'Theater Offensive' to Invade Grounds on April 7

March 23, 2010 — The Theater Offensive, a gay men's guerilla theater group dedicated to taking theater to the streets to deliver messages about public health issues, will present interactive pieces in "A Street Theater Named Desire" on April 7 at the University of Virginia.

The pieces, scheduled for 7 p.m. in Minor Hall, room 125, will incorporate U.Va. students, as well as the troupe's directors, Abe Rybeck and Eugene Tan.

As part of the event, Rybeck and Tan will talk about the creative, educational projects of the Boston-based organization, and they will work with students in performing a piece by Rybeck and a poem by Allen Ginsberg. "A Street Theater Named Desire" focuses on AIDS education.

A pre-performance reception will be at 6:30 p.m. in Minor Hall. The Theater Offensive visit is sponsored by the Studies in Women and Gender program of the College of Arts & Sciences.

Tan will attend other meetings with students during the day. He will be a guest at a 5 p.m. class, "Readings in Sexuality Studies," in New Cabell Hall, room 325. The class will be open to the public.

The Theater Offensive was founded in 1989 by Rybeck and grew out of the United Fruit Company, another gay men's guerilla theater group. It has won more than a dozen awards for its artistic and activist contributions.

— By Jane Ford

Media Contact