Tori and Mabelle talk with Joshua about his development of “Dear ONE: Love & Longing in Mid-Century Queer America.” He shares the sacred duty of oral history storytelling, including transparency and honor, focusing on a theme, and preserving the voice of the subject. Other subjects include: the importance of a playwright’s mission statement, artistic generosity, and Josh’s continued drive to uplift the stories of every day queer folk.
Show Notes
Writing prompt (courtesy of Joshua Irving Gershick)
Interview and write. The first step is a bit of advice: Just do it! Put your pants in the chair and do it. Second step: Approach someone you know and ask them to tell you a story about an event. Interview them for 20 minutes, transcribe your conversation and then craft a monologue. Look for your hook (the beginning), the middle and the satisfying end.
Connect with Josh on Instagram @joshgershick, Twitter @SexyGayAgenda and New Play Exchange.
Learn more about Barbara Stanwyck on IMDB.
Josh’s full bio:
Josh Irving Gershick is a playwright, author, journalist, filmmaker & teacher.
His plays include Bluebonnet Court, winner in 2007 of the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre, an NAACP Award for Theatre Excellence, and a multiple L.A. Weekly and L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation nominee. In 2008, the San Diego Union-Tribune named Bluebonnet Court (co-pro by Moxie Theatre and Diversionary Theatre) among the top 10 plays of the season.
In 2009, Gershick was commissioned by Diversionary Theatre (and funded by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation) to write a theatrical version of his award-winning book Gay Old Girls. His play Coming Attractions was produced by San Diego’s Moxie Theatre in June 2012.
His latest works are Dear ONE: Love & Longing in Mid-Century Queer America and the radio comedy Assisted Living. Dear ONE was commissioned in 2012 by the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at USC to honor its 60th anniversary. The play has had staged readings at the USC ONE Archive (2012); the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (2013), the Los Angeles Library Foundation’s ALOUD Series, Mark Taper Auditorium, LA Central Library (2014); the West Hollywood Festival of the Arts (2015); and at Pasadena’s award-winning A Noise Within Theatre (2019).
Gershick’s short film Door Prize, which he wrote and directed, has screened at more than 125 film festivals worldwide and was winner of the Bloomington PRIDE Film Festival’s Alfred C. Kinsey Award, honoring film that furthers understanding of gender or sexuality. The film also was named Best GenderBender Short at the Hamburg International Queer Film Festival; Best Female Short at FilmOut: The San Diego Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; and Best Short at the Kansas City Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The film is used nationally by The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other non-profits to promote the full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The film stars indie-icon Beth Grant.