin in the Sun and The Boys in the Band. Meanwhile, upstairs we’re able to do these giant musicals that people know and love. Our mission statements have always been similar in that we are trying to unite communities. We are trying to bring people together to experience the magic of live theatre. Both organizations have always had a focus on education that’s now really getting to thrive. I think examples of shows like Midsummer Sueno really show what we can do together. The large production value alongside the detailed work the classics have always been known for. We were really proud of that project. We are in a wonderful place to really be able to step up production value and really make even more of an impact on the San Antonio community than ever before. Other external companies, such as Teatro Audaz, have been able to enjoy our space and have been able to come in and utilize the infrastructure of the San Pedro Playhouse but still exist on their own. The downstairs cellar space is one of the most in-demand spaces in town because of how intimate and small it is and the number of seats, it really makes it ideal for smaller companies and companies who are producing detailed and impactful work, like Teatro Audaz does. They have worked with us for years in that space and are close friends with San Pedro Playhouse, as are a number of other organizations who have enjoyed using our space. 

What made you want to take on an acting role right now, and how do you balance that with your artistic director role?

I began as a performer. Most people in theatre began “treading the boards,” and I certainly did as well. I worked professionally as an actor up until the pandemic in New York, and in regional theatre all over the country. It was really my first love. I became a director and went to graduate school for directing because I really felt that I had it in me to have more of a voice in the way that theatre was produced and in the way that we are telling stories. Acting is wonderful because you are focused on yourself. Directing is wonderful because you are focused on the big picture. I always say whenever I’m directing that I wish I was acting, and when I’m acting I always wish I was directing. It’s really two parts of my personality that are equally as strong. At one point, I was going to be directing The Boys in the Band, and I was looking forward to doing that. The Boys in the Band is a show that I have worked hard on for several years. It was a large part of my graduate theatre experience before it was revived on Broadway. I wrote several papers on it. I wrote about how having just returned from my life in New York City to go to grad school, I recognized every single one of these characters. I thought, “how could someone have written this story that is so true to my life and so many of my friends’ lives over fifty years ago? How is it that these people still ring true?” There are some issues that we deal with every single day in the exact same ways, and this play really highlights that. When it came down to starting this process, I had this moment with myself and with the leadership team at the Playhouse where I was thinking I certainly could direct this. I feel this in my bones. But because I feel it in my bones, and because I’m getting older, this may be the last opportunity I have to be one of the boys in the band. This show is so close to my life experience, that we decided as a team, I might be more valuable in this specific community as a performer in the show and to give the reins of this to Tim Hedgepeth, who is closer to the demographic that was written in this play. He has also had this life experience and could maybe helm this in a deeper, richer way than I would be able to. Deciding to go with Tim as the director has been such a wonderful choice. He has enriched the play in so many ways and left room for me to be an actor, playing Michael in this show. I was drawn to the fact that I really get to play a full sonata in this character. From silliness, to despair, to anger, to cruelty, to rage. It’s a real symphony to try to navigate, and that’s been my blessing as a performer to get to try to do this. It was something I felt drawn to. I feel so proud that I’m getting to do it. As theatre leadership, it’s so important for us to keep our hand in, in that way. Not only because of what we personally are getting to experience, but also to help us understand what we are asking other community members to be a part of. We get to experience what it is like to be one of our contractors in this space. Also, we are called on day after day to create these really great experiences for San Antonio theatre practitioners and audiences, and it’s important that every once in a while we say, “we are artists too and we want to be part of this as well.” These are also things that we need to be successful in our lives and that our artist souls need to continue to want to do this work of shaking hands and raising money, and doing everything it takes to push for artistic excellence. The board has been really wonderful, along with Asia Ciaravino, our CEO, and our community members in allowing us to not only throw the party all of the time but sometimes be at the party as well. 

What is important or significant about this play?

Over the years, there has been so much discourse about how The Boys in the Band does not represent the gay community and how gay men do not want to be represented the way The Boys in the Band represents them because it does deal with some hard-hitting topics in the gay community like racism, aging, and even monetary issues--sort of keeping up with Jones’. It deals with the complicated relationships gay men have with themselves and with each other, and how your relationship with yourself affects other people. It’s hard to look at all of that and say, “yes, that is my community.” But it is. It is a piece of literature that talks about where our community was pre-Stonewall in the late 1960s. What we were doing. Who we were idolizing. How we were treating each other. How we were speaking to one another. It is a time capsule. And while I think we want to say, “we’ve come so far since this play was written,” there are some things that are exactly the same as what our dramaturg, Dr. Elizabeth Ramirez, has found as she’s been so hard at work looking up what it was like to be gay in New York City when this play was written. I’m sure she’s read some eye-opening articles about what it meant to have to hide yourself and who you are from pretty much everyone. In 1968, you could still get arrested for being gay. You could still be fired for being gay. You could still be beaten up on the street. Even in New York City, these men were still living alternate lives, and in some ways and in most of the country they still do. Many times and in many places, they do still have to decide if they will live in an environment where they can be themselves, or if it’s safer to just be quiet and not to expose this part of themselves. 

In that light, it’s extremely important that we bring titles like Boys in the Band that are such hallmarks of authentic, diverse experiences to San Antonio. The truth is, there’s not that many of them, and it hasn’t been okay to share them for very long. I knew when I picked it that it was sort of a risk, but right away we saw the community just latch on to it. The gay theatre community was excited, and so many wonderful performers came out to audition!  Even then, we wondered how we would fund a show like this. Something that’s really not known is that especially in the downstairs Classic space, there can be a deficit between what it costs to produce the shows and what we can actually make on ticket sales of upwards of $15,000 to $30,000. We decided to reach out to specifically the community of gay men around us to say, “these are our stories. Do you believe in this? Do you feel like it’s important to bring this to San Antonio? If you do, help to support.” We were overwhelmed by the people stepping forward to say, “yes. We want this kind of programming, and we want to give.” This show has been enriched in so many ways but also made possible by these out and proud donors in San Antonio. It speaks to the fact that San Antonio does want this, and we’re on the right track. We are doing good work here, and we’re devoted to that. This production of Boys in the Band has really shown that to me. It has been so unique for me to be in a room full of gay men that can talk openly about their experiences and what it is like to be a gay man today and how this play still resonates with us. For many gay men there is not an example of how to grow older. It’s not in movies and television the way that it is for straight people. Part of the reason for that is that our community lost so many people to the AIDS epidemic. I was growing up as a young man when all of these wonderful men were dying. My generation is really the first that came up after that horrible plague wiped out so many creatives and so many people that should be arts leaders. You feel it in San Antonio, and you feel it nationally that between my generation and this much older generation there is a gap in voices, talent, and artistry. You can take several of the previous artistic directors of The San Pedro Playhouse for example, like Wayne Elkins, who was described as a “theatre wonderkins” in all the articles about him from the late eighties. He passed away from AIDS. There just is not an example of growing old as a gay man, or having a family.  We’re still definitely making strides, and it’s so important to continue telling these stories because if we don’t push for these, who’s going to?

 

What do you want audiences to know before they come?

First of all, we want them to know that it’s not a musical. Some people hear “the boys and the band” and they keep waiting for us to play instruments. The title is actually an allusion to Judy Garland's "A Star is Born" when in the movie someone encourages her to keep going by saying, “do it for the boys in the band.” She is such a huge gay icon, that the title comes from that. 

Secondly, while the show is very funny, with rip-roaring laughter in the first act, in the second act, it does go to some dark places. There is some language that is hard to hear and could be triggering. It does deal with heavier themes like addiction, racism, self-hatred, and others. 

In addition, we do want to remind people to get their tickets as quickly as they can because when the downstairs shows sell out, they sell out very quickly! It’s like a snowball effect where as soon as we announce we’re a little bit low on tickets, they’re gone! Don’t sleep on buying those tickets, get in there quick! There is space for an extension weekend if we do sell out all of the regularly scheduled shows, and I know we are very much hoping for that! 

Lastly, it is a very intimate thrust stage theatre experience. You are gonna feel very much like you are inside of this apartment with these characters.

What do you hope the Boys in the Band company takes away from this show?

We learn so much from every single one of the productions that we do. Sometimes I think that the harder the show is to produce, the better the results are at the end. I hope that we take away that these stories are worth telling and are financially viable. It is very hard to produce theatre in San Antonio, and we really work to be financially responsible, paying artists as much as we can. It definitely is part of the equation that these shows have to sell, and it warms my heart when that doesn’t necessarily need to be such a roadblock for us to produce pieces that are meaningful and impactful. I hope that we recognize that and can continue to produce in this way. I hope we also learn that it is valuable for our staff to also partake of the shows in artistic capacities when possible. I hope the community sees the importance of that as well because we learn tens of thousands of little lessons every single day about how to work well with one another, and how to treat people better, be more communicative, more transparent. We are so blessed to be able to learn all these little bits everyday with this great team, and with these people who know how valuable this type of work is and who are dedicated to bringing it to San Antonio. 

What do you hope audiences take away from this show?

My goal for all of our shows is that our patrons walk away with a wonderful theatre experience that makes them want to return. But, I also hope that they walk away having learned something about themselves, and another community, perhaps. If you can tell people a story that they can identify with and relate to, journey with, feel sorry for, cry with, laugh with, then maybe they’ll walk away from this and see someone out in their community and say, “this person is important. This is another human being.” They might even be able to look back on this story and intervene in a real way by standing up for someone or even donating to important causes. 

Ultimately, I have always wanted to produce theatre that gives people a chance to be immersed in the story and to take a break from their lives. To engage with something other than themselves and to escape for a while. You can escape into this show. It goes to some scary, dangerous places, and it’s a rollercoaster ride, but at the end I want people to feel like they have journeyed with the characters, and that they have seen inside something that they might not have ever had the chance to have seen if they didn’t come to this show. I’m hoping that people come to this show and they see, “this is my story. I still feel this way.” 

As I mentioned earlier in the article, this show is possible only with the help of the community. If you would like to help support, click this link to donate! 

Get out there and get those tickets, San Antonio!

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