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| Ginger Lazarus |
Burning began three years ago as a project
with Queer Soup Theater. I had a little whim to write a lesbian version of
Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac that led
to an evening of one-acts on the theme “queering the classics.” And that led to
BPT’s involvement; a longer play; many, many drafts; and finally the
realization of this wonderful production.
I have been
in love with Cyrano for a long, long
time. That said, I immediately forswore any loyalty to the original text and
gave myself permission to reinvent it as needed. When I conceived Cy as my main
character, she emerged razor-witted, self-reliant, and tough as the mountains.
Which brought in her Army background, which raised the specter of Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell, still in effect at the time I began writing. And so the story
tackles not only the enforced silence of queer service members but also the
self-imposed silence of a person who feels unlovable.
