Theater Alliance to Present WORLDPRIDE ARTS HUB Featuring Performances and More

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Read the original article on the BroadwayWorld website here.

In celebration of WorldPride DC 2025, Theater Alliance will present WorldPride Arts Hub, two weeks of dynamic and inclusive events including vibrant performances, participatory community gatherings, and visual art installations—all designed to celebrate and uplift the richness of queer identity and culture. Rooted in Theater Alliance’s mission to produce socially conscious, community-connected art, the Theater Alliance WorldPride Arts Hub champions radical belonging and offers an affirming, intergenerational space for queer creativity to thrive. Events will be hosted in Theater Alliance’s Pop-Up theater venue in SW, thanks to Hoffman & Associates and Mayor Bowser’s and the DC Department of Buildings’ PUP Permitting program.

“The design of this Arts Hub is no different from how we’d approach any other Theater Alliance programming,” reflects Administration and Operations Manager Samba Pathak. “Theater Alliance’s mission emphasizes the importance of creating access to stories, to art, to each other. Every detail, from our partnerships to our community-led events, has been designed to ensure that LGBTQ+ folks of all generations and backgrounds feel seen, heard, and at home. That’s the kind of Pride we’re proud to build.”

The Theater Alliance WorldPride Arts Hub showcases a dynamic lineup of performances and exhibitions developed in partnership with leading local and national organizations. Gender Play, or what you Will—presented with Shakespeare Theatre Company—is a genre-defying solo show co-created by WIll Wilhelm and Erin Murray that reimagines Shakespeare’s works through a queer lens, blending classical text with personal narrative to explore identity, performance, and liberation. In collaboration with Monumental Theatre Company, the arts hub presents an all-ages concert reading of Finn, a vibrant underwater musical from the creator of Doc McStuffins and Vampirina. Featuring catchy songs and a dazzling oceanic world, Finn follows a young shark on a heartfelt journey of self-discovery, friendship, and the courage to forge their own path. The ACLU’s Freedom to Be Monument Project brings a powerful visual arts exhibition to the space—a gallery of handmade quilts honoring LGBTQ+ lives, resistance, and legacy through the deeply personal medium of textile art. Rounding out the Hub is Latinx History Project’s Noche de Jotería: A Queer Latine Variety Show, a joyful celebration of queer Latinx artistry featuring live music, spoken word, and performance, highlighting the brilliance and diversity of the community.

“I’m over the moon to be a part in uplifting queer stories through the arts,” says Theo Yu, Associate Producer of the Theater Alliance WorldPride Arts Hub. “My identity as a queer person is directly tied to my experiences with authentic queer artists, so I’m particularly excited to engage with audiences from a broad range of experiences and provide opportunities for some really beautiful and complex conversations about the queer experience.”

The Theater Alliance WorldPride Arts Hub is more than just a series of performances—it’s a celebration of the power of queer art to inspire, uplift, and create conversation. With sponsorship from Capital Pride Alliance, we’re glad to bring together diverse voices and perspectives, where this two-week event provides a space where creativity, activism, and community can thrive. As we come together to honor WorldPride through performance, art, and shared experiences, Theater Alliance invites all to join in this moment of radical belonging, where every story is valued, and every voice has the power to shape our collective future.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Gender Play, or what you Will

(Dates: May 29 – June 1, 2025)

Co-Created by WIll Wilhelm and Erin MurrayDirected by Emily Tarquin

Produced by Brannon Bowers

Performed by WIll Wilhelm

Presented by Theater Alliance and Shakespeare Theatre Company

Will is a trans actor seeking purpose and belonging, and not seeing their story reflected in the media or history. In their most desperate hour, they hold a seance to summon one of the oldest and queerest playwrights of the English language - William Shakespeare! The two are now becoming total besties and Will invites you to an impromptu party to celebrate this new friendship. For eight nights only, join Will & Will as they reclaim the Bard’s old plays in all of their original homoerotic, cross-dressing, genderfluid glory. But to meet the guest of honor, we must perform the seance again, together. Gender Play, or what you Will promises a mystical journey of queer joy, laughter, tarot, and self-discovery through the classics. 

This production of Gender Play, or what you Will originated at and is fiscally sponsored by Indianapolis Shakespeare Company. This production is presented as a partner event of WorldPride DC 2025 by Theater Alliance and Shakespeare Theatre Company.

A Concert Reading of Finn

(Dates: June 5-6, 2025)

By Chris Nee, Michael Kooman, and Christopher Dimond

Produced by Monumental Theatre Company

Presented at Theater Alliance’s WorldPride Arts Hub

This coming-of-age musical tells the story of Finn, a young shark who just doesn’t fit in with the rest of his stoic and… gray pack. Though initially set on following the family tradition of joining the Shark Guard, Finn’s chance encounter with a regal tang fish sets them both on a sparkling journey to discover not only the vibrantly colorful ocean but also themselves along the way!

Visual Arts Gallery: Quilts from ACLU Freedom to Be

MonumentGallery available one hour before each performance.

In partnership with the ACLU’s Freedom to Be Monument Project, Theater Alliance will showcase a curated gallery of handmade quilts, each one representing a story of resistance, remembrance, and queer legacy. Created by LGBTQ+ artists and allies from around the country, these quilts pay homage to individuals and moments that have shaped the fight for freedom—from trans trailblazers to community organizers lost to violence or illness. The installation honors the history of quilting as a queer, communal act of care and memory.

Noche de Jotería: A Queer Latine Variety Show

(Date: May 30, 2025)

Presented by Latinx History Project

Presented at Theater Alliance’s WorldPride Arts Hub

The stage is set for Noche de Jotería–a full-on celebration of queer Latinx talent, flavor, and fierceness. This variety show brings together some of the DMV’s brightest estrellas for a night of performances through dance, poetry, and drag. From tender moments to emotional roller coasters, every act brings something real, raw, and beautiful to life in a full display of the our community's jotería (queerness). This is our joy, our power, and our spotlight. Don’t miss it.

What to Expect: Queer Latinx dance, drag, and spoken word; Local artists sharing their stories and magic; An audience full of love, laughter, and pride.