Students at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, Louisiana organized a play called 'The Capitol Project' to protest anti-inclusion proposals [75ee3d61]. The play, based on the students' own experiences, was performed on the steps of the state Capitol [75ee3d61]. The students hoped that the play would spark more empathy compared to raucous demonstrations [75ee3d61]. The play was funded by a grant from the It Gets Better Project and directed by Broadway director Jimmy Maize [75ee3d61]. The students shared their stories and experiences, including the mental health struggles of queer students [75ee3d61]. The proposed legislation in Louisiana would regulate students' pronouns, bathrooms, and discussions of gender and sexuality in the classroom [75ee3d61]. The play aimed to give students a sense of power and to raise awareness about the potential impact of the legislation [75ee3d61]. The play was performed four days ahead of the international Transgender Day of Visibility [75ee3d61]. Legislators inside the Capitol were debating a bill about car insurance while the play was being performed [75ee3d61]. Only one lawmaker, state Sen. Royce Duplessis, stopped to watch the play for an extended time [75ee3d61]. The play concluded with a dialogue between a mother and her child, emphasizing the importance of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights [75ee3d61].
The play 'Letters to Kamala/Dandelion Peace' is a double bill of plays by Rachel Lynett [33fc4df0]. The first play, 'Letters to Kamala,' is a primer on three forgotten women of color in U.S. politics who blazed trails [33fc4df0]. The second play, 'Dandelion Peace,' is a political allegory set in an urban community garden [33fc4df0]. The production is modest and the scripts are straightforward and bluntly informative [33fc4df0]. The performances of Kendra Holloway and Fatima Quander are inventive and compelling [33fc4df0]. The play raises intriguing questions about compromise, progress, and revolution, but lacks dramatic back-and-forth and textual complexity [33fc4df0]. The play 'Dandelion Peace' complicates the celebration of political legacies in 'Letters to Kamala' with its skeptical vision of democracy [33fc4df0]. The characters and scenario in 'Dandelion Peace' lack depth beyond their allegorical pinnings [33fc4df0]. The play is being performed at the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington until June 30 [33fc4df0].