Why we need trans stories in theatre
Musical Theatre has long been a beacon of hope for the communities that society might typically cast aside or marginalize. I was always told that theatre and what we see onstage should ultimately mirror what I see in my day-to-day life; humans, from all walks of life and all different shapes, sizes, colors, genders.
One would think that when tasked to find and compile a list of characters in theatre who are from the Transgender, Non-Binary, Two Spirited + communities, would be simple and that there would be a wealth of information. But I was honestly a little bit shocked to find that it was not quite the case as far as commercial theatre. The future of works in development, and works that are already published is thrillingly vast and just waiting for producers and companies and artists to give them breath.
Why is queer and more specifically, trans representation in musical theatre is so vital?
As I briefly touched on earlier, I have always been told and shared the belief that theatre as a art form should always be a mirror of the world in which I navigate day-to-day. And my world, as a Black Trans Woman is one full of people from every background you could imagine when I walk the streets of New York City.
Broadway and theatre as a whole has not always done the best at emulating this though. It is also a trying time not just here in USA, but globally that TNB2S+ (Transgender, Non-Binary, Two Spirited +) individuals basic human rights are under attack daily by anti-trans legislation. Just in the United States alone, 527 Anti-Trans laws are on the table or being passed.
THIS is why our representation matters so drastically.
Trans history in Theatre
- It was only back 2018 when the high energy musical Head Over Heels opened, that it marked the first time a Non-Binary character had been portrayed on Broadway and played by Transgender actress, Peppermint of Ru Pauls Drag Race fame.
- In 2022, L Morgan Lee became the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for Best Featured Actress at the Tony Awards for her work in the musical A Strange Loop.
- In 2023, J Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell both made history for being two Non-Binary performers who won for their performances in the shows Some Like It Hot (Ghee) and the musical comedy, Shucked (Newell). However in the same year, The Broadway League and Tony Awards faced criticism for still having gendered award categories, a decision that & Juliet’s Justin David Sullivan who plays the non-binary character May, publicly called out and ultimately declined being submitted for the awards as they did not feel choosing a male or female category aligned with who they are and their gender identity.
They also called for doing away entirely with gendered categories in effort to be more inclusive to those who are Non-Binary or Gender Non- Conforming performers. As you can see, a lot of progress overall has been made in a relatively short but very recent amount of time.
Trans, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit+ (TNB2S+) performers making an impact onstage
It is also worth noting that casting trans people is not to be reserved only if they’re playing a trans person. Truly inclusive casting includes an element of seeing past the gender and making bold and exciting casting decisions in roles that might have been created or written traditionally for cisgender performers. Here is a brief list of TNB2S+ (Transgender, Non-Binary, Two Spirited +) artist who are making an impact:
Michaela Jae Rodriguez
Michela Jaé Rodriguez portrayed the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse in 2019.
Alexandra
Billings
Wicked made history for casting Alexandra Billings, their first openly trans woman in the show’s twenty three year/record breaking run.
Sis
Trans activist and actress Sis made her mark in the industry by being cast as Ado Annie in the 2021 Tour of Oklahoma! alongside Hennesey Winkler as Will Parker.
Angelica Ross
Angelica Ross was the first openly trans woman to play the role of Roxy Hart in Chicago on Broadway.
Jinx Monsoon
Jinx Monsoon, two time winner of Ru Pauls Drag Race has been making history as the first trans woman in the highly successful Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, Mama Morton in Chicago, and is soon slated to take on the role of Reno Sweeney in a concert performance of Anything Goes.
Tomás Matos
Tomás Matos made history in 2021 as the first openly non-binary performer to play a Fate in the Broadway production of Hadestown.
Bianca Leigh & Cole Escola
Michela Jaé Rodriguez portrayed the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse in 2019.
Jade Jones
Jade Jones is a non-binary performer with regional credits for playing Belle in Olney Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast and The Muny’s production of Les Miserables as Madame Thénardier.
James Rose
James Rose portrayed a gender expansive Emcee in Barrington Stage’s
production of Cabaret, a trend also starting to be seen in the U.K and
Broadway revivals of the same show.
“Tempress” Chasity Moore
Ballroom legend “Tempress” Chasity Moore is the talk of the town in the
reimagined version of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, playing Grizabella. (This production features a whole gender diverse cast and gives new life to the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit
That list is just a taste of the talented performers making waves in the industry and giving new life to roles by having them be seen from a different lens or simply just by existing in the story without even an acknowledgement of their gender.
“I encourage trans performers to be seen beyond just the material that is written for us, but to aim just as high and envision us in every facet of theatre as whole.”
Roles for Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit+ (TNB2S+) artists
When it comes specifically to TNB2S+ roles, those should always be played by performers from community and it is even better if those roles and the material are also written by fellow community members. If you are looking for a list of roles written specifically or the trans community, here is a list of some of the material I have found:
1. Roles in Musicals (Broadway/Off-Broadway)
May from & Juliet (2019)
Gender Identity:
Non-Binary/Gender Non-Conforming
Originally performed by:
Arun Blair-Mangat (West End)
Featured song:
"I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman"
Pythio from Head Over Heels (2018)
Gender Identity:
Non-Binary/Gender Non-Conforming
Originally performed by:
Peppermint (first out trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway)
Angel from Rent (1996)
Gender Identity:
This role was traditionally portrayed as a drag queen, however it is up for much debate on if Angel is more Non-Binary/Gender Non- Conforming.
Originally performed by:
Wilson Jermaine Heredia
Featured song:
"Today 4 U", "I'll Cover You", "Contact"
Also noting that the show was written in a time where the dialogue and vocabulary was not as expansive as it is today.
Jerry/Daphne from Some Like It Hot (2022)
Gender Identity:
Non-Binary or Gender Non-Conforming
Originally performed by:
J. Harrison Ghee (Tony winner)
Featured song:
"You Coulda Knocked Me Over with a Feather", "Fly, Mariposa, Fly"
Thought 1 from A Strange Loop (2019)
Gender Identity:
Cisgender or Transgender Woman
Originally performed by:
L Morgan Lee (notable for being the first openly trans performer nominated for a Tony)
Hedwig from Hedwig & The Angry Inch (1998)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Woman, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming
Originally performed by:
John Cameron Mitchell
Featured song:
"Tear Me Down", "Wig in a Box", "The Origin of Love"
Robert from Southern Comfort (2016)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Man
Originally performed by:
Annette O’Toole
Featured song:
“I’m Goin’”, “Free”
Lola from Southern Comfort (2016)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Woman
Originally performed by:
Jeff McCarthy
Featured song:
“Friends Like You”, “We Shall Be Changed”
Jackson from Southern Comfort (2016)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Woman
Originally performed by:
Jeffrey Kuhn
Featured song:
“I will never Let You Go”
Sam from Southern Comfort (2016)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Man
Originally performed by:
Donnie Cianciotto
Featured song:
“Hide and Seek”
Albert Cashier from The CiviliTy of Albert Cashier (2017)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Man
Originally performed by:
Em Grosland
Featured song:
"Hard to Be a Boy", "Caged Bird"
2. Roles in Plays
Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf from I Am My Own Wife (2003)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Man
Originally performed by:
Jefferson Mays
Featured song:
Doug Wright
Kenneth/Kate Marlowe from Make Me Gorgeous (2023)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Woman, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming
Originally performed by:
Wade McCollum
Featured song:
Donnie (Donald) Horn
Timothy from FTM (2003)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Man
Originally performed by:
David Harrison
Featured song:
David Harrison
Christine from Christine Jorgensen Reveals (2005)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Woman
Originally performed by:
Bradford Louryk
Cecilia Gentili from Red Ink (2025)
Gender Identity:
Transgender Woman
Originally performed by:
Chiquitita
Featured song:
Cecilia Gentili
3. Works in development
The following are offerings of works that are either published, being produced, in development, or are receiving workshops through new works programs through different theatre companies. This is not an exhaustive list, but a fantastic jumping off point.
Plays
- Sagittarius Pondersoa by MJ Kaufman
- Log Cabin by Jordan Harrison
- Mirror, Mirror by Sarah Treem
- Plot Points In Our Sexual Development by Miranda Rose Hall
- Trans Scripts Part I: The Women by Paul Lucas
- Thunder Above, Deeps Below by A. Rey Pamatat
- Hir by Taylor Mac
- Orange Julius by Basil Kreimendahl
- Legitime by Zachariah Ezer
Bliss: A Collection of Commissioned Scenes and Monologues by - TNB2S+ Artist for TNB2S+ Artist by Dante Green, one Igusti, Esperanza Rosales Balcarcel, Haruna Lee, Kit Yan, L Morgan Lee, Nazareth Hassan, Preston Max Allen, Noax, R. Réal Vargas Alanis, Rob Madge, and Shualee Cook
- I Am The Most Beautiful Bird by Else Went
- Boids by R. Tang
- Mutha Load by Ayla Xuân Chi Sullivan
- Racial Bonus by Dominique Rider
- Overheard: Fourteen Commissioned Monologues Written By TNB2S+
- Artists For TNB2S+ Artists by A. A. Brenner, Azure D. Osborne-Lee, Bianca Leigh, Else Went, Isaac Gomez, Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, Liqing Xu, Mashuq Mushtao Deen, Sam Hamashima, Sharifa Yasmin, Sylvan Oswald, Travis L. Tate, Ugba, and Victor I. Cazaresa
- Trans World by Tye Defoe
Musicals
- The Regulars by Will Shishmanian
- A Complicated Woman by Ianne Fields Stewart, Jonathan Brielle, and Sam
- Salmond
- Teaching A Robot To Love by Laser Webber
- S/He/ & Me: The Alexandra Billings Bio Musical by Alexandra Billings,
- Joanne Gordon, and Andre Catrini
- Garden In The Midnight of Good and Evil by Taylor Mac and Jason
- Robert Brown
While the theatre industry at large still has work to do in regards to allowing everyone a seat at the table, I am thrilled to know there are many great projects that are in development or waiting to be produced in a formal setting. The industry is already tough to break through; but thankfully organizations like Breaking The Binary Theatre, Black Trans Femme In the Arts, The Theatre Offensive (TTO) and many others are making the process happen and with the care and consideration that the TNB2S+ artists deserve.
A Word of Encouragement
I also want to leave the readers with this: if you are having difficulty navigating finding material for you and that you identify with, do not be afraid to take a leap and create a space for yourself in order to thrive and get your art out into the world. I also want to encourage theatre companies, regionally, commercially, community, educational to CAST TRANS PERFORMERS. We are full human beings with lives and with talents and gifts that can open up a whole new point of view and beautiful world that is at our finger tips if we could just get into the room.
Trans people are sacred. Trans people are beautiful. Trans people have always existed.
