Play addresses lesbian, gay life in today’s society

In an effort to break down stereotypes and raise awareness about issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender  community, Knight Allies at UCF is hosting a play depicting what life is like for them in the community.

The play, titled Break Through: Bringing down the Barriers, is made up of scenes that are all based off true events that happened mostly in the Orlando area and will cover a wide range of scenarios that show what it's like to be queer in today's society.

"Since I've been so involved with LGBT rights for the past four years now, I figured why not create a story that would really be able to show what we go through as people in the LGBT community," said Gabrielle Shulruff, a senior theatre studies major and the producer/director for Break Through.

Shulruff said that the production is completely from interviews from the media, as well as real stories from within the cast and outside of the cast.

"It's an eye opening production that will hit close to home to many and is going to really do a lot for this community," Shulruff said.

Jason Gootner, one of the few actors in the play who isn't a theatre major, felt a drive to be a part of the production even though he wasn't getting any type of school credit.

"What drove me to be in this production is that the production itself is supposed to be an informative piece on the queer community," said Gootner, a junior psychology major. "I'm part of the queer community myself, so I wanted to break down stereotypes that are placed on me personally."

In addition to the actual play, there will also be an art show featuring pieces donated by four different artists who support the LGBT community, as well as a documentary on Break Through by Aaron Hosé and Dale Fakess of the Office of Instructional Resources.

All money from the ticket sales and the art show will go to The Zebra Coalition, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that finds safe havens and counseling for troubled LGBTs.

"We're really excited. We'll be there every night the production is on," said Anthony Armstrong, a coordinator from The Zebra Coalition. "We're honored to be the benefactors from this production. This is a good sign of people just coming together and trying to make a difference."

Alex Wall, the writer of the production, was inspired to write the script for Break Through due to the teen suicides related to anti-LGBT bullying that occurred in September, 2010. Wall has always felt strongly about the issues affecting the many people in the LGBT community he knows.

"There was a quote from Edward Albee that really impacted me. ‘Art should be useful,' " Wall said. "I haven't been involved in a project as useful as this."

Break Through also plans on traveling to Florida Gulf Coast University in the beginning of April to perform at the Florida Collegiate Pride Coalition conference — a traveling conference sponsored by LGBT student organizations that goes to different schools all over Florida.

"We're not trying to attack people who have biased views," Gootner said. "We're attempting to explain to them where the other side is coming from. People usually have fear or hatred for things that they just don't understand."

The production and art show will take place at the UCF Black Box Theater  from Thursday through Sunday.  The art show starts at 6 p.m. and the play starts at 8 p.m. It is free for UCF students.

To find out more about ticket info and the production, visit breakthroughproduction.org.