It’s a pretty common knowledge that many guys…and even some women…in theater are gay.
Whoops!
While less than 5% of the population is gay*, I’ve found that the percentage doing theater soars dramatically (ha! get it?) above that.
Now before we go further and you think this is a diatribe against homosexuality, it’s not. I like people for who they are, not for who they’re lusting after. This is just an observational discourse. No more. No less. So – –
Being definitely and demonstrably (well, as often as possible) straight, I’m sometimes an anomaly in the plays I do. This is sort of good, because there are lots of straight women in theater. However, they’re usually bizarre, needy, or just plain flipped out due to their artistic nature. Or, more commonly, they are not the least interested in my advances because they are entranced with the pretty, gay boys (many of whom do tend to take care of themselves and look quite studly). They hope to snare one and ‘change his ways’, only to be crushed with the futility of the task.
I fondly recall one show a few years back where the director, set designer, and two of the four male cast were outwardly gay. The other actor who was straight approached me early on in rehearsal, grasped my hand in a firm, manly handshake, and with great feeling said, “Thank God there’s another straight man in this show!”
My latest show? Of the 12 men in the cast – –
– 5 were clearly straight (although 1 did play a disturbingly convincing flaming gay man in the play)
– 4 were declared gay (though not flamingly so)
– 3 were ‘undeclared’…that is to say, 1 said he was straight, but acted gay. Then, 1 said he was straight, but everyone knows he’s gay and still in the closet. And the final 1 no one is really sure as he never declared nor did he pursue anyone, male or female.
That’s 33% – 50% of the male cast gay. A tad higher than the ‘scientific’ 5%, yes?
Add in the production staff (director, sound, costumes, stage)? That’s 5 more men, all of whom are gay, declared and flamingly so. Over 60% of this group gay, compared with that 5%.
And, again, most of these people are wonderful, friendly guys who are fun to hang out with. Yes, a few of them are assholes. But how many straight assholes (that’s ‘straight’ as in sexual orientation, not directionally speaking) do you know? Likely a higher percentage of twits and assholes there.
Oh, and the women in this cast and crew? Mostly straight, a couple gay, a couple bi-, and one very, very ambiguous. Pretty typical to the shows I’ve been in.
This is written, again, as an observational discourse of my theater experience. It’s also necessary as a backdrop to upcoming posts.
Stand by for (gay) news!
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*who knows what the real numbers are. I got this from a compilation of quasi-scientific studies
The Wilds of Ohio 