Speak My Words, Tell My Truth

The staged reading of a new play by Lorenz Qatava

Combining poetry, history, and storytelling, the play focuses on the lives and works of Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Essex Hemphill, E. Lynn Harris, Tarrell Alvin McCraney, and other seminal Black writers and activists. Through imagined intergenerational dialogues with each other and with a contemporary young Black gay man, we learn how their words transformed American culture, race relations, and acceptance of homosexuality.  Previous versions of “Speak My Words, Tell My Truth” have been performed at Coachella Valley Rep and Portland’s PDX Playwrights.

Lorenz Qatava, Playwright
Lorenz is the author of the gay romance novel Rain After the Fire and a second stage play On the Verge about Black gay men responding to the Black Lives Matter protests.  He occasionally teaches courses on African American poetry and civil rights history at Southern Oregon University and at the California State University San Bernardino.

Yvans Jourdain, Director
Yvans, who along with numerous television credits, has appeared in a recurring role on the popular sitcom Parks and Recreation.  Jourdain’s last live directorial project was the critically acclaimed performance of Jenelle Lynn Randall in I Wanna Be Evil:  The Eartha Kitt Story, at the LA Fringe Festival, an online version which was presented this past April.

IMPORTANT COVID-19 POLICY: For the health, safety and well-being of our patrons, staff and artists, Dezart Performs’ COVID-19 policy requires guests to be fully vaccinated. Upon arrival at all events, guests must present a photo ID along with proof that they meet the CDC definition of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, either in the form of a physical vaccination card or a photo of the card.

Masks must also be worn when indoors unless eating or drinking.

For complete information about our COVID-19 policy, click here.