THREE HOURS IN THE CHURCH OF QUEER LOVE:
A COMPLICATED DANCE AT ARENA STAGE
Tarell Alvin McCraney (Oscar winner for Moonlight) returns to the stage with We Are Gathered, a lyrical and immersive exploration of love, commitment, and the weight of legacy. Directed by Kent Gash at Arena Stage, attending the play feels like an evening spent in a Black, queer church—where laughter, cheers, and applause erupt as the audience bears witness to the relationship between Wallace Tre (Kyle Beltran) and Free (Nic Ashe), a gay Black couple grappling with what it means to build a life together.
Kyle Beltran (Wallace Tre) and Nic Ashe (Free)
The timing of this world premiere is no coincidence: it purposely coincides with WorldPride, which is underway in D.C., and the 50th anniversary of D.C.’s Pride—an act of resilience in a city shadowed by Trump’s restrictive queer policies.
Nic Ashe (Free) and Kyle Beltran (Wallace Tre)
Tre and Free are commemorating a milestone fifth anniversary, but as Tre turns 40, questions about a looming everlasting marriage bubble to the surface, leaving them stumped. Their hesitation is layered: Tre is haunted by a homophobic upbringing, while Free is waiting—somewhat impatiently—for a proposal. Tre narrates his confusion: “I wanna know why the instinct to make love to that man was present from day one, moment one, second one, jumped up in my spirit instantly clearly and without cultivation, and the instinct to make him my husband is… lacking.”
Complicating matters is the secret of how they first met: cruising in a dark park, where they fell into bed before exchanging names. Tre bluntly admits, “We fucked in a park.” Free gently corrects him: “We did… make love… right where we met.”
Kevin Mambo (Chauncey)
The weight of family history looms large. Tre’s mostly absent father (Kevin Mambo) shows up, asking the dreaded inevitable question: “If I had tried harder, would it have made a difference?”—as if Tre’s queerness were a product of neglect rather than nature. He then doubles down; he thinks it’s a sin to live with a man, according to the Bible. Tre responds, with heartbreaking honesty, that he lives with night terrors and “the fucking fear of joy.”
Nic Ashe (Free) and Kyle Beltran (Wallace Tre)
In an effort to round out Free’s unencumbered character—though it sometimes slows the play’s momentum—McCraney introduces Free’s loving grandparents (Craig Wallace and Jade Jones) who raised him, and offer an affirming, if perhaps idealized, counterpoint. Jones also delivers a standout turn as Xi, Free’s straight-talking friend.
Nic Ashe (Free) and Jade Jones (Nana Jae)
Along with narrating much of the story, Tre’s poetic musings weave through the action like a river of longing and doubt. With the well-meaning intention of creating an immersive experience, McCraney has Tre ask the audience directly: “When is your anniversary, wedding, or first-time meeting? And does anyone have a favorite love song?” At times, these moments of spectator participation add a sense of communal reflection; at others, they make the play drag on.
Nic Ashe (Free)
As the evening stretches on—Tre waxes poetic about his indecision for more than two hours while the show runs just under three—Tre’s poetic introspection risks becoming indulgent. The writing is lush and beautiful, yes, but there’s such a thing as too much contemplation and not enough action. By the time the couple finally ties the knot (spoiler alert), the emotional payoff feels almost anticlimactic.
Nic Ashe (Free) and Kyle Beltran (Wallace Tre)
In a twist that’s been publicly advertised, real-life gay couples get married onstage as part of the play’s closing tableau—a celebratory nod to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality decision, and a reminder that queer love is not only justifiable, but hallowed.
Kyle Beltran (Wallace Tre) and Nic Ashe (Free)
We Are Gathered is a political and artistic testament to that truth, a play that asks: what does it mean to love and be loved in a world that is still catching up? It’s messy, it’s tedious, it’s poetic, and it’s deeply human.
photos by T Charles Erickson Photography
We Are Gathered
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Fichandler Stage, 1101 Sixth Street SW in D.C.
three hours
Tues and Wed at 7:30; Thurs & Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8: Sun at 2 & 7:30
check for weekday matinees at 12pm
ends on June 15, 2025
for tickets ($70-$110), call 202.488.3300 or visit Arena Stage
for more shows, visit Theatre in DC
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Not impressed.