Queen City Queer Theatre Collective, Cincinnati’s only theatre company devoted exclusively to performing queer works, is putting on its fourth production at Below Zero Lounge on February 9th. Justin McCombs, company member and regular on the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company stage, will perform the solo play about one man’s coming of age in AIDS-ravaged New York. Written in 1993, the play has since been updated in response to recent events in queer news, like the legalization of marriages in several states.
McCombs was recently seen in the last QCQTC show, AND BABY MAKES SEVEN. Of performing with the Collective, Justin remarks, “As a straight, white man growing up in a small rural town, the first minority group I ever got to know was the LGBTQ community at my university theatre. They were welcoming of all people and taught me about seeing the world from a different perspective.” Having acted in several plays with queer themes, Justin related, “[these plays] involve struggle and success, fear and love, sorrow and hope. Those aren’t just queer themes, they’re human themes and that’s what good theatre is all about.”
Queen City Queer Theatre Collective is a group of Cincinnati actors, directors, crew, and other artists who are passionate about performing theatre that speaks to the queer experience. Made possible through the generosity of Nigel Cotterill, who facilitates the space, and Absolut Vodka, which sponsors the royalties paid for each play, artists present free play readings the second Monday of each month in the cabaret space of Below Zero. Each performance allows audiences a casual and low-budget evening of entertainment, while at the same time presenting politically-forward art meant to explore, challenge, and stimulate discussion.
Created by Linnea Bond and co-founder Lindsey Augusta Mercer along with a group of passionate actors, the name was chosen to emphasize inclusion for all members of our diverse community: not just quote-unquote “gay” members, but bi, trans, genderqueer, genderfluid, asexual, non-binary, poly, and tri. The word “queer” represents a spectrum of gender and sexuality; this term also denotes as a progressive way to think about our theatre experience as artists, and how open collaboration can influence our process. “This project exists in the cross-section of art and activism,” says Bond, “Our hope is that it not only provides a safe space and expression for members of our community, but that it speaks also to those outside our community. We believe art can open people’s minds, and we need that today more than ever.”
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