‘Boy’ tackles gender identity at Theatrical Outfit

For a theater company that rarely stages LGBT fare, Theatrical Outfit has two gaythemed plays in its new season. Besides Topher Payne’s “Perfect Arrangement” next spring, the company just opened the new drama “Boy.”

Anna Ziegler’s play is based on the story of David Peter Reimer, whose genitals were mutilated during a circumcision just after he was born. A doctor convinces the parents to raise their male son as a girl – and years later it has serious repercussions on the young man in question.

Clifton Guterman, who is gay and works as Theatrical Outfit’s associate artistic director, plays the titular character, with the openly gay Melissa Foulger directing it. Tom Key, the company’s artistic director, stars as the doctor.

Guterman had been following the play’s off-Broadway debut, and when he got hold of the script. he knew it would be a great fit somewhere in Atlanta. After a local reading of the play, his company jumped on it.

“I was so happy and surprised that Tom loved it so much in the reading that he put it in the season,” Guterman said.

It’s the first professional staging outside of New York.

The main character was born Sam, but was then named Samantha. Later, when he learns the truth, he changes his name to Adam Turner. Guterman plays Adam as well as Samantha ages 6 – 12.

The character’s gender change happened in the late 1960s, well-removed from today’s society with more awareness of transgender people.

“It was a different time in terms of how we do research and how we trust the medical community,” Guterman said. “This family had a terrible thing happen. They had a huge choice to make. They were told the child would have a better life if he were raised as a girl.”

Guterman dove deep into his research getting ready for the role.

“I read the biography of the boy it is based on. Our play is set in America, not Canada, and has a different ending, but it is heavily based on his case. There is also a BBC docu-

September 29, 2017