Previews: THE LIFT EVERY VOICE NEW PLAY FESTIVAL At American Stage

American Stage celebrates six new voices at the James Museum for the Lift Every Voice New Play Festival on March 3-5. The theatre brings six never-before-produced plays to life with local actors. The three-day event also features a keynote speaker and writers hosting panels and events all weekend.

The event aims to showcase BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA individuals and relevant themes, giving a stage to voices that may be missing from the theatre's mainstage season. American Stage partnered with James Museum as they are strongly interested in indigenous land and culture preservation. As a part of American Stage's and the James Museum's commitment to diverse voices, each year, at least one playwright featured in the festival will be an indigenous artist.

Coming from Chicago, Regina Victor is the selected keynote speaker to open the special event. They are a dramaturg, director, cultural designer, and critic, named one of Newcity's "Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago" in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

The last time they visited the sunshine state, they were a youth in pageants. They are excited to see Florida as an adult and learn about the work of American Stage.

"My speech is called the importance of play, however zooming out a little bit into the effects of play and imagination, embracing new work and new perspective in every facet of life. My intention is to celebrate the artists and their contributions culturally and emotionally to the world."

Featured plays in the Lift Every Voice New Play Festival are:

Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Chitto: The year is 1680 in what we now know as New Mexico. The Indigenous population is living under Colonial Spanish rule, and the Pueblo Revolt will soon begin. Two brothers, one a budding revolutionary, and the other, a gay idealist, are bracing for a battle of survival, morality, and what it means to be human in this historical comedy.

Mestiza, or Mixed by Melissa Leilani Larson: Lark Timon is no stranger to failure; it loomed large throughout her filmmaking career. Plagued by debt and professional disappointment, Lark chances upon a potentially career-changing opportunity only to be confronted by questions about her art, her relationships, and her identity as a mixed-race queer woman.

Decolonizing Your Mind with Walter Mercado by Jayne Deely: Zee, a bartender struggling through her mid 20's in New York is visited by the three ghosts of Christmas past. But instead of the Chrismas Carol narrative, the three ghosts are her Puerto Rican ancestors, confronting her with a long-forgotten truth. Decolonizing Your Mind with Walter Mercado is a uniquely Puerto Rican, uniquely New York, and uniquely queer story.

The Figs by Doug Robinson: How much would you sacrifice for love? The Figs is a fairytale-like play about what-ifs, desires, and obsession. Follow a mad king obsessed with figs, a star-crossed princess infatuated with an innkeeper, a boy whose only friend is a swan, and a wily storyteller. The Figs pushes for audiences to remember the wonder held inside a good story.

Lati-NO! by Miguel Muñoz: Popular student John Flowers is "living the dream" at Americaland High School and hiding his Latin roots while pretending to be the all-American boy in this dark comedy. Everyone is in love with him, he can do no wrong, that is until, a new student, Macho, with maracas in hand, blows his façade. What happens when the dream starts to crumble, and who is John without his false reality?

After Orlando by Madeline Sayet: Written in response to the Pulse Nightclub tragedy, After Orlando is a short play that shares a first-person account of what goes through your mind during this terrifying moment. But who is speaking? Is it the shooter, the bystander, or the victim? Three actors, three directors, three perspectives, and one play.

"There are many different interpretations of identity and land and social reclamation that are in companionship with indigenous voices that I'm really excited to see how they blend together," they said. "I'm most looking forward to meeting the people. At a gathering like this, you meet the most exciting artists and new creative partners. The energy around seeing something new is always unique because you can't critique a reading. It's a different relaxed energy at these festivals. It's all about celebrating new works."

American Stages' Lift Every Voice New Play Festival on March 3-5 at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, 150 Central Avenue in Downtown St. Pete. All-Access Pass is $100 (+ $8 handling). Learn more and buy tickets at https://www.americanstage.org/event-calendar. To learn more about keynote speaker Regina Victor, visit http://www.reginavictor.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.