Coolness Comes to the Stage

Riots and close-mindedness are so “been there, done that” – so pass – so 1969 Greenwich Village, if you will. Right? Though shoving and scrabbling in the street may be as garishly out of style as tie-dye tunics and bell-bottoms, can we really say that matters are settled? That the GLBT community is equal in rights to the straight community?

Equal “enough”?

Rhubarb Theater Company and Tennessee Equality Project Foundation don’t think there’s such a thing as “equal enough” for any group of people and they each work creatively in a variety of ways to bring issues of tolerance and acceptance to the public eye. Rhubarb does this through humor and drama on the stage, focusing on stories set in our city. TEPF provides education and resources relating to healthcare, legislative issues, hate crimes, and bullying.

July 23-August 7, they join together offering some food for thought in “41″ written by Nashvillian Trish Crist.

Described by the playwright as a “comedy with an after-taste,” “41″is inspired by this summer’s 41st anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village, NYC. These riots are widely considered to be the “Rosa Parks on the bus moment” for the gay and lesbian community and are the point in history commemorated each June in celebrations throughout the world known as “Pride Week”.

The present-day Nashville setting in “41″ challenges audiences with humor and reflections to ponder what your life is today versus how you imagined it would turn out 41 years earlier – a subject that strikes to the heart of gays and straights alike.

All tickets are $12. Reservations and information at (615) 397-7820 or rhubarbnashville@gmail.com. In honor of the exceptionally “cool and caring” Franklin Brooks and his endowment legacy through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to support the GLBT community, mention “BROOKS FUND” when you make your reservation and receive a second ticket at no cost. Click here to read more about The Brooks Fund.

All performances are at The Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue in Nashville, opening Friday July 23 and running through Saturday August 7. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 7:30pm, Sunday matinees on July 25 and August 1 at 2:30pm. No performance Monday or Tuesday.