ARTS . Art

Mauck 'Em Dead

With a hefty grant from Temple, a fledgling theater company gets its wings.


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Published: Sep 21, 2010

The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream

[ theater ]

When Peter Reynolds won Temple University's Provost Seed Grant, it wasn't just a gift given for services rendered. (One of the many hats Reynolds wears is assistant chair of the Department of Theater at Temple.)

The $36,500 award, given to both Reynolds and Temple interdisciplinary communications head Scott Gratson, goes toward the development of a new theatrical work; thanks to another hat Reynolds wears, he's got just the right company for the job.

Queer, Get Used to It, a multimedia work in which Reynolds and Gratson will film local and New York City-based LGBTQ youth, actors, writers, musicians, filmmakers, queer theorists and many more, will be produced by none other than Philadelphia's most queer-centric theater company, Mauckingbird. Reynolds, when he's not at Temple, is the two-year-old troupe's artistic director.

"I am a gay man, so queer stories, of course, resonate strongly," Reynolds says of his mission to reach out to gay youth — nay, gay everybody. "On any given day, you can find numerous heterosexual stories being told on stage in Philadelphia. Why shouldn't there be some good queer stories, as well?"

Damn skippy. Since 2008, the Mauckingbird crew has made magic with every script it's touched: in 2008, the boy-on-boy take on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; in '09, John Logan's Leopold and Loeb tale Never the Sinner; and this year, a queer, youthful Midsummer Night's Dream.

Most dramatic, though, in the Mauckingbird canon are the lesbian-themed Hedda Gabler, starring Sarah Sanford at her subtly lustiest, and Molière's The Misanthrope, with the divine Dito van Reigersberg.

"I have to admit I was surprised by some of the things people felt were appropriate to say and/or print about Hedda," laughs Reynolds. "It went beyond whether or not they liked our production. We had not experienced this with our gay productions but, sadly, some found it acceptable to voice inappropriate epithets about a lesbian Hedda."

Critical sneers aside, Reynolds has dedicated his dual career to getting people to the theater. "We were thrilled that more people saw A Midsummer Night's Dream this past month than ever had experienced a Mauckingbird show," he says. "The students at Temple are tremendous — engaged and energizing. I am passionate about musical theater. But Mauckingbird affords me the opportunities to tell other stories, as well."

Speaking of which, Queer, Get Used To It, slated to make its debut in March of 2011, provides an opportunity for Reynolds to get close to a cause that's near and dear to his heart. "I enjoy directing all kinds of stories, but it is particularly meaningful to direct your 'own' story," says Reynolds.

"I believe that within young people lies the possibility of not just tolerance, but true inclusion for the queer community. I have noticed a real shift in attitude among young people around the issue of queerness. Scott and I are eager to speak with them about it — why the change? What is different now? Or are we merely being naive and things have not actually changed that much?"

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

For more information about Mauckingbird Theatre Co., visit mauckingbirdtheatreco.org