2014 marks the 50th Anniversary of the birth of gay theater.

In 1964, Lanford Wilson's "The Madness of Lady Bright" and Robert Patrick's "The Haunted Host" opened at the Caffe Cino in Greenwich Village. These two groundbreaking plays paved the way for subsequent GLBTQ theater. Published by the Gay and Lesbian Review, Worldwide, my essay explains how these plays did more than just open the door for gays on stage: by making visible and public a new liberated consciousness, they helped open the closet door in general, as well.

Robert Patrick and William Hoffman in
“The Haunted Host,” December 1964 production.

Tom Bigornia, Neil Flanagan, and Lucy Silvay in
“The Madness of Lady Bright.”
Photo by Conrad Ward from the 1964 revival.

Click Here
to read the article.

Book review of "Staging Social Justice: Collaborating to Create Activist Theatre" by Norma Bowles and Daniel-Raymond Nadon, eds.

CLICK HERE to read my book review in the Gay & Lesbian Review, Worldwide of "Staging Social Justice: Collaborating to Create Activist Theatre," a new anthology edited by Norma Bowles and Daniel-Raymond Nadon.

Staging Social Justice: Collaborating to Create Activist Theatre
Edited by Norma Bowles and Daniel-Raymond Nadon
Southern Illinois University Press.  328 pages, $35.

IN 1991, Fringe Benefits Theater Company co-founder and artistic director Norma Bowles began collaborating with homeless queer youth in Los Angeles to devise original theater pieces depicting the sometimes brutally harrowing, often boldly inspiring actualities of their young lives. These powerful early pieces were performed at Highways Performance Space as well as at area high schools. They were acclaimed by critics and community alike, and Sir Ian McKellen himself narrated the film Surviving Friendly Fire about the company’s unconventional process. A subsequent project, Cootie Shots, resulted in a play tour and ensuing anthology that was groundbreaking in that it brought GLBT stories into elementary schools throughout the U.S. as early as 1999.
To read more of the review, CLICK HERE

Lanford Wilson's "Fifth of July" directed by Darren Blaney, Virginia Princehouse Allen Theater, Pomona College Department of Theatre & Dance, Fall 2017

Some production photos of the 2007 production of Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July that I directed at Pomona College. 

Cast:

Ken: Danny Zucker
Jed: Alexander Glassmann
June: Molly McKinney... Read More
John: Chris Coughlin
Gwen: Caroline Almy
Sally: Annie Frietas
Shirley: Karla Davenport
Weston: AJ Krane

Direction, Set, & Lighting Design:

Darren Blaney

Costume Design:

Suzanne Schultz Reed

This studio production ran in late November 2007, and received a tremendously appreciative response from the community. Danny Zucker and Alex Glassmann both received awards from the Kennedy Center for achievement in acting, and the entire ensemble received a commendation from the Kennedy Center for excellence in ensemble playing. It was truly a magical experience working with these talented young actors. 

Additional shots can be found by scrolling onto the next page by clicking "read more"

YouTube excerpts from the 2004 production of my one human show, "The Bird Club: Letter to Sandra Bernhard"

excerpt 1 from "The Bird Club" including 'Simple, Proud, Wasted'

excerpt 2 from "The Bird Club" including 'Another Aging Catholic Queen'

excerpt 3 from "The Bird Club" including 'Querida' & Folk Song for Sandy

excerpt 4 from "The Bird Club" including "Song for the Radical Fairies"

2004 PRESS RELEASE

The Bird Club: Letter to Sandra Bernhard

Written and performed by Darren Blaney

Directed by Kristina Goodnight, Jeremy Karafin, and Marilee Talkington

Twice produced in San Francisco (at Shotwell Studios & the Phoenix Theater in the SF Fringe Festival, 2001), and more recently staged at Works San Jose, Darren will breathe new life into this one-human show The Bird Club: Letter to Sandra Bernhard on May 15 at the Broadway Playhouse in Santa Cruz.