Crafted scenes to start a conversation-that's the goal of SNAP Productions. Since 1993, their mission is to perform plays promoting AIDS awareness and diversity tolerance.
"Many people are deeply hurting and feel all alone and to be aware of that and be supportive of those folks is we have to know about it and we have to put it out there,"Kathleen Lorax, an actor with SNAP said.
Their latest show is called 'Mama's Girls'. The play is about 11 year old transgender child Sammy. Born a boy, she always identified as a girl. The play reveals her difficulty living differently in the community-- and how some members of her own family respond to it.
Producers say they also incorporated input from young trans kids in Omaha on the storyline. They also host talkback sessions after the show, with actors and community members, to create a dialogue about issues they're tackling in the show.
"It's going to help people feel more comfortable about bringing up those topics and bringing up those questions," Lorax said.
Educational Talk backs scheduled for Mama's Girls
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Joni Watke Stacy (attorney, PFLAG President), Dr. Amanda Randall, Ph.D., and Teaque Stanley
Joni Watke Stacy is an Omaha attorney and has been in private practice for nearly 20 years. She specializes in family law and estate planning, including divorce, custody, name changes, adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, and the probate of estates, wills, trusts, powers of attorney and living wills. She is the President of PFLAG Omaha, a PFLAG National Board Member and PFLAG's Central Regional Director. PFLAG is the oldest national organization of straight allies working with LGBTQ people to move equality forward. Joni has presented across the country to educate about sexual orientation and gender identity issues.
Dr. Amanda Randall is Director & Associate Professor of University of Nebraska at Omaha's Grace Abbott School of Social Work
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Dr. N Jean Amoura, M.D, Tiffany Blomenkamp, and Kate Parrish
Dr. N. Jean Amoura is an obstetrician-gynecologist in Omaha, Nebraska and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Methodist Hospital and Nebraska Medical Center. She received her medical degree from University of Nebraska College of Medicine and has been in practice for 20 years. She is also one of the area's acclaimed leaders in providing specialized care for transgender individuals.
Katherine "Kate" Parrish is the president of River City Gender Alliance, which is one of the oldest and largest transgender support organizations in the country. Born and raised in Omaha as David L. Parrish, she was selected as 'The Outstanding Teen of the Midlands' by the Omaha World Herald (1970) prior to attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. She is a graduate of UNO (BGS) and the proud grandparent of four. Parrish began her transition in 2011.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Dr. Jay Irwin, Ph.D, and Marilynn Barner Anselmi, playwright
Dr. Jay Irwin is a trans man who is also an Associate Professor of Sociology at UNO. Jay's research and teaching interests involve LGBTQ identities and health, sexuality, and gender. He is involved in numerous local community groups, including UNO's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, UNO's LGBTQIA Taskforce, Proud Horizons, and PTRN: Professional Transgender Resource Network.
He is also the Associate Director of the Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative and a member of NECTR: Nebraska Collaborative for Transgender Research.
Marilynn Barner Anselmi came to playwriting accidentally - literally. Her only son was killed while attending theatre school at DePaul University in 2007. Her first play, Raising Ricci, came from this tragedy, and she's been at it ever since. She's now finished her eleventh full length script and four short plays which have been performed across the country. Among other awards and honors, her work was named a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Conference three times and has been published in three national journals.
Marilynn was the recipient of the 2015 Mark Gilbert Award from the North Carolina New Play Project, and her first foray into short film making (You Wouldn't Expect) is currently making the rounds of national film festivals. Marilynn is also a member of The Dramatist Guild of America.
'Mama's Girls' runs through December 6th and SNAP productions, 3225 California St. in Omaha.
