by joel martens –
They say that out of great pain, great beauty can emerge. Those of us who work and play in the arts have borne witness to that transformation repeatedly through theatre, music, spoken word and all the myriad forms out there.
It’s often a window to the inner workings of our human complexity and society’s prejudices. The arts shine a light in uncomfortable places, forcing us to examine who we are and how we fit in today’s ever-changing world. Then, because of that examination, it often becomes a catalyst for broader cultural change. Ultimately, that’s the job of the arts, to challenge, to examine and to question… objectives that are a big part of what drives San Diego’s Diversionary Theatre.
Founded in 1986 at the beginning of the AIDS crisis as a way to bring to light the important social issues impacting LGBTQ people’s quality of life, Diversionary Theatre is the third oldest continuously producing LGBTQ theatre in the United States.
Their mission is “To provide an inspiring and thought-provoking theatrical platform to explore complex and diverse LGBTQ stories, which influence the larger cultural discussion. Our vision is to foster and amplify the next generation of LGBTQ voices by providing live entertainment in a dynamic, inclusive and provocative environment that celebrates and preserves our unique culture.”
Celebrating that legacy is what Diversionary’s Rock n’ Roll Rebellion Ball is all about, it’s as they say, “an exhilarating evening celebrating the ferocity and determination of the third oldest LGBTQ theatre in the country.” All of those things and, of course, it’s part of how they fund their show and keep those stage lights burning.
The exciting evening includes “decadent dining, sizzling auction items, and rockin’ games,” with an electrifying performance featuring Justin Huertas and Kiki deLohr from one of Diversionary’s acclaimed musicals Lizard Boy all emceed by actor Allison Spratt Pearce (Diversionary’s Anita Bryant in The Loneliest Girl in the World).
Fritz Klein Honorees for the evening include Dea and Osborn Hurston, long-time Diversionary supporters. They have also helped support Moxie Theatre, San Diego Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe, Diversionary Theatre, Ion and numerous others in the San Diego region. Receiving the Fritz Klein National Award is Alexandra Billings, (Transparent and Broadway’s The Nap), who amongst her tireless activism and performance work as an actor and singer, is currently a professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles teaching theatre.
As many in the LGBTQ community are too, Billings is no stranger to challenges. She has risen from the specter cast by ignorance and fear, living through the violence of bullying having been chased, pushed, beaten and even raped. ”There were many who wanted to hurt me. I was hit, thrown down stairs, tripped, slapped, and one time someone poured a bucket of fish on me as I was on my way to the bus.”
Those things isolated Billings, but that pain eventually led her to her strength. “I realized as I left for the city and eventually found my trans tribe, that I belonged to a community of people that what I was had nothing to do with what I wore… I wasn’t a mistake,” she said. “I came to understand that gender is learned behavior, it has nothing to do with anything except society’s rules, so the way you behave and the way I behave are things we’ve been taught.”
Pain can be transformative and Billings summed up beautifully the commonality of that experience and its possibilities . “I don’t know anyone who hasn’t suffered. That is part of the human experience. If you do not suffer, you do not expand, and you do not change and you do not receive. Suffering is one of the great gifts of this thing we’re all in.”
As to what winning the award means, Billings is retrospective. “It’s wonderful to be recognized as someone who has worked for change. My goal has always been to show that anyone can rise above difficult circumstances. But, to insure that, we each must challenge ourselves and engage with those who we don’t necessarily agree to foster that change.”
The Diversionary’s Rock n’ Roll Rebellion Ball takes place on Friday, April 26 at the U.S. Grant Hotel in Downtown San Diego. For tickets and more information, call Nora Zahn at 619.220.6830 x104 or go to diversionary.org/gala2019.