White Gays Playbill

Oct 3

A reading of a full-length play by Jim Dalglish
Directed by Frank Vasello
Dramaturge: David Johnston

Cast

Spencer Keasey – Rex
Tommy Walsh – Alexander
Wil Moser – Avery
Vince Gatton – Benjamin
Patrick Riviere – Oscar
Jim Dalglish – Jake
Scott Cunningham – Henry
Chad Riter – Sinclair (Oct. 13)
Scarlett Strauss – Sinclair (Oct. 5)
Joe MacDougall – Klaus
Nathan Butera – Stage Directions

Setting

Rex's beautifully furnished brownstone that occupies a prominent place on a square in Boston's South End.
February 1, 2020 - A few weeks before all hell broke loose with COVID.

Production Team

Will Oxtoby - Stage Manager / House Manager
Margaret Van Sant - Producing Artistic Director / O’Neill Festival of New Work & Provincetown Dramatic Arts
Donna Rockwell - Graphic Design
Bill Evaul - Eugene O’Neill Graphic
Terry Catalano / Fli-bois Delivery Service - Poster/Postcard Distribution

Choreography

Allan Blume - Choreographer for “Sunshine After the Rain”

Before We Begin

White Gays is approximately 2 hours in duration.
There will be one, ten-minute intermission.
Please silence personal devices before the show begins.
No recording of any kind is permitted during the show.

Playwright’s Statement

From Jim Dalglish:

As I enter my 7th decade of existence - holy cow did that hurt to write! - I’ve found that what I have been experiencing has been rather unexpected. I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings and fears and joys of entering this new phase of life. And share it with my generation of men - a generation of brave gay men I fear many people have forgotten, misunderstood, and often maligned unfairly.
I must also thank my wonderful husband, Rob Phelps. You make all things possible.

Reading History

“White Gays” has received one public reading on November 18, 2023 at the Truro Public Library as part of the Truro Playwrights Collective Reading Series. Thanks, Joseph M. Paprzycki!

Workshop Development

“White Gays” was workshopped as part of the Cape Cod Playwrights (ETC). Special thanks to John Dennis Anderson, Ira Brodsky, Susan Lumenello, Candace Perry, Pamela Quirinale, Ian Ryan, Matt Senie, John Shuman, Lynda Sturner, Meryl Cohn, Maureen Condon, Gloria Craig, Betsy Mangan, Jim Marlow, Lee Roscoe, Constance Wilkinson

Cast & Creative Team Biographies

Scott Cunningham (Henry)

Scott is a graduate of the Stella Adler Conservatory and spent many years doing theater, soaps, commercials, print, industrials, and voice-overs in NYC. He came to Provincetown in 2008 to appear in David Drake's production of "Two Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter's Night" for a six week run. He's still here and is the owner of ScottCakes. Scott has been involved in many productions, readings and festivals in in and around town. Scott's happy to be one of Jim's "White Gays."

Jim Dalglish (Playwright / Jake)
Jim is a playwright, director, filmmaker, and producer with more than 30 plays and films to his credit. These works have been produced and screened around the world and have won awards in New York, Boston, London, and Dublin. A few of his plays have been anthologized in best play collections. Jim has directed more than two dozen theatrical productions, six of which he also independently produced. He has been employed by a variety of theaters in New England as a managing director, marketing director, and box office manager. Jim has a master’s degree in creative writing/ playwriting from Brown University. His thesis advisor was Paula Vogel. He works as the Director of User Experience Research & Strategy at OHO Interactive, where his clients include Harvard University, Yale University, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, CIEE, and others. Jim is also the Founder/President of Helltown Players, the Cape’s newest theatre collaborative. When he isn’t busy writing, directing, or producing plays and films, he and his husband Rob Phelps enjoy sailing Delphina – their 17-foot O’Day Daysailer – along the sheltered harbors of New England. www.jimdalglish.com

Vince Gatton (Benjamin)
Vince is a New York-based playwright and actor. He received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play for David Johnston's Candy and Dorothy, which he also performed at W.H.A.T with Jim Dalglish. Other notable acting credits include Leigh Fondakowski’s SPILL at Ensemble Studio Theatre; I Am My Own Wife and Fully Committed at Barrington Stage Company; I Am My Own Wife again at Coachella Valley Rep (Desert Star Award Nomination) and Two Turns Theatre Company; and The Temperamentals at New World Stages, standing by for Michael Urie. He’s appeared on TV in BLUE BLOODS and LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME, Netflix’s upcoming ZERO DAY, and once lost on Jeopardy. His plays have won Sanguine Theatre Company’s Project Playwright Festival, the Samuel French OOB Festival, and the LIC Short Play Festival; his play THE OKTAVIST was chosen as the inaugural winner of the Gary Garrison Award for Short Playwriting and was published in The Tusculum Review. He’s a regular contributor to Motolla Theatre Project’s annual Cherry Picking at the Wild Project in NYC, and he’s a three-time finalist for the National Playwriting Award at City Theatre in Miami. His full-length ghost story play WAKE is available now from Next Stage Press.

David Johnston (dramaturge)
David is an award-winning playwright, librettist and screenwriter. New York productions with Blue Coyote Theater Group include Coney, Conversations on Russian Literature, an adaptation of The Oresteia (Time Out Best of 2007); and Busted Jesus Comix (GLAAD nominee 2005, London, Los Angeles, DC Cap Fringe, Prague). Mr. Johnston works frequently with director Kevin Newbury, including Candy and Dorothy (GLAAD winner, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Unexpected Stage, In the Now Productions), The Eumenides, and award-winning short film Monsura is Waiting. He wrote the libretto for the chamber opera, Why Is Eartha Kitt Trying to Kill Me?: A Love Story (composed by Jeffrey Dennis Smith, American Lyric Theatre, Urban Arias) and Daughters of the Bloody Duke, commissioned by Washington National Opera for the American Opera Initiative at the Kennedy Center, composed by Jake Runestad. Other projects include a children’s opera for Houston Grand Opera, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers with composer Kamala Sankaram, and the play Pelicans (Ashland New Play Festival 2019)

Spencer Keasey (Rex)
Spencer graduated with a minor in theater from the University of Pittsburgh, initially performing in local theater groups and then shifting his focus shifted to other arts as a singer, pianist and artist. His fifteen-year hiatus from acting ended with an acclaimed and award-winning adult film career eventually landing him off-Broadway in Naked Boys Singing at the New World’s Stages. (His memoir of his years in the porn business will be published this fall.) In 2008, he was cast by David Drake in the Provincetown production of Two Boys on a Cold Winter's Night, a show that went on to play at the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival to much acclaim. Spencer went on to play lead roles in Tony Jackman’s production of Edward II and Margret Van Sant’s production of Venus in Fur at the Provincetown Theater.

Joe MacDougall (Klaus, White Gays / Playwright, Temporary Land Masses)
Joe MacDougall is a New York and Cape Cod based actor who last appeared in the IDGTF in 2008 as a crazed Tom Cruise fan. Since then Joe has been in numerous plays and films in New York and Cape Cod including “The Normal Heart,” “The Maids,” “Accidentally Like A Martyr,” “The Lonely Planet,” “Salome,” “Take Me Out,” “The Elephant Man,” “The Lion In Winter,” “Caesar and Cleopatra,” “Small Craft Warning” and others. Films and television include “The Ninth Step,” “Dear Melissa,” “Dive Shop,” “Cocktail Hour,” “Discovery ID Pandora’s Box.” Joe is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be working with Jim on “White Gays” and to Margaret Van Sant for including his play “Temporary Land Masses” in this year’s festival.

Wil Moser (Avery, White Gays; Sam Bellamy, Goody)
Wil is a Brooklyn-based actor, Cape Cod local, and [LOCATION REDACTED] [NOUN REDACTED] [HUMOR ARTICULATED]. Awards include: IRNE Award for reprising his title role in The Little Prince at New Repertory Theatre; 2018 Cape Cod Rising Star. Film credits include: Tommy: The Documentary; Sucking Wind; Teacher of the Year. Education: The Hartt School (Actor Training); Recent theatre credits include: Little Devils (Max, JT) with the Helltown Players; Next to Normal (Gabe) at ETC; Tommy (Tommy) at CCftA. Wil has been acting on the east coast for more than a decade, is a self-proclaimed “cool dude,” and is forever grateful for his loving parents, incredible friends, and, of course, the Helltown Players.

Patrick Riviere (Oscar, White Gays; Responder Williams, Goody)
Patrick is an award-winning actor, playwright, arts administrator/educator and documentary filmmaker. Locally he has been seen in several plays presented by Truro Playwrights Collective (including White Gays); singing with Patti LuPone at Town Hall and starring in a Super Bowl commercial which ran for five years (Gold Telly Award). During his 40+ year career he has worked in NYC, Chicago and LA with over 100 starring and featured roles in theatre, film and TV. Most recently he directed and produced two award-winning short doc films: Just a Broadway Baby: Mary Ellen Ashley and Artists at the Edge.
https://www.patrickriviere.com

Chad Riter / May Happs (Sinclair)
Chad has a BFA from the Boston Conservatory at Berkeley. He lived in NYC for twelve years and enjoyed performing across the U.S. He also worked as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Chad currently resides in Provincetown where you can see his sister ego, May Happs at the Crown & Anchor or the Post Office Cabaet. Thankful for the opportunity to be in an ensemble again.

Scarlett Strauss (Sinclair)

Frank Vasello (Director)
Frank Vasello, a graduate of The Massachusetts College of Art, has been living and working in Provincetown for the past 24 years. In addition to several environmental art exhibits, he, along with his husband, Nathan Butera has produced the 24-Hour Plays for the Provincetown Theater for the past 7 years. He has also (along with his husband) produced, acted and wrote for Offseason, a 14 episode TV series shot in Provincetown with all local actors and writers. He has participated and many local play readings as both an actor and director. He will be seen in Almost Maine this upcoming season at the Provincetown Theater.

Tommy Walsh (Alexander, White Gays; Stephen, Temporary Land Masses)
Tommy is a locally grown Cape Cod actor and is planning to relocate to Los Angeles in 2025 with his husband. He was recently seen in productions of Quickies, four plays in repertoire that included Jim Dalglish’s The Black Eye and Margaret Van Sant’s Madam Executrix (Art House, Red Room). He also acted in this production when it traveled to the International Dublin Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival. Theater credits include Love! Valor! Compassion!, Frankenstein and Amadeus all at the Provincetown Theater, Gay Shorts at Club Cafe and Big Love. TV credits include The Perfect Couple recently on Netflix, HBO’s The Plot Against America and Detroit. Tommy graduated from Boston University with a BFA in acting.