New Off-Central play is a show “for queer joy” • St Pete Catalyst

In another less awake day and hour, Miranda Rose Hall’s play Trace points in our sexual development would provoke outrage in some circles for his candid descriptions of his characters’ life journeys of self-discovery.

Fortunately, those days are (almost) over and the play, which premieres Friday at Studio Grand Central in St. Petersburg, can be appreciated and celebrated for its warmth, honesty and humor.

There are two characters in Track points: Theo, a trans person who identifies as male, and a cis lesbian named Cecily. They spend the 75 minutes of the play going back and forth, telling stories about their sexuality and how they got there. There is a big reveal at the end.

“At the end of the day, it’s about relationships, people and finding the truth,” said Off-Central Players director Staci Sabarsky. “Strip your soul. Because that’s what these two characters end up doing.

No matter who you are or how you identify with yourself, you have a soul.

“I think the beautiful part of the show is that it doesn’t mean to be a lesson for straight guys,” said Kayla Witoshynsky, who plays Cecily. “It’s a show for queer people, and for queer joy. But every time someone listens to a marginalized person, they can learn. And I hope they get a glimpse into the life of a trans-identifiable person.

“This doesn’t mean that you will magically know how all trans and gay people feel, but at least you will get a glimpse of what a person is doing.”

Newt Rametta, who plays Theo, recognizes the universality of the stories told in Hall’s script. “We’ve all had really, really embarrassing sexual experiences growing up,” he said. “We are not that different.

Still, both performers believe there are specific moments and recurring patterns that will resonate with queer and trans communities. “It’s almost like a whole other language that gay people speak,” Rametta explained. “There are a few lines about being gay and how your body looks.

“You’re like, ‘I’m not trans enough. I am not what I should be. I am not masculine enough, I am not feminine enough. You tell yourself that you are not enough, but there is no rule of thumb about what a trans person is supposed to look like. Or envy.

“So I think a lot of people can take the things Theo says and relate to it.”

Newt, who spent years creating the Tampa Bay Theater as Nina Rametta, found a lot to relate to in Plot points. “When we first read the painting,” he said, “I started to cry, at one monologue in particular. There is a monologue where he talks about the first genre euphoria as a pubescent teenager, where he has no breasts and his cousin remarks – “wow, you look like a boy”. And what a good feeling it is.

“I’m going to cry now, just thinking about it, because I’ve been through this. I know what it feels like. One hundred percent.

With director Staci Sabarsky.

There is another bittersweet note in the book of Trace points in our sexual development – it will mark the swan song of director Sabarsky’s Tampa Bay, after more than six years of theatrical creation, mainly on the Tampa side of the bay.

Although she and her husband, Leon, are both originally from Dunedin, they lived in North Carolina for two decades before moving to Hillsborough County. Sabarsky founded the Tampa-based Innovocative Theater, which produced cutting-edge and uplifting dramas.

At the end of 2021, the loss of the Bay Area will be the gain of Raleigh-Durham.

“Last year, because of the Covid, we really took stock of a lot of things. Sabarsky explained. “Life is short.

“And North Carolina has always felt like home. We had heart-to-heart discussions and we were like, “If we really want to go back, what are we waiting for? “”

Grand Central Studio: Tickets and info