Home > Plays > Full Lengths > White Gays
White Gays
A Full-Length Comedy/Drama
By Jim Dalglish
For the past 35 years Rex has thrown a mid-winter dinner party for his friends in his lovely brownstone in Boston’s South End. This year he shakes things up when he invites a twenty three year old named Avery who sees Rex and his friends for what they are – White Gays. What the hell is that supposed to mean?!
This fast-paced comedy/drama doesn’t pull any punches. Neither do the guests.
Audience Reaction to the Nov. 18th, 2023, Reading
Thank you for this piece. It needs to be seen, fully fleshed. So much love in this piece - we need this now. - Jadah Carroll
We absolutely loved your play. It would be a great play for the Provincetown Theater to put on. - Kevin Chandler
The reading was FANTASTIC! Congrats! Looking forward to its next incarnation. -Ed Christie
Spectacular, this was a very important story to tell and one that must not be forgotten. The actors and most of the audience including myself came of age or at least we tried our best to during a time when being gay and queer was deadly, we had to fight for our jobs, our housing, our right to love who we wanted to love. Thousands and thousands of us were dying, AIDS devastated our community. We became strong as we united and made new chosen families for ourselves. Who ever thought we could be so brave, so strong and so beautiful together in our fight for the hate to stop and love to prevale. I was sitting next to a new friend and during intermission, I stated that this story has to not be forgotten as we are starting to age out. He said and of course I agree, that he was so glad that today's generation did not have to go through what we did. I replied back and said that I am glad I fought through it and survived unlike so many that did not for many different reasons and I'm glad we paved the road for them so their lives are better...but I do not want what we fought so hard for to ever be forgotten. I know that was the essence of the story and it was brought fourth remarkably. It was a beautiful script and you all moved me bringing back those days all those years ago and It did really actually make me proud of how I led my life especially during those years. Of course there will wlways be more work to do. Thank you - It was stunning and really moved me. - Don James
Today's reading left me laughing and crying as I remembered the dinner parties, empty chairs and deaths that we all experienced in the 80s and 90s. - Jerry Birdwell
Characters
Rex - Early 70s
Avery - Mid 20s
Alexander - Early 30s - eternally young
Benjamin - Early 60s
Oscar - Mid 60s
Jake - Early 60s
Henry - Early 60s
Sinclair - Late 20s
Klaus - Late 60s.
Setting
Rex’s Townhouse, Union Square in the South End of Boston • Saturday, January 11, 2020
Length / Type / Themes
2 hrs. • Comedy / Drama • Contemporary gender and sexual-orientation politics. LGBTQ+ issues. Aging. Gen-Z.
Script Completed
November 1, 2023
Reading History
Staged Reading - O’Neill Festival of New Work, October 5 & 13, 2024, WOMR, Provincetown
Staged Reading - Truro Playwright Collective, Truro Public Library, Nov. 18, 2023
O’Neill Festival Staged Reading Cast:
Actors
Spencer Keasey - Rex
Wil Moser - Avery
Tommy Walsh- Alexander
Vince Gatton- Benjamin
Patrick Riviere - Oscar
Scott Cunningham - Henry
Jim Dalglish - Jake
Chad Riter - Sinclair
Joe MacDougall - Klaus
Nathan Butera - Narrator
Director
Frank Vasello
Truro Playwrights Collective Staged Reading:
Photos by Gus Orr
Actors
Spencer Keasey - Rex
Wil Moser - Avery
Thom Markee - Alexander
David Drake - Benjamin
Patrick Riviere - Oscar
Scott Cunningham - Henry
Jim Dalglish - Jake
Chad Riter - Sinclair
Ian Ryan - Klaus
John Dennis Anderson - Narrator
Organizers
Joe Paprzycki (Artistic Director Truro Playwright Collective) • Justine Alten (Truro Public Library)
Download the Play
Complete the information below and click SUBMIT. The link to the PDF file will display and you will be able to download the play.