Dring

SHEPHERDSTOWN — This month, Emmy-nominated playwright and director Lisa Dring will be participating in the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) — even though it may be from a distance.

“Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular,” which experienced the first part of its world premiere with CATF commissioning partner Rogue Artists Ensemble at the Los Angeles LGBT Center last August, will complete the second half of its world premiere at CATF while Dring is busy working on the other side of the globe. Currently, Dring is working on a theatrical production in India, Japan and Greece and, although she would like to see her play on CATF’s stage at the Frank Arts Center.

“I’m sad I won’t be in West Virginia at all this summer,” Dring said.

While she is thrilled to be developing a new play overseas this summer, Dring noted the play CATF will be producing continues to hold a dear place in her heart — in part, due to the moving inspiration behind its script.

“Shawn Balentine is a stunt performer who actually was exiled from Hollywood for being outed in 2016. Now, he runs an all-queer stunt team, which is really cool. His team is often hired, because they are a queer stunt team,” Dring said, noting there remains a strong stigma against LGBTQ+ people in the stunt performing community to this day. “That was part of my inspiration for the story, about two queer Hollywood stuntmen who navigate the dangers of exposing their love while working in this challenging field.”

“Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular” will be premiered at the Contemporary American Theater Festival this month. Courtesy photo

For Dring, the play has been a way to explore the issues that she has encountered in Hollywood, including its racist casting prejudices. She herself is of Japanese descent and has seen how challenging it can be for Asians to succeed as professional actors and — as she illustrates in “Happy Fall: A Queer Stunt Spectacular” — professional stunt performers.

But in spite of all these issues, Dring said Hollywood still holds a fond place in her heart.

“It’s a love letter to Hollywood and dreams and, you know, what it’s like to be in that world where anything’s possible,” Dring said, mentioning her own career has been largely built in Los Angeles.

Since the play is about stuntmen, it will feature a cast that includes professional stunt performers, who will be doing tricks on stage. It will also feature a number of other unique artistic elements, including cinematography and puppetry.

“With it being set in L.A. and Hollywood, the play needed to use technology and screens,” Dring said. “The puppetry is a symbolic choice — it captures the idea of ‘the double.’ The stunt people are doubles for the famous bodies, and the puppets are doubles for the bodies of the stunt people.”

Tickets to the play can be purchased at https://catf.org/ or by contacting the box office at 681-240-2283 or boxoffice@catf.org from 12-5 p.m. weekdays.