Lesbian Pageant (working title)

Convection Productions

Performed by Virginia Baeta and Amy Driesler

Back Door Theatre (Fuse Theatre Ensemble) (4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97215)

• April 15 at 8:30 p.m.
• April 16 at 7 p.m. -ASL Interpreted Performance

A rent increase for a 26-year old lesbian bar threatens its existence, and Darcy has a plan to save it. Is the 90’s-themed Lesbian Pageant she dreams up as a fundraiser the answer? Or do the lesbians around her have different ideas about what needs to be saved? Lesbian Pageant skips through time and space – real and imagined – exploring what it means to be a lesbian in a lesbian community, the importance of spaces for queer people, and what makes someone feel they belong. Conceived by Amy Driesler and Virginia Baeta, this reading is the result of a January 2024 workshop (dramaturg/director, Tamara Carroll) which was funded by Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC). Amy and Virginia have been performing on stage together since 2006. This is the first play they’ve written together.

Amy Driesler (she/her) is an actor and producer who relocated to Portland from New York City in 2016. In New York, she co-produced/adapted/starred in Circo de Nada’s Henry Four with Nick Trotter. Previously they co-produced Theatre Uprising, an evening of short plays which included her short play Lily of the Valley. She also produced, wrote and co-starred in the short film Babydyke.

She received her BFA with honors from New York University. She has also studied with Shakespeare & Company and Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. She spent a year training and performing with the physical theatre company Theatre du Jour (Washington DC), ncluding their production of Tower of Babel at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Virginia Baeta (she/they) is an actor/playwright who has collaborated with Amy Driesler since 2006. This project grew from our conversations about lesbian visibility and representation, in particular the challenges facing middle-aged, gender non-conforming lesbian storytellers. We started co-writing on the project with an informal workshop in June 2022.

Accessibility Information: The Back Door Theatre is accessible by wheelchair – please email Amy Driesler at adriesler@gmail.com if you will require wheelchair seating, or with any other accessibility questions. The performance on Tuesday, 4/16 at 7pm will be ASL interpreted. This is a staged reading – stage directions will be read aloud.