In conversation with CT Steele about his direction of Zanna, Don’t!, he highlighted a couple of aspects of the show. Central among his concerns was the concept of normalcy when it comes to love and romantic relationship. Zanna challenges the accepted norms when it comes to heterosexist thinking, creating a world in which stereotypical gender roles are inverted, and heterosexuals are outsiders.
CT was also interested in the color pink – both as used by famous fashion and rock and roll icons, and as a symbol for LGBT human rights. These images speak equally to the Rolling Stones and Stonewall. They could be a good starting point for conversations about symbols and iconography and their power in our lives.
Finally, there are articles here that describe the author’s journey, and a terrific closing piece that details one young man’s personal story of being closeted in high school, and how he dealt with it. We hope you will find some of these useful as you contextualize the show for your students.
For further reading:
http://dctheatrescene.com/2008/05/01/chats-with-johanna-day-and-tim-acito/