A little history – in the Fall of 2007, my partner, Robby, became the director of the Adult Christian Education at the
Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley. Soon after, he mentioned that he wanted to organize a fundraiser to
purchase an LCD projector as a teaching aid for Bible studies, book study groups, the monthly Friday night movie series, and
use during church services and meetings. Since I was his partner, I began praying about it and came up with an idea which I
presented to him. I said “Why don’t I put on a show?” - to which he made a snide remark about being married to Mickey AND
Judy – at which point I reminded him that I was once a professional actor/singer, and that it was not beyond the realm of
possibility that I might just be able to pull this off.
So, after researching the cost of a good LCD projector, I figured out that, with the cost of show royalties and fees, I
might have to stage 2 shows to raise enough funds. I presented my proposal to our Pastor, Beth Goudy, who was very excited
about the idea, and she presented it to the Board where it was okayed – and then the idea took on a life of its own. I
began thinking of other shows we could do, and Pastor Beth felt that this could grow into something more and encouraged me
to take it a step further. So, what started off as a simple fundraising idea for our education ministry has turned into a
full-fledged theater company.
I realized that we had the opportunity to create something that would not only benefit the MCCLV ministries and
congregation, but the entire GLBTA community. We have an opportunity to create a venue that deals with GLBTA issues in a
positive and uplifting manner – material that provokes thoughtful dialogue within the GLBTA community as well as the
community-at-large. Theater is the perfect venue through which to bring people together – to learn more about ourselves
and others, and to help others learn more about us, our lives, and our issues – a platform to promote understanding, unity
and inclusion. I want our theater company to be able to work hand-in-hand with other GLBTA and allied organizations in
the Lehigh Valley and throughout our state to bring about a closer unity within our own ranks and inclusion within the
community-at-large.
This is also an opportunity for GLBTA artists (performers, writers, dancers, poets, performance artists, etc) to have a
safe place to express themselves, to create, to grow – not only in their artistic endeavors, but in their spiritual and
life journeys. We are NOT a religious theater company, we do not require any religious affiliation from anyone who joins
us, nor do we force any of our religious beliefs onto anyone - but many of us are part of MCCLV and come from a variety of
religious backgrounds, all joined together for one purpose in our lives – to live them for God’s glory. We believe that
what we are doing, although not presenting “religious” productions, is presenting our values through our work and working
toward inclusion and equality in God’s kingdom – this world we live in. We believe that we are all put here to encourage
and support each other on our individual journeys through life.
Since the decision was made to take on this project, God has guided us step by step, leading people with needed skills to
us, providing equipment and finances as we needed them (as we have started this endeavor with absolutely no budget or
funding). We are walking in faith, and hoping that this theater company can make a difference in the lives of each person
we come in contact with, and in the GLBTA community that we are a part of.
It’s not just about performing – it’s about affecting each other and the world we live in.
Dean Hiatt
Artistic Director