Gay Play Tuesdays: BAR DYKES by Merril Mushroom (1984)

Join us for Gay Play Tuesday on August 25th at 7pm, when we will read Bar Dykes by Merril Mushroom (1984).

Step into the underground world of pre-Stonewall lesbian culture in Merril Mushroom’s Bar Dykes. This gripping, long-neglected, one-act play serves as an immersive time capsule, capturing a single explosive night in a 1950s gay bar. Follow a diverse group of women as they navigate rigid butch/femme courtship rituals, fleeting moments of love, and intense jealousy—all under the constant, looming threat of police persecution. Sharp, atmospheric, and deeply authentic, Bar Dykes is a rare, vital look at queer survival and connection before there was an organized liberation movement.

To sign-up for Gay Play Tuesdays: Bar Dykes on August 25th, please RSVP

What is “Gay Play Tuesdays”?

What makes a “gay play?” Is it dependent on the identity of the author or characters? The reception of the play by LGBTQIA+ audiences? The play’s politics or aesthetics? Or is there something else, less definable, that might make a play a gay classic?

Join our Resident Dramaturg, Jesse Marchese, for a monthly free play reading salon where we will investigate some of the most impactful, provocative, and fearless “gay plays” from the 20th and 21st centuries. Being a “salon,” this is not a professional performance. Rather, we treat each session as a classroom where the plays are our teachers.

We will treat every session as a first read through, assigning parts on a first come, first served basis. You are welcome to come and read a role out loud or just listen along – no experience necessary! Once we finish reading through the play we will engage in a short discussion of its themes and ideas.