WTF HAPPENED TO BABY SISTER? and More Set for Rainbow Theatre Project This Month

The Rainbow Theatre Project launched their sophomore season last month and continues to shine a spotlight on new LGBTQ plays with its schedule for November. Coming next is the company's first fully-staged presentation, Brave Soul Collective's WTF Happened to Baby Sister?, and the next installment of its successful Generation Q Staged Reading Series: Jeffrey Higgins' I'm Just Saying... with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's short play Swamp Gothic.

WTF Happened to Baby Sister? returns to D.C. for a limited run on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. after a successful workshop earlier this year at Source by Brave Soul Collective, a multidisciplinary arts & education organization which focuses on HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention, as well as issues affecting the lives of LGBTQ individuals and communities at large in the D.C.-area.

Brave Soul Collective founder Monte J. Wolfe and Jared Shamberger will reprise their starring roles onstage as "The Fabulous Jenkins Sisters" -- glamorous drag ball icons who've fallen on lean times. Written by Thembi Duncan; conceived and directed by James Foster, Jr; and inspired by Michael Sainte-Andress, WTF Is an outrageous play that provides a glimpse into Harlem's House/Ball Community, with drag performances, comedy, tragedy, battles, bondage, murder and a nod to more than one Diva of Old Hollywood. Stanley Z. Freeman and Jivon Lee Jackson co-star.

RTP Producing Artistic Director, H. Lee Gable jumped at the chance to collaborate with Brave Soul Collective this season, saying "While we are all part of the LGBTQ community, within that community we're often split into our own little groups, whether it's by age or by race or by gender. Rainbow Theatre Project wants to cross those lines and open the doors to all the different parts of the LGBTQ community."

But up first, Swamp Gothic and I'm Just Saying... hit the stage for another Generation Q reading at Source on Monday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. In Swamp Gothic, local playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, whose Say You Love Me Satan was presented at RTP last season, offers up Swamp-Thing-Meets-Tennessee-Williams as a handsome college student battles man-eating alligators, voodoo, zombies and an over-protective sister to find his equally handsome missing best friend. Swamp Gothic features the RTP debuts of Jason Barrett, Nzinga Lawrence and David A. Richardson, who will also direct the piece.

The evening's main event is the world premiere of I'm Just Saying by Jeffrey Higgins. Directed by HalfMad Theatre's Co-Artistic Director, Connor Hogan, the play focuses on the relationship between two guys-one gay and one straight-who are lifelong friends and roommates. Their bond begins to falter when one decides to take his relationship with his girlfriend to the next level. A duel of spoken and unspoken words breaks out showcasing that the labels used in the past are becoming obsolete for who we are today.

The show stars local actors Scott Gaines and Brendan Kennedy as best friends Joshua and AJ, and features Megan Behm as Joshua's intrusive girlfriend, Bernadette.

"I was drawn to I'm Just Saying because the characters are from a different generation than I am and some of things they say caught me by surprise. I found myself laughing even as I was shaking my head at what was being said and then realized that it wasn't because they were being wrong but rather that my age was showing. These people are coming from a different mindset then mine and I found that intriguing. I knew Rainbow Theatre Project needed to present this younger way of thinking," reflects Producing Artistic Director H. Lee Gable.

Both WTF Happened to Baby Sister? and I'm Just Sayin... with Swamp Gothic will be held at Source, located at 1835 14th Street, NW in Washington, D.C. The venue is approximately 2 blocks from the U Street/Cardozo Metro Station. Street Parking is also available.

Seats for WTF are $20 in advance through the Rainbow Theatre Project website and $25 at the door on the evening of the performance. Tickets for Generation Q staged readings are just $10 and may also be purchased in advance through the company's website or at the door on the evening of the performance.

Cash or credit cards will be accepted for tickets purchased at the door. Seating is general admission for both events and doors open at 7:00 p.m. Concessions will also be available for purchase onsite.

Visit www.rainbowtheatreproject.org for more information about the company or to purchase tickets.

About The Rainbow Theatre Project - The Rainbow Theatre Project is committed to being the premier theatre for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community in the Nation's Capital by presenting plays and musicals that reflect the unique experiences, interests and history of the LGBTQ community.

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