PHOTOS: The Boys In The Band at Theatre Baton Rouge
On Monday, January 16, 2023 I was invited to photograph dress rehearsals for Theatre Baton Rouge’s production of Boys In The Band.
After photographing the boys in their black turtle-necks weeks prior, I was ecstatic to finally be photographing them in the performance studio.
Getting a chance to see them bring these characters to life was something I was much anticipating. I wasn’t familiar with the actual stories associated with The Boys in The Band, nor had I read the original play, or even watched the modern revival.
The themes explored in this production ranged from racism to homophobia, especially internalized-homophobia, as well as taking a look at the, sometimes complicated, social dynamics between queer men, and the unique relationships they can have with one another.
The themes in this production are still very much relevant to modern-day society. Still to this day, in 2023, there are countless queer people forcing themselves into the heteronormative lifestyle because they feel that its the only option they have due to fear of criticism and shame. Some have suppressed their queerness so deep, that the only remnants of it that remain are in the forms of anger, guilt, and shame.
Personally, I think that this production shows 100% of what social dynamics among queer men are like. A diverse coalition of individual traumas all sharing the simplest and subtlest similarities.
It’s comforting to see the love of chosen family in action, but that also means witnessing one another’s traumas, addictions, co-dependencies, darkness, and yet still doing your best to love them, even when things get ugly, confusing, and unbearable.
Society already scrutinizes queer people, so why do we, as fellow queer people, continue to allow it to happen in our own spaces? Is it because majority of us hold on to so much anger, resentment, jealousy, fear?? — doing what was done upon us — only repeating the cycle.
If we could use our strengths to create more opportunities for one another to share our stories, to express what holds us down from being 100% ourselves, I think we can continue down the path of finding healthier solutions to helping one another take steps toward a more self-fulfilling future.
