Local playwright gets support from Jobsite

It's taken a while for Edward Perry to embrace his true passion — the theater. And now that he has, the folks at Jobsite Theater have rallied behind him and lent their space at the Shimberg Playhouse for his new play, "We're Here, We're Queer … It's Complicated!"

A child of Job-side productions, Jobsite's program that supports emerging playwrights in the community, the play opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday.

Born in Massachusetts, transplanted to Miami at age 2 and a Tampa Bay resident for the past 12 years, Perry is practically a Florida native. His career path began in music, but then he discovered theater at the University of Miami, where he earned his B.A. in music education.

After finding work on cruise ships and performing in various local productions, Perry took a break from the stage.

"I got burnt out," Perry said. "But then I tried to figure out how to come back."

A decade later, he cobbled together notes from a piece he wrote and created "We're Here, We're Queer … It's Complicated!" The show explores all aspects of the gay community, including experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning people.

"When I came up with the title, I didn't want it to mean that being gay is complicated. Certainly things that the gay community has to deal with now are complicated, like suicide, bullying, the fight about gay marriage. But the overall concept is that life is complicated," said Perry.

The play is divided into three sections, with a five-member cast that includes Ashley Collins, Slake Counts, Adam Crain, Landon Green and Dana Kova. In the first three scenes, a gay couple is shown at the beginning and then the end of their relationship. The middle scene highlights one of those characters and reveals a struggle with family issues. Another scene is about a bisexual woman working out a relationship with her boyfriend and girlfriend. A transgender monologue is followed by a story about two men who are bisexual but questioning who they are. Perry describes the final scene as a comical take on two lesbians out on their second date, exploring the idea of a new relationship.

This is Perry's first produced work, and he's written another titled "Blame it on the Rain," for which he hopes to find a venue. In the meantime, Jobsite has been a vital component to his success as an emerging artist.

"They've been great about the use of the space, supporting local artists, giving us help with costumes and lighting and some marketing," Perry said.