Beasts of Crete

Queer Joy - How the Patriarchy Impacts Us - Beasts of Crete, in and of itself is a classic tale. One of glory. Of victory. Potentially, heroism… Or perhaps, our perceived understanding of heroism. Perhaps, what is sacrificed when one tries to fulfill their socially crafted “destiny.” Immediately we enter the story feeling a deeply foreboding energy; a blanket force of the patriarchy.

We are presented with father figures of various backgrounds; love, hate, and desire. Three masculine figures that all try to do good by their moral compass, but directly impact the world around them. We have rulers that rule with love, and compassion, and those that rule with a conniving iron fist. We have heroes who run blindly into the light of justice, and those who follow after them to save them.

At the center of queerness, in our world, there continues to be a subversive, or not-so-subversive, desire from the toxically masculine, to subdue the beauty of queer love. This is where our story finds its truth. Theseus, hero of the Athenian people, has been conditioned to be the fearless, and loveless hero, driven solely by justice. She is contained to the idea that her path is laid out. Then we meet the strong-hearted, and morally-just Ariadne, a confused voice, and daughter of a tyrant. We see intrigue bloom; a single bud of hope in the desert plains of Athens. A bud that blooms… Infatuation finds its way, and grows, as we see two strong hearts try to right the wrongs of their fathers. But in their attempts, we see the trauma, and conditioning of the past take over; and ultimately lead to the tragic end of these two forbidden lovers.

How does this story reflect us today? The fight for queer love, and happiness is an overgrowing uphill battle that is challenged everyday. Oftentimes, queer youth are unable to fully recognize, and realize their true selves because of a systemic oppression that plagues queer, and especially trans, youth. We tell this story to bring this concept to light, and to ask the questions that need to be asked; How does our current society affect the queer community? How can we fight for justice in all minority communities? How can we work to achieve a world where everyone has a right to live the life they choose?

And in the World Premiere Production of Beasts of Crete, we will ask these questions. And we will invite our community to join us in asking these questions. And we'll tell our story.