The Arizona Republic

LGBT youth find their voice at musical

Actors find the souls of Gloria and Emilio in ‘On Your Feet!’

- Kerry Lengel Randy Cordova

It’s been more than 20 years since Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian, and if you’re old enough to remember why a sitcom star saying she dates women could be such a big deal, then you’ve seen a lot of changes in LGBT representa­tion in popular culture.

On TV, there was “Will & Grace, “Queer as Folk” and “Modern Family,” all It’s never easy for actors to portray recognizab­le, real-life figures. But imagine you’re one of the actors auditionin­g to play half of the power couple Gloria and Emilio Estefan in the crowd-pleasing jukebox musical “On Your Feet!” Who’s in charge of casting? The Estefans, of course. “Oh, the actors get so nervous,” says Emilio Estefan, on the phone from — where else? — Miami. “We just try to get them to relax and stay in the moment and do the best they can.” milestones in portraying gay characters, and “Orange Is the New Black” and “Transparen­t,” equally breakthrou­ghs for the transgende­r community. It really seems like a different world.

If, on the other hand, you were born after 1997 and only know DeGeneres as a kindly, totally uncontrove­rsial talkshow host, all of that progress adds up to just a handful of stories about a hugely diverse community.

And that’s why one.n.ten, a resource center for LGBT youth ages 14 to 24, jumped at the chance to take 18 of them along on a behind-the-scenes encounter with the first Valley production of “Fun Home,” the 2015 musical featuring what Playbill.com calls “by far, the most groundbrea­king lesbian character in a Broadway musical.”

Before opening weekend in October, while the show was still in rehearsals, artists from Phoenix Theatre visited one.n.ten’s new youth center in Phoenix to lead workshops exploring ways — from improv to graphic novels — for the teens and 20somethin­gs to tell the story of their own identity.

One of them was 18-year-old Lorelei Rose, who talked about coming out as lesbian, but only as part of the story of how she came to change her name.

It’s a tough story, and one that demonstrat­es why one.n.ten was founded 26 years ago.

Named Tatiana at birth, Rose grew up in Texas in a large family where she

says there was a strict don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy when it came to sexuality.

“The town I’m from, it’s literally like you either go to church six out of seven days a week or you’re a delinquent and you’re smoking pot six out of seven days a week,” she said.

Her mother died two years ago, and Rose moved to Phoenix a year later. A survivor, she says one.n.ten and its homeless services saved her life.

“I would be dead if I didn’t know one.n.ten,” she said. “I say that completely honestly, because I didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know where I wanted to be, and I really just wanted to disappear.”

Telling the story of how she chose a new name was an eye-opening experience, she adds.

“I never give myself props for stuff I do, but doing that exercise was kind of me being forced to acknowledg­e how far I’m come,” she said.

Gina Read, program manager for one.n.ten, said the center’s first partnershi­p with Phoenix Theatre was a hit with the youth.

“They did a behind-the-scenes tour of the theater,” she said. “They couldn’t believe everything that goes into putting on a production. Then they saw the musical, and they were blown away. It was very inspiring for our youth, because they could identify with the protagonis­t.”

“Fun Home” is based on the award-winning graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, of the Bechdel Test fame, about her complicate­d relationsh­ip with her father, a closeted gay man, and her own process of coming out. Nuanced and cerebral, the book seems like unlikely fodder for a song-and-dance show, but the Broadway adaptation won the Tony Award for best musical.

Phoenix Theatre’s production, which runs through Dec. 2, is also getting great reviews — including from one.n.ten.

“I was a blubberfac­e,” said Sage Arturus Connally, 22. “About 15 minutes in, I was sobbing. It was so beautiful, and it touched so many bases.”

Not that “Fun Home” was his story. Connally is a trans man, but he still found many resonances, not just in the discovery of the character’s identity but also in universal things, like the paradoxica­l closeness and distance of parents and their children.

Asked for her review, Rose simply broke into song, having already memorized a catchy tune and lyric: “Joan, Joan, Joan, Joan, Joan . ... I’m changing my major to Joan.”

Reach the reporter at kerry.lengel@arizonarep­ublic.com or 602-444-4896. Follow him at facebook.com/LengelOnTh­eater and twitter.com/KerryLenge­l.

 ??  ?? Christie Prades captures the essence of Gloria Estefan in “On Your Feet!”
Christie Prades captures the essence of Gloria Estefan in “On Your Feet!”
 ?? REG MADISON PHOTOGRAPH­Y ?? “Changing My Major” is a highlight of Phoenix Theatre’s production of “Fun Home.”
REG MADISON PHOTOGRAPH­Y “Changing My Major” is a highlight of Phoenix Theatre’s production of “Fun Home.”

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