steppin’ out We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

By Abigail Morici

As of June 2nd, the anti-drag bill that passed in the state legislature this spring has been declared unconsitutional, violating drag performers’ First Amendment right to free speech by barring them from performing in spaces where minors can view them. But even when this decision hung in the balance just a few days ago, the Emerald eatre Company (ETC) was determined to embrace drag and the LGBTQ community, no matter what happened, as it closes its 26th season with Drag Queens on Trial e semi-dark comedy centers around three drag queens who go from the dressing room to the courtroom to stand trial for the “crime” of being a drag queen. “It’s truly written and played for laughs,” says Hal Harmon, the show’s co-director with Michael Holliday, “but there are some very serious topics and serious dialogue that allows the audience to think about the prejudices that these people face. It showcases their insecurities, how they defy society’s norms, and how they deal with the horrors of the persecution of being who they truly are. Sadly, though the story was written in the 1980s and it takes place in the 1980s, the themes and ideas of persecution, of course, are just as relevant, if not more, today.

“[But] they’re not gonna stop us,” continues Harmon, who also plays one of the drag queens. “We’re still gonna produce a great show.” is will be the second time ETC performs Drag Queens on Trial, the rst time being in 2006. A er the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was passed in Florida last year and then other states began to “pick on drag queens,” Harmon says, “I decided it’s time to redo this show. … It is my hope that those who see the show will leave it with hope, and if they have a strong enough voice and they have not used it yet, quite possibly, seeing the show will give them the extra push to let them get loud and be supportive.”

To accompany the production and to celebrate the history of drag in Memphis, photographs from local drag performers from the ’80s to the present will be on display in the eatreWorks lobby. Looking back on those earlier days, Harmon says that progress has been made since ETC’s founding when fully eshed-out LGBTQ stories were rarely found on stage. “We knew there were so many stories to tell,” he says. “We worked so hard at that, and we’re ever so happy that now we’re no longer the ‘taboo’ theater company. We’re just another theater company.”

As ETC looks to its 27th season, Harmon hopes to bring in new directors, new voices, new ideas, and new actors. “We’ve already got it planned,” he says. “We’re gonna stay gay.”

Cemetery Cinema Presents Jaws

Elmwood Cemetery, Friday, June 9, 8:15-10:30 p.m., $15

Jaws. You know it, you love it, I’ve never seen it, but there’s a shark and hell breaks loose. Sounds like the perfect lm to kick o Elmwood’s Cemetery Cinema.

Cemetery Cinema o ers visitors a chance to enjoy the beauty of the cemetery while a classic lm is projected onto the roof of the historic cottage. Since the movie is shown outside, use common sense when dressing (i.e. don’t wear a fur coat). Guests should bring lawn chairs, and coolers are welcome. TopDawgz food truck will be there, too.

Kids 10 and up are welcomed only when supervised by an adult. Leave the littler ones at home. Purchase tickets at elmwoodcemetery.org.

Public Art Yoga

Cleaborn Pointe at Heritage Landing, Saturday, June 10, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., free

Do something good for your mind and your body, and join UrbanArt Commission for its summer series yoga events! You’ll have the chance to support artists and communities simply by attending 45-minute outdoor yoga classes around public art. e rst class will be around Rhapsody by Douglass Kornfeld and will be led by Andrea Jacobo. Be sure to bring your own mat, wear comfortable shoes and breathable clothing, and prepare to streeeeeeeetch.

Classes are free, but donations are accepted. Register at tinyurl.com/ccvbsnk2, where you can also nd the full schedule for the summer yoga series.

Juneteenth Memphis Matters

eatreSouth, Saturday, June 10, 7-9 p.m., $20-$40

Playback Memphis presents a special Juneteenth Memphis Matters performance, a celebration and commemoration of the liberation of enslaved Black people in America, and a celebration of the African Diaspora. is very special show will consist of an all-Black performance ensemble, as well as a Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)only audience.

Playback is spontaneous theater based on stories told by the audience. At a Memphis Matters performance, audience members share re ections, moments, or true stories, and the ensemble performs that story back for the audience. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit playbackmemphis.org.

MUSIC By Michael Donahue