San Francisco Writer/Performer in Hands Up! Gender Oct. 29-Nov. 7

"I'm non-binary. I'm not one or the other. I'm not chocolate or vanilla or Neapolitan. I'm my own flavor," said Mx. Jae Truesdell (they, them) in Tellin' Tales Theatre presents: Hands Up! Gender which runs virtually on Vimeo October 29 - November 7. Truesdell is the only performer outside of the Chicago area - where Tellin' Tales Theatre is based - in this production.

Tellin’ Tales Theatre curated a diverse group of writers with and without disabilities to share personal stories exploring their experiences and truths around gender. Tickets are $10 and available at https://www.simpletix.com/e/hands-up-gender-tickets-79392. Closed captioning and audio description are available.

Nine performers explore gender identity, gender expression and the effects of society in Live Lit performances. In addition to Truesdell, they include Illinois performers Lee Buell of Skokie, Molly Wiesman of Elmhurst, Linnea Kopp of Harvard, Pamela Palmersheim of Glenview and Chicagoans Joe Lewis, Didi Reed, Saanti Bonet' and Shui Sheppard.

When curating writers for the performance, directors Stephen Donart and Robert Teverbaugh paid special attention to having a broad spectrum represented. "Gender is one of those things where everyone thinks they have shared understanding, but when you unpack those opinions, most people don’t agree at all,” Teverbaugh said.

Hands Up! Gender is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.

About Tellin’ Tales Theatre:

Tellin’ Tales Theatre has just begun celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Founded in 1996, Tellin’ Tales Theatre was conceived by Tekki Lomnicki, Michael Blackwell, and Nancy Neven Shelton to promote and support a society where people of all abilities are accepted and equal, regardless of perceived ability. The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of sharing personal narratives. For more information, please visit www.tellintales.org