About the Plays:

HARD TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited number of copies are still available.

Twentieth century theatre is seen as a powerful force in bringing gay and lesbian characters and themes out of the closet and into the spotlight. These dramatic selections in Out Plays: Landmark Gay and Lesbian Plays of the Twentieth Century share themes of oppression countered by love, fear, anger, and humour – not only gay or lesbian, but universally human.

With a foreword by Harvey Fierstein, included in Out Plays are:

The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley (with a new introduction by the playwright): The Tony-Award winning play revolves around a group of gay men who gather for a birthday party in New York City in 1968. The Boys in the Band is a time capsule of gay life at the time – before Stonewall, before AIDS, before Marriage Equality. As the evening wears on, fuelled by drugs and alcohol, bitter, unresolved resentments among the guests come to light when a game of "Truth" goes terribly wrong. (Cast: 9 male)

Find Your Way Home by John Hopkins: Relationships are put to the test and ripped apart when a husband and father, resolves to finally leave his wife for his younger male lover, who is in the midst of a very dark and disturbing period in his life. (Cast: 1 female, 3 male)

The Ritz by Terrence McNally: A conservative Cleveland businessman is on the run to escape his murderous mafioso brother-in-law. In his desperation, he seeks refuge in an uproarious gay bathhouse packed with kooky characters and a chain of mistaken identities. (Cast: 3 female, 14 male)

Gemini by Albert Innaurato: A wealthy brother and sister are both attracted to the same man at the boisterous birthday gathering of an Italian-American family in the summer of 1973 in Philadelphia. Bursting with vitality and creative imagination, this funny, perceptive and timely play enjoyed major critical and popular success in its presentation (first off and then on Broadway) by New York's famed Circle Repertory Company. The production ran for five years and 1,819 performances making it Broadway's longest running comedy and the fourth longest running play in Broadway history. (Cast: 3 female, 4 male)

Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson: A paraplegic Vietnam veteran whose attempt to return to a normal life comes crashing down, to the dismay of his lover Jed, his sister June, and his Aunt Sally, who has returned to the family homestead to scatter her late husband's ashes. (Cast: 4 female, 4 male)

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (the Acting Edition is out of print) by Jane Chambers: It's 1980 at Bluefish Cove: a lesbian beachside haven. Lil Zalinski and her close knit group of friends take refuge here each summer to live and love freely. When a straight woman named Eva wanders unknowingly into their midst, she sends The Cove into a tailspin and knocks Lil off her feet. This landmark lesbian play broke extraordinary new ground when it premiered Off-Broadway in 1980. (Cast: 8 female)

Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein: A gay drag performer has a tempestuous relationship with his bisexual, closeted lover. Both attempt other relationships before forming a family with an adopted son – and after the drag queen confronts his disapproving mother – in an evening composed of three one-act plays, with a blues singer singing torch songs as commentary. (Cast: 3 female, 4 male)

The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel: When an elementary school teacher acquires a mysterious illness, her brother whisks her away to Europe in search of a secret cure. While he conducts cloak and dagger routines to procure black market medication, she indulges in all sensual pleasures as if each day is her last. (Cast: 3 female, 2 male with doubling)

About the Editor:

Ben Hodges is an actor, director, theatre, and independent film producer, and was executive director of Fat Chance Productions and the Ground Floor Theatre. He is a board member of the Theatre World Awards.