SCHENECTADY – Coming to Schenectady Light Opera Company (S.L.O.C.) is Fun Home. The musical, based on the graphic novel written by Alison Bechdel, centers around a young woman, Alison, who reflects on her memories of growing up in a dysfunctional family while coming to terms with her sexuality and coming out as a member of the LGTQIA+ community.
According to Director Francesco Carlo Archina, Fun Home was originally a part of the COVID season at S.L.O.C., which at the time, featured a different director.
Archina made his directorial debut with the Schenectady company last year with the production of First Date, and when it came time for the 2024-2025 season, Archina wanted to submit several queer-focused productions. Out of The Prom and Fun Home that Archina submitted, the play committee selected Fun Home.
Fun Home tells a beautiful story about women empowerment and centers on the power struggle between daughter Alison (played by Sammy Wilson, Hollie L. Miller, Vivienne Hays, and Kat Beaulac) and father, Bruce (played by Cameron Clarke Stephens), who share similar experiences; attending the same college, living in the same town, and also coping with their sexual identities.
Bruce went to hide who he truly was and became a closeted gay man and Alison became a proud, out lesbian who draws cartoons. Alison, according to Achina, was the only person in the family who was never scared of Bruce and constantly stood up to him. One day when Alison was in her 20’s, she came out to her father and told him that she’s a lesbian and gay. Her coming out to Bruce allowed him to be himself, but in a very shameful way and just a few months later after Alison came out to her father, he killed himself.
Although the story line at times is positive, Achina said that the show is also very dark and depicts moments when Bruce Betchel had sexual relations with minors when he was a teacher and he never lived out loud as a gay man.
“From what I’ve read from the graphic novel, I’ve done so much research on the real Betchel family. I think so much of who he became was just hating himself.” Achina explains. “But for every shameful thing there is a lot of pride from Alison’s character and a lot of beauty, coming out, and being who you are so we chose positive.”
Fun Home is a significant production that aims to encourage individuals of all ages, including young children, to have conversations about their identity and normalize pride. In the S.L.O.C. production alone, children from as young as seven to fourteen, are talking about queer topics, identity, and to encourage conversations with their parents about the subject matter.
“This story is so much more important than a lot of people will realize and it’s big on normalizing pride no matter what that looks like.” Archina said. “The great thing about Fun Home too is that it normalizes things like being butch or the word dyke, used by the female characters in this show and it kind of normalizes that message of acceptance and kind of being a “queerdo” if you will.”
A majority of the local production is put on by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including choreographers, the stage crew, and the lead actors who are portraying the adult version of Alison, Hollie L. Miller and Bruce (Cameron Clarke Stevens) are queer. Archina is also queer.
To Archina, it’s one thing to put on a gay show but also to be a gay director who is helping the audience see the production through a queer person’s eyes in an authentic way. Francesco also helps his youngest actors who have either watched the play or performed in the play, to see their identity from being a part of this beautiful production, he said.
Fun Home will open Friday, March 15, and will run through Sunday, March 24. An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted performance will be held Sunday, March 17 at 3 p.m. Tickets and show times can be found directly on sloctheater.org.
This story was featured on page 6 of the March 13, 2024 edition of The Spot518.
