By Michelle L.
Elizabeth McCain
will be performing at the 2014 Capital Fringe Festival in her original one-woman show debut, ” A Lesbian Belle Tells”. This year, there are over 175 shows at the festival, four of which are LGBTQ performances. McCain’s performance will be the only lesbian solo show.
The show is described as a “dramedy”, a play with comedy and serious stories about loss and discovery as a Southern woman, and as a lesbian. In a nutshell, the act is about love, loss, family estrangement and healing. These are all personal stories, including hilarious and sexy coming out stories, Olivia cruise stories, and stories about McCain’s eccentric Southern family.
McCain has been working on her act for over four years now. Most recently, she has been working with a talented and encouraging director, Tanya Taylor Rubinstein, from Santa Fe, who specializes in solo performance coaching.
“Telling these stories in my play requires me to be vulnerable, which is a powerful part of the healing process. I see my vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness. I think many LGBT folks can relate to my stories,” says McCain.
As a grief counselor and interfaith minister, McCain feels honored to witness so many people’s stories of loss and joy. She discovered storytelling as an art form when she started performing at SpeakeasyDC, Washington’s dynamic storytelling performance organization. In 2013, McCain was nominated for one of the best storytellers award.
Stories can connect people to one another in a personal and universal way. McCain hopes to encourage people to share more stories heart to heart, and in person.
“We need to spend less time with technology and more time sharing stories with our friends and families,” says McCain. “As writer Dorothy Allison states, ‘Sharing stories is the one sure way I know to touch the heart and change the world.’”
McCain’s performance will be sure to help the LGBTQ community and their allies to bond over one great “dramedy”. So settle back, Southern style and hear outrageous porch stories about a Mississippi belle, her dear cocktail sippin’ aunties, and stories about coming out in D.C. and at family funerals. These are true tales only a lesbian belle can tell.
The annual Capital Fringe Festival takes place July 10 – 27, 2014. “A Lesbian Belle Tells” takes place at the Goethe Institut, 812 7th Street NW, Washington, D.C. For performance dates and tickets, visit: www.capitalfringefestival.org.
