Local writer and actor Julian Legere is putting queer expression front and centre in this spring’s installment of the Pride Reading Series at Theatre Northwest.
He will be premiering a reading of his new play Darcy & Wickham, which reimagines the history between Jane Austen’s beloved hero and alluring scoundrel from her novel Pride and Prejudice through a queer-masculine lens.
“As a big Jane Austen nerd, I’ve always been fascinated by the history these two characters share,” said Legere. “And in starting to write about it I found all this rich material I could use to explore masculinity and queerness and gender and intimacy by doing a bit of a remix of Austen’s narrative.”
Darcy & Wickham will kick off the Pride Series on Wednesday, March 29 and followed by two other readings.
The following Wednesday on April 5, two actors will portray one character’s gender odyssey over half a century in Dragonfly.
The series will then close on Wednesday April 12 with the lush and deeply felt romantic comedy Swollen Tongues.
Veteran playwright Kathleen Oliver’s Swollen Tongues is a bright, frothy homage to the saucy wit of classical romantic comedies, featuring plenty of gender bending, mistaken identities, and cheeky wordplay, as well as sincere and moving queer romance.
Legere and Michelle Cyr will perform this one with an unusual twist: they will assign the roles based on an audience coin toss the night of the reading.
As practicing artists, both Cyr and Legere feel there’s an extra urgency in telling queer stories these days. “There’s a lot of anxiety right now in the queer communities we’re a part of,” said Cyr. “We’re seeing so many victories for people who want queer folx to be invisible, and trans folx to be eradicated.”
With threats and violence plaguing many queer events spaces, increasing attempts to prevent social transition and gender affirming health care, and a rise particularly in anti-trans rhetoric among high-profile public figures like J.K. Rowling and Dave Chapelle, many queer activists, leaders, and artists are worried about losing ground after decades of significant progress for LGBTQ2S+ rights.
“Canadians love to compare ourselves to the U.S. and say ‘it won’t happen here,’ but we know that’s not always true.” Legere explains.
“Storytelling has always been a vital part of queer resistance and liberation, and we are so excited to bring these radical, beautiful, heartfelt stories of love and survival to Prince George; especially in these strange and uncertain times.”
Tickets to all Theatre Northwest Stage Readings are available at tickets.theatrenorthwest.com.
