LOOK FORWARD IN ANGER
Wait a minute! Hold on! A one-man play by an angry gay man to be performed by an angry gay man in a show written by an angry gay man? I’m shocked! Shocked, I tell you. In fact, just the thought of such a thing makes me so angry that I’ve already signed up for Tom DeTrinis’s new “gaytastic” comic solo play, Making Friends, so I can learn to deal with my anger as an angry, gay man!! (No doubt by being clever, astute, side-splitting and irreverent — ohhhh … okay.)
Filmed live at L.A.’s Pico Playhouse, this brand-new hootfest will be streaming Dec. 17 through Jan. 11, 2021. This is the first in IAMA Theatre Company’s 2020-21 season of new solo work, a season that looks toward the future by elevating voices that promote change in our world. Tickets, which start at $15, will be sold in weekly blocks and include access to extra live events with guests including Michael Urie (Week One) and Tom Lenk & Byron Lane (Week Two).
Directed by Drew Droege, Making Friends is written and performed by self-confessed rage-aholic Tom DeTrinis, a quick-witted, angry actor/writer/director/producer who just wants to be your friend. Growing up, he was an overly-sensitive child whose large, Long Island, NY family — five siblings, 15 aunts and uncles, and over 30 first cousins! — would have preferred he keep his emotions on a leash. “Everyone thought they knew how to raise me better than my mom and dad,” he says. “I think it was all the mixed messages I was getting that triggered my anger while I was still very young.”
And boy, did he get angry. This non-stop, hilarious litany of grievances unmasks DeTrinis’s singular views on everything from cheese (“vile fucking spoiled milk!”) to New York City (“its clutches grab you from the moment you enter until it squeezes the very last ounce of joy out of you right before you shrivel and die slash leave out of JFK/Newark or GOD FORBID LAGUARDIA?!?!?!”). And every angry gay man knows you need at least ONE dance number in a show — this one comes from Kathryn Burns, choreographer for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
“But seriously,” he says, “I think it’s important to talk about anger. Especially coming off of this presidency. We are all so angry, and we need to start recovering. For me, this show is about healing.”
There will be ‘talk-backs’ with Tom, Drew and very special guests, changing weekly, that come with the purchase of a ticket to Making Friends.
Week 1: Dec 17- 20: Michael Urie
Week 2: Dec 21-27: Tom Lenk & Byron Lane
Week 3 & 4 are still TBA…
(but they’ll be big and awesome and super fun guests)
all photos of Tom DeTrinis
courtesy of IAMA Theatre Company