Back Porch Premieres

I’m incredibly proud of this production.

This is the world premiere of a new work, in a small venue. I have loved working with this company; director Kelly McIver absolutely integrated me into the team, and I felt both welcomed and valued throughout the process. The cast was collaborative in crafting staged moments of intimacy, and the process was fluid and creative. And the script sweetly presents an earnest story of queer men finding one another—and, while less than effusive, acceptance—in the southern U.S. long before open queerness was publicly accepted or politically legal. It also explores the values—freedom for one, family for another—that pull these men apart despite having found love.

And I’m a little flabbergasted by its reception. It’s not often that the work of an IC is recognized as such in reviews; often, our choreography is minimized as “chemistry” in writing. And, to be fair, this is my aesthetic goal: to craft choreography that feels as though it is the embodiment of real, in-the-moment emotions of the characters and which fits within the world of the play. But the actors do not need to have “chemistry” in order to tell the story; it is, after all, a performance.

Although that is my goal, it is always exciting when a reviewer recognizes that this work is, well, work. So I was absolutely floored when Virginia Schneider wrote in the Hollywood Times that Morgan and Jay’s scenes are magic, thanks to McIver and intimacy director Amanda Rose Villarreal’s ability to mine tiny moments as both characters find the discomfort and delight of first love.

For more, read the full review here.

Gary (Isaac Jay) and Bill (Jordan Morgan) in Back Porch

Gary (Isaac Jay) and Bill (Jordan Morgan) in Back Porch

Bill (Jordan Morgan) and Gary (Isaac Jay) in Back Porch