*This event is currently sold out. If you have not yet reserved a ticket, please email KT Pe Benito at kpebenito@queer-art.org to be added to a standby list.
Directed by Lauren Zeftel
2018-2019 Queer|Art|Mentorship Fellow Xandra Nur Clark shares a reading of a new work, Everything You’re Told, directed by Lauren Zeftel, co-presented with La MaMa E.T.C at their 47 Great Jones St. Studio. It is autumn 2014, and two college students want to make a difference: Alex, a member of the Gay-Straight Alliance, works on the peer support line; Kevin, a member of the University Fellowship of Jesus, studies philosophy. They meet when Kevin calls the line, and their frank conversation about religion and homosexuality thrusts them into an unexpected romance. As the end of college looms and the complexities of the larger world seep into their lives, Alex and Kevin must figure out how much of themselves to reveal to each other, and if it’s truly possible both to love someone and to resist their ideas.
Poster by Kelvin Pater (@klpater)
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This event is part of the 2018-2019 Queer|Art|Mentorship Annual, curated by current Fellow Jeanne Vaccaro and titled “How do we know what we need you to know: Intimate access and collective care.” The exhibition will present across multiple formats and locations (including The LGBT Community Center, Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, Movement Research, and La MaMa E.T.C.) new work by the graduating Fellows of the 2018-2019 Queer|Art|Mentorship program: J. Bouey, Candystore, Daniel Chew, Xandra Clark, Sarah Creagen, Cristóbal Guerra, Russell Perkins, Ripley Soprano, and Natalie Tsui. Learn more at www.queer-art.org/qam-annual
About Xandra Nur Clark
Xandra Nur Clark (they/them or she/her) is a queer, Indian-American playwright, actor, journalist, documentarian, musician, and all-around storyteller. Raised in an interracial, interreligious, intercultural household, she has grown comfortable with holding multiple perspectives and truths in hand—and welcoming them all. Her work, which often fuses theater and journalism, is intimate, investigative, and urgent. She believes in openness: asking the tough questions, saying the hard things, and connecting despite difference or even disagreement. Xandra’s work asks audiences to confront themselves, not through a punch in the gut but through a warm invitation into conversation. Gently, and almost sneakily, she aims to reveal what is relatable about the “other” and what is ultimately mysterious about the self.
Xandra’s work has been featured at Dixon Place, The Tank, The Flea, Weeksville Heritage Center, Five Myles, Judson Church, Queer Abstract, and Brooklyn College, and been funded by NYSCA/Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn Community Foundation, and Stanford Arts. Acting credits include at EST, Rattlestick, The Flea, The Lark, BAM, and The High Line. Xandra is a member of folk choir Ukrainian Village Voices and received the 2013 Award for Local Reporting from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. BA Theater, MA Journalism: Stanford. The World Premiere Production of Xandra’s latest work, Polylogues, will go up April-May 2020 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, produced by Colt Coeur.