QUEER READING SERIES 2023
A specical project for uplifting voices from the LGBTQIA+ community
OCTOBER 9, 2023, 7:00pm
The Savoy
2700 E. arapaHoE street, Denver
TICKETS
YOUR ISSUE BY TROY LAKEY
Directed by Madison Kuebler
Starring Frankie Lee, Rick Long, Cal Meakins, Matthew Murry and Tracy Shaffer
Trevor, the golden boy, struggled with his attraction to men from an early age being raised in a conservative religious family. At two different critical moments in his life, his future self and his younger self come to show him the strength he truly has as they revisit pivotal conversations with his parents and brother. They must navigate shame, responsibility and expectations and find ways to love and celebrate their true self. The coming out process is unique to each person and is also a communal experience for those that are LGBTQ+, especially when you add religion and family to the journey. Will the family choose religion over their son?
PLAYWRIGHT
TROY LAKEY
Troy was raised Mormon, mostly in Oregon but also did some time in Utah. He has been in Denver this time for about 12 years. He started his career as a high school drama teacher and is now in corporate learning and development. You may have seen Troy on stage at the Vintage Theatre in Shakespeare in Love, and Boys in the Band, PopUp Theater’s production of the play Cock, or the most recent Play Crawl with And Toto too. Troy was the Assistant Director for The Inheritance and will be directing The Legend of Georgia McBride at Vintage Theatre that opens in Feb 2024.Troy has been working on this very personal autobiographical play for the last few years while taking playwriting classes with the talented Melissa McCarl at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Thank you for supporting new works and the LGBTQ+ community, we all have a unique and yet communal story to tell. Troy appreciates the ongoing support of his friends, his frenchies, Dublin and Oslo, his fabulous partner, Stock, and his amazing sons, Alex and Brendan.
DIRECTOR
MADISON KUEBLER (SHE/HER)
Madison is so excited to be back home in the theatre world and is honored to be working with And Toto too for the Queer Reading Series as their Assistant Artistic Director. She's worked as a sound designer, actor, and director for various companies in Denver over the last 10 years. She has a BA in Theatre from Metropolitan State University with a Minor in Women's Studies and is very passionate about telling stories from and about the Queer and LGBTIA+ community. She works as a funeral director and has a passion for greener funeral alternatives. She is also a certified Death Doula.
CAST
FRANKIE LEE
(Trevor)
Frankie Lee is an actor, writer, director, and solo performer in Denver. Frankie recently wrote, produced, and performed a successful run of his solo show FoMo - Formerly Mormon. Favorite productions include Stonewall (Marty Robinson), You'll Find Flies (Thomas), The Boys in the Band (Donald), tick, tick… BOOM! (Jon). He is also a teacher and sketch comedian at Rise Comedy in Downtown Denver where he teaches Improv and writes/acts for the sketch comedy team Snack Table. When not onstage Frankie enjoys reading Stephen King novels and getting his ass kicked by the New Yorker crossword puzzle.
RICK LONG
(Dad)
A native of Littleton, Rick Long has been seen on stages all over the United States and Europe, with this marking his debut at And Toto too. Earning an MFA in Theater from UW-Milwaukee, Rick has appeared with Arvada Center, THAC, Vintage Theater, Stage One, The Arizona Theatre Company, the Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod, and appeared as a Guest Artist at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Tony Award winning Utah Shakespearean Festival. Nominated in 2022 as Best Supporting Actor for a Henry Award, Rick is also an accomplished director, playwright, and internationally exhibited watercolor artist. Rick is thrilled to be back home, where he is currently an adjunct Lecturer in Acting at Colorado University in Boulder.
CAL MEAKINS
(Trev)
Cal Meakins is a playwright & aspiring dramaturg local to Colorado. He was an intern for the 2019 Diversity in the Arts program at the Arvada Center & has since worked around Denver as an actor, stage manager, and house manager. Previous acting credits: Avenue Q (Miner's Alley Playhouse), Into the Woods (Arvada Center), Late: A New Musical (CenterStage Theatre Company), Man Up (Empathy Theatre Project), & The Fantasticks (Town Hall Arts Center).
MATTHEW MURRY(HE/hIM)
(Ted)
Matthew is honored to be part of this reading series! Matthew holds an M.F.A. in Acting from Indiana University, a B.A. in Theatre from Muskingum University, and a certificate in Commedia Dell'Arte Performance from Antonio Fava's International School of Comic Acting in Italy. In Colorado, he has worked with Firehouse Theater Company and Vintage Theatre. Matthew can be seen in the upcoming production of The Cherry Orchard at Miners Alley Playhouse.
TRACY SHAFFER
(MOM)
Tracy Shaffer has been working as a professional actress, writer and director for the past four decades. Her most recent trip on the boards was in her original show, Spontaneous Dance Party, in the Denver Fringe Festival, winning the award for “Best Solo Performance”. Along with her creative pursuits, Ms. Shaffer is a Denver Realtor who delights in helping friends and clients buy and sell homes.