Proud Theater: Loud & Clear

The dream of youth activist Sol Kelley-Jones, who had an idea of changing the world through the power of theater, Proud Theater has been producing theater that changes lives and the world for almost a decade. Called the “Oscars of youth service awards” by CNN, a 2004 Brick Award was presented to Kelley-Jones for her work with the group. The company as a whole won OutReach’s Organization of the Year award in 2002 and has received numerous grants and donations. The group was recently asked to create a performance for the Madison opening of the touring exhibit from the National Holocaust Museum, “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945”.

Proud Theater was one of the earliest of the nation’s queer youth theater groups and has a unique approach to its work. All the plays are written by a process in which the youth will discuss a topic, find the common threads, discuss what could translate theatrically, and then create and write a piece that comes out of their own experiences as queer youth in today’s world. They are guided by adult mentors, but the work is ultimately their own. Plays are workshopped and fine-tuned, so that even if one youth originally wrote a piece it ultimately belongs to the group as a whole. Proud Theater has presented pieces on bullying, transgender issues, coming out stories, AIDS, suicide, and more, but the pieces are not so much about the topics as the characters living them. In addition many of the youth write songs, spoken word pieces, or create dance.

The group has performed or conducted workshops at Senior Centers, schools, conferences, and pride celebrations throughout southern Wisconsin and as far away as Minneapolis. At the end of the year a culminating performance is scheduled that puts together a couple hours worth of pieces created during the year. These performances have more often than not played to sold-out houses.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Wild Proud Theater this year will present its culminating show with performances from May 29-31 at the Evjue Theatre in the Bartell Theater building in downtown Madison. Co-sponsored by OutReach, Stage Q, and the New Harvest Foundation this year’s show will look at “personal acceptance, family issues, history, dating, and much, much more.” Tickets may be ordered or reserved in advance by contacting Stage Q at www.stageq.com or Proud Theater at www.proudtheater.org.