We're ringing in both Season 3 and the Halloween Season too with none other than queer horror mastermind Haygen-Brice Walker! The rising star playwright of such pieces as Wolfcrush: A Queer Werewolf Play and Throuple, Throuple, Throuple (which now boasts a phenomenal new name that we won't spoil for you here...), Haygen-Brice calls in from Philadelphia to tell us all about growing up as a half-Puerto Rican/half-white only child in the Deep South and how that has since impacted his work. In addition to discussing the nuances and shortcomings of sex education, Haygen-Brice very generously shares a candid window into he and his partners' experiences as a polyamorous triad, illuminating the Gayborhood with a provocative and insightful conversation about modern romance and sexuality. Go on Instagram to follow Haygen-Brice at @hyphenbrice, plus learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: writers R. Eric Thomas, Grace McLeod, Preston Choi, and the movie Titane. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason, @lovell.holder, @miachanger, and @dgonzalezmusic on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

As the summer winds down, Roger, Lovell, Mia, and David gather together -in person, for the first time ever! - to celebrate the end of another season in the Gayborhood. We reflect back on some of our favorite moments on the year thus far, and debrief all the Gayborhood team's many endeavors and collaborations that have been percolating over the last few months, from Roger's regional theater debut (orchestrated by David of course!) to Lovell’s most recent film Midday Black Midnight Blue shooting in Washington. Plus, Lovell chats all about the joy of being a new godparent, and everyone reflects on what new topics we'd love to explore in our next season. And don't forget to learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: transgender gamer Autumn Burchett, actor Tyler Posey, and the National Queer Theater, led by Adam Odsess-Rubin. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason, @lovell.holder, @miachanger, and @dgonzalezmusic on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

It's a special day in the Gayborhood filled with a new vision for the American theater! Over the last several months, Roger has been mentoring two brilliant rising star writers, Ayla Xuân Chi Sullivan and Nick Mwaluko, as part of the New Visions Fellowship, which has been sponsored by the National Queer Theater and Dramatists Guild of America to provide a platform for Black TGNC playwrights. It is our pleasure and privilege to welcome these two geniuses to join us today. In addition to multiple mic drop moments discussing both of their experiences as BIPOC creators navigating higher education, Ayla fills us in on their upcoming play For Colored N*****, or Who Gonna Beat My Ass?, and Nick tells us all about their plays Silence is a Sound and Waafrika 123 -- and we highly encourage everyone to check out their work as soon as you get the opportunity! You heard it here first, friends! Go on Instagram to follow Ayla at @thatblasianayla and Nick at @nickmwaluko, and learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: poet J. Delys, the rap group Close Good featuring Aaliyah Bradshaw and Tay Bivens, actor T.L. Thompson, actor Troy Rocket, and director Shariffa Ali. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates -- and be sure to catch the filmed theater performance of The Duat, Roger's regional theater debut with the world famous Center Theater Group, streaming now until August 12, 2021, at https://www.centertheatregroup.org/digitalstage.

We're so excited to finally share our conversation with the brilliant actor Matthew Hancock, who is currently leading the charge back to theaters by starring in the West Coast premiere of the award-winning play An Octoroon at The Fountain Theatre. Yes, people: plays are back, and we couldn't be more thrilled to celebrate Matthew's tremendous success and commemorate this special occasion. Coming to us straight from preview performances, Matthew tells Roger and Lovell all about the demands of rehearsing a play behind masks, the protocols required to bring a live play (!) in person (!!) to audiences today, and why intimate theater in Los Angeles is more vital than ever. Recently spotlighted in the New York Times, this landmark production of An Octoroon (written by none other than Roger and Lovell's college classmate, the transcendent Branden Jacobs-Jenkins!) runs until September 19, 2021, so do not miss it! Go on Instagram to follow Matthew at @imatthewhancock, and learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: civil rights icons Bayard Rustin and Marsha P. Johnson, activist Mariah Lopez, and John Imperato at the LGBT Center of Los Angeles. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

We've got none other than our very own musical genius David Gonzalez joining Roger to co-host the conversation with this week's incredibly special guest, film composer Jake Monaco. The brilliant mind behind the original scores to such recent star-studded features as Jennifer Aniston's Dumplin', Like a Boss with Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne, and of course the teen classic Struck By Lightning (produced by the Gayborhood's own Mia Chang), Jake chats with Roger and David all about his career and inspirations, and we couldn't be more grateful that he joined us as part of our Pride Month extravaganza. Go on Instagram to follow Jake at @jtmonaco, and learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: director Steven Clay Hunter, director Bret Parker, and Frank-N-Furter / Tim Curry. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

While Lovell is filming in the Land of Blue Black Midnight, Roger sits down solo with Sean Abley and Bill Brochtrup, two of the creative forces behind Antaeus Theatre Company's podcast series The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles. Now in Season 2, The Zip Code Plays investigate the tapestry of LA's sundry neighborhoods, and Sean has written a clever satirical episode devoted to none other than 90069: West Hollywood. Bill (who is not only Antaeus' Co-Artistic Director but also starred in the landmark drama NYPD Blue) joins actors Parnell Damone Marco and Anne Gee Byrd in this portrait of interracial gay couple confronting the "straight colonization" of WeHo. Get ready for a fun deep dive into the place where classical and contemporary storytelling collide and how we also wrestle with change, in our neighborhoods and our lives - especially while creating work in these twilight days of the pandemic. As soon as you finish this episode, go check out The Zip Code Plays wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Sean at @seanabley and Bill at @billbrochtrup. Don't forget to check out all the folx mentioned in this week's Gayborhood Watch: F.W. Murnau and Mitchell Anderson. And be sure to follow @rogerqmason and @lovell.holder for all your Gayborhood updates!

Not even pre-production on a feature film and a regional theater debut could keep Roger and Lovell from chatting with these two iconic pioneers of the Los Angeles queer community! We're thrilled to welcome playwrights and performers Tony Abatemarco and Michael Kearns into the Gayborhood, and they come in hot with perhaps the best Joanne saga yet. After nurturing Roger's play Lavender Men in their roles as Co-Artistic Directors at Skylight Theatre, Tony and Michael have become dear friends and mentors to Roger and Lovell both, and it's a privilege to hear them speak about creating work during the AIDS epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles -- when Michael became the first Hollywood actor to announce he was HIV positive -- and how their lives and careers have marched onward ever since. Plus, we'll hear all about the challenges of self-publishing one's own work, and you'll definitely want to check out their respective anthologies of plays: Tony's Action/Items and Michael's Who's Afraid of Michael Kearns? While Tony is not on Instagram, follow Michael at @michaelkearns1234, plus learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: Oscar Wilde, Thornton Wilder, Billy Wilder, Dan McLeary (Tony's husband!), James Carroll Pickett, Robert Chesley, and Charles Pierce. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

This week Roger and Lovell are so honored to meet the incredible creative team of Lexie Bean (author of the groundbreaking and award-winning novel The Ship We Built and editor of the anthology Written on the Body, a Lambda Literary Award finalist) and Logan Rozos (rising star of the Peabody Award-winning series David Makes Man and the brilliant voice behind the audiobook of new TGNC classic Felix Ever After). Logan and Lexie are about to begin filming their powerful documentary project What Will I Become?, which chronicles the stories of three young trans men who lost their lives to suicide: Blake Brockington, Andrew Martinez, and Kyler Prescott. We could not be more grateful that Lexie and Logan took the time out of their busy pre-production schedule to discuss the film with us, and we encourage all our listeners to go support this special endeavor via their fundraising page on Fractured Atlas: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/what-will-i-become. Logan also speaks about his work with the Parity organization to bridge the gaps between various faiths and the LGBT community, and Lexie discusses their role as a member of the National Leadership Council of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network). These two extraordinary young people are definitely going to be names you'll be hearing for decades to come, so now's the time to start learning all about them! Plus we'll discover more than we ever wanted to know about the elusive Joanne's gremlin antics - and you'll hear Roger perform the Gayborhood's first exorcism... Go on Instagram to follow Lexie at @itssk8nite, Logan at @loganrozos, and their documentary at @whatwillibecome_doc, plus learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: Blake Brockington, Andrew Martinez, Kyler Prescott, Travis Coles, Drew Dickler, and the podcast Maintenance Phase. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

Get ready for brilliant creator and effervescent clown Lola Kelly to unlock a whole secret garden in the Gayborhood! The director of some of LA's most acclaimed immersive theater experiences, Lola goes deep with Roger and Lovell on everything from theater history and silent clown work to the fascinating connections between identity, gender, and flowers. Trust us when we say you'll never look at bougainvillea the same way again, and Lola's story of their journey toward understanding their own gender fluidity is certainly one of the most moving stories we've gotten to hear in the Gayborhood, so you are in for a treat this week. Go on Instagram to follow Lola at @lohlala, and learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: botanist Jeanne Baret, model Munroe Bergdorf, and model Elliott Sailors. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!

We could not let Adam Hyndman out of the Gayborhood without his own spotlight episode! Fresh off his Tony nomination and Drama Desk Award win as a co-producer of Broadway's The Inheritance, Adam sits down for a "power lunch" with frequent collaborators Roger and Lovell to reflect on his leap from Broadway performer to producer. After an acting career that's included appearances in Aladdin, Once on this Island, and Hadestown, Adam has begun a thrilling chapter in his activist work that includes a major leadership role on the Board of Directors for Broadway for Racial Justice, while additionally serving as a guest teaching artist at Princeton University. Plus, we get to hear Adam's extraordinary romantic advice and we celebrate the premiere of the new hit CW show Kung Fu, which stars Adam's husband, Brad Gibson! Go on Instagram to follow Adam at @adam_hyndman, and learn everything you can about the folx highlighted in this week's Gayborhood Watch: musician India.Arie, producing organization The Industry Standard Group, and (we can't get enough of this show!) Kung Fu. And don't forget to follow @rogerq.mason and @lovell.holder on Instagram for all your Gayborhood updates!