Inaugural Lavender Fest is a rainbow of queer performance art

A new theater festival aimed at showcasing queer storytellers from all over North America will hold its first-ever event from June 19 through June 23 at Out Front Theatre. Festival director Ty Autry promises that Lavender Fest, featuring multiple performances of nine different hour-long shows, will appeal to fans of new work.

“Lavender Fest has been a labor of love for the last two years as I explore ways to ignite new queer work across multiple generations — not just for young people, not just for old [people], not just plays [and] not just musicals,” Autry said in a recent interview. “This is a way to bring every facet of the queer rainbow together in a conglomerate of different performance art.”

Many of the participating artists in the inaugural event are Atlanta-based, Autry said.

“When I developed the festival, I wanted to assure that 50% of the work came from the South,” he said. “I want to educate Atlanta audiences about what festival work looks like: the odd, the new, the vulnerable and the spicy.”

Local actor and playwright Davin Grindstaff, whose script Open will be performed twice on the main stage, said the comedy about a gay couple’s attempt at an open relationship includes some racy elements.

“In my mind, it’s spicy,” Grindstaff said. “I ask myself, ‘If I post a video from this on social media, am I going to receive an email from my mother?’ That’s the line for me. But it depends on the audience. So much queer media has pushed boundaries for the past 10 or 20 years, and what used to seem really outrageous is now standard fare.”

Grindstaff said bringing Open to the stage for the first time has been an interesting learning experience; he discovered during rehearsals just how quickly the jokes flew. Instead of having to edit the script to fit into an hour, the director and cast have discovered the right pacing during rehearsals.

The festival lineup also will include The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen, by Les Kurkendaal-Barrett. The show tells the true story of William Dorsey Swann, a former slave who began performing drag in the 1800s.

Autry said that performance moved him to tears when he saw it at another festival, so he’s thrilled that Atlanta audiences will get the chance to see it.

Other shows in the festival include a new musical called Moonshot, a play with music set in an alternate reality by Sof Delgado titled You Are Not Your Face and a solo show from Canadian comedian Johnnie McNamara Walker titled The Heterosexuals.

“The audience can expect something very varied,” Autry said.

The selection process for the Lavender Fest lineup was modeled after other fringe and queer performance art festivals Autry attended as an independent touring artist.

“This is something I wanted to do to share the experiences that I have gleaned over the years,” he said. “I wanted to create a performing arts festival with the artists in mind. I want a safe space for everyone involved.”

Festival passes are available online for $75, and it is possible for audience members to buy tickets for individual performances as well.

“The majority of ticket sales go back straight to the artists,” Autry said. “This is where it’s key for independent producers, actors and writers for more people to come see their work — because this is where it matters for them. Not only can they get feedback or just share a wonderful story — this festival helps them financially so that they can continue onto the next project, they can say the next big thing or they can move this project to the next level.”

Though distinctly created by LGBTQIA artists, Lavender Fest will appeal to all audiences, and Autry said attendance in this political climate is more important than ever.

“This is a queer performing arts festival,” he said. “They are queer stories written by queer people about queer lives, but one of the best ways to be an ally is to show up to this work. The honest truth is we need that support — we need people who don’t belong to our tribe to see our narratives and hear our voices.”

Out Front’s support for the festival has been heartening, Autry added.

“I am just so incredibly proud and satisfied to know that this summer we have nine unique, varied shows in one theatrical space, telling nine different stories,” he said. “People are going to witness that, and they are going to love it. They’re going to have a blast.”

He laughed.

“I suggest people come see it all,” Autry said. “Damn it, queer theater needs your support.