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What it is to be an Active Witness: T Lavois Thiebaud and Jason Nodler Talk Collaboration and the Catastrophic Theatre’s ‘4.48 Psychosis’

A photo of 4.48 Psychosis.

I first learned of the playwright Sarah Kane through Houston’s Catastrophic Theatre and founder Jason Nodler in 2011, just a few months after I embarked on a dance theater collaboration with a contemporary ballet and dance theater company I had followed avidly for many years. I was running off the high of what the best collaborative relationships can be. It was through that collaboration that I would meet and date one of the actors cast in the Catastrophic Theatre’s production…

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Unlearning Leviticus: Bridging the Gay-Christian Gap

A photo of the Gay-Christian gap.

However, from the boundaries of my own lived experience, and despite Christ “ending the old law,” Christians who condemn LGBTQIA+ identities and experiences often cite one Old Testament passage in particular, and there has perhaps been no text with a larger influence on attitudes toward gay people than the biblical book of Leviticus.…

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On Containing Multitudes: Discovering My Jewish Roots

A photo of a menorah, a part of Dr. Laura McGuire's Jewish faith.

When I was seven years old, I asked for a rather unusual gift—a menorah. Now, if I had been growing up in a Jewish household, this might not have seemed so out of place; but, as a second-grader who was raised between two Baptist and Catholic families—and attended a Methodist church—this was an odd request. Nevertheless, my mom took me to a craft store and we picked out a paint-it-yourself clay menorah with beautiful Stars of David all across it.…

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Holding Space and Creating Magic: The Wanderoo Lodge is a Queer Haven for Travelers and Locals Alike

A photo of the owners of the Wanderoo Lodge.

By Barrett White The land where Eureka Springs, Arkansas, sits is Osage land. Though the Osage people protected their land from neighboring tribes, they allowed people from any tribe—hostile neighbors or not—to bring their ill onto the land to visit the natural springs, believed to have healing properties. This historic, benevolent gesture of goodwill is well-remembered in present-day Eureka Springs. Just ask locals David and Ethan Avanzino, who jointly run the Wanderoo Lodge—an LGBTQ-owned and -operated outdoor adventure lodge in…

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Queer Artists Debut New Work at 2021 Houston Fringe FestIVAL

A photo of Urethra Burns at Houston Fringe Festival

The 2021 Houston Fringe Festival, which will present three showcase-style evenings of fringe performances hosted by the Pilot Dance Project and curated by Adam Castaneda, will take place October 15–17, 2021, at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH). Among the artists selected to perform are Urethra Burns, Ayan Felix, and duo Stephanie Saint Sanchez and Jay Mays, LGBTQIA+ artists who will present explorations of gender and sexuality. …

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The DeLuxe Theater’s ‘Art for the People’ Celebrates History with a New Focus

A photo of DeLuxe Theater.

Art for the People pays homage to The De Luxe Show, one of the country’s first-ever integrated art exhibitions, which took place 50 years ago in 1971 at the old DeLuxe Theater. The DeLuxe Theater originally opened in 1941 and served the city’s Black community. After the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, segregated movie theaters were no longer needed, and the DeLuxe Theater closed in 1969. However, the building remained standing and, in 1971 when the De Menils tasked…

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Q Fest 2021 Hits Screens for the Last Time—With A 25-Year Legacy in Tow

A photo of Swan Song, a QFest 2021 featured film.

By Autumn Rendall After 25 years, QFest—Houston’s international LGBTQIA+ film festival—is hitting screens for the last time. The festival kicked off with its competition short film screenings on September 24 at Aurora Picture Show and will continue with two more in-person screenings of the feature film Swan Song (September 26 and October 2, both at 5:00 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston). All feature and short films will also be available to screen virtually through the Cinenso platform…

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