Meet the cast of the Midwest premiere of Lavender Men
About Face is thrilled to announce the cast for our upcoming Midwest Premiere production of Lavender Men by Roger Q. Mason, directed by Lucky Stiff! The cast features Matt Martin as Abraham Lincoln, Shea Petersen as Abe’s law clerk Elmer Ellsworth, and Julian “joolz” Stroop as Taffeta, who conjures both of them for a what-if meeting in her own imaginative theatrical space.
Meet the Cast
Matt Martin (he/they) playing “Abe Lincoln”
Matt is an artist, advocate, and educator in Chicago. He is making his About Face debut. Recent work includes Mothers (The Gift), Christmas Carol (Drury Lane), Last Hermanos (Red Orchid), Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Uncle Vanya, Dance Nation, and In His Hands (Northwestern). Matt developed and performed new and immersive work in New York City with Accomplice, Pigeonholed, New Light Theater Project, and as a founding member of Lalabala Collective. Favorite regional credits include Romance/Romance, The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, and Angels in America. His upcoming projects include In His Hands with First Floor and directing My Name is Rachel Corrie. When not performing, he is on staff supporting Arts Alliance Illinois in its endeavors to empower the creative sector across the state. MFA: Northwestern University. He is repped by DDO Artists Agency. Follow him @matt_mart.
Shea Petersen (he/they) playing “Elmer Ellsworth”
About Face Premiere. Chicago credits include: Enemy of the People (Goodman Theatre); Mike Pence Sex Dream (First Floor Theatre); At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen (The Story Theatre); The Boys in the Band (Windy City Playhouse); Regional credits: At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen (Urbanite Theatre) Film credits: Oh Baby! (dir: Meghann Artes). Shea received their BFA in acting from DePaul University and is represented by Grossman&Jack.
Julian “joolz” Stroop (they/them) playing “Taffeta”
Ah, a stranger, quick, come in from the cold… have you met joolz? joolz makes art. joolz plays games. Sometimes joolz makes other things. Strange, terrible, unspeakable things. You may know them from their D&D actual play podcast The Pod Has Been Cast, have seen them on stage with companies like Filament Theater, Strawdog Theater Company, or perhaps even more recently: screaming silently in your own nightmares. When they aren’t polymorphing into other creatures/things, you may find them doodling monsters, writing stories, or making games.
About Lavender Men
LAVENDER MEN
Written by Roger Q. Mason
Directed by Lucky Stiff
Performing May 9 – June 9, 2024, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Pay-what-you-can tickets ($5 – $35) on sale now!
THE PLAY
Taffeta is a fat, multi-racial femme with a unique form of queer magic: she can conjure dead historical figures. In this energetic and surreal play, Taffeta invites audiences along as she summons none other than President Abraham Lincoln and his handsome young law clerk Elmer Ellsworth to her stage. Playing every other character in Abe and Elmer’s gay narrative, Taffeta uses this fantasia to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. But is any of this historically accurate? Sit down, honey, that’s not what we’re here for. Lavender Men is an embrace to every queer, fat person of color who has been ignored, neglected, or erased for unapologetically being themselves.
“Lavender Men was born from my time living and studying in Chicago, almost 10 years ago,” says playwright Roger Q. Mason. “The city’s vibrant embrace of LGBTQIA+ life liberated me personally and artistically, and I emerged a proud plus-sized, queer, POC playwright in the American Theatre. About Face Theatre is a leader, locally and nationally, in queer storytelling, and I am honored to partner with them to bring Lavender Men home to its birthplace—Chicago.”
“Roger’s play invites us to unleash our imaginations around queer desire and hidden histories”, states Megan Carney, About Face Theatre Artistic Director. “As a company dedicated to brave and affirming storytelling that pushes back against oppression, we’re proud to present Lavender Men as a thrilling example of the power of art to resist, challenge, and delight.”
Lavender Men was first produced at Skyline Theatre in Los Angeles in 2022 with playwright Roger Q. Mason in the role of Taffeta. About Face Theatre introduced the play to audiences last season through our Re/Generation Studio workshop series, featuring playwright Roger Q. Mason and director Lucky Stiff. Audience reaction was so enthusiastic that About Face is now thrilled to present a full production of this new work in its 29th season.