Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) invites Add Verb Productions to present at the next meeting of the Maine GSTA

Maine has a large Gay Straight Trans Alliance (GSTA) network, ranging from the very loud and proud to the very underground. In preparation for Ally Week, Add Verb has been asked to present at the first GSTA meeting of the year about our recent publication: Out & Allied: An Anthology of Performance Pieces written by LGBTQ Youth and Allies. Nationally, Ally Week will be observed Oct. 17-21, coinciding with LGBT History Month (October). However, local GSTAs are free to observe Ally Week any time that works best for their school.

To present Add Verb’s new Anthology of performance pieces to the GSTA representatives, founder and playwright Cathy Plourde will be joined by University of New England Psychology and Sociology double major Brett Peterson, a junior, and an intern with Add Verb this semester. Cathy and Brett will present strategies for using the Anthology in schools. The Anthology is a useful tool for Ally Week because the book is all about cultivating allies among queer and questioning youth. These powerful, funny, poignant pieces can be staged or done as dramatic readings to help audiences develop understanding and empathy. To make it easier for students to produce the works, the authors in the Anthology have chosen to share their writing without royalties. The book also includes a youth activism handbook with production guidance and resources.

We at Add Verb are hoping that:

1. Gay Straight Trans Alliances nationwide will use the book in schools

2. Gay Straight Trans Alliances will create new pieces and send them to Add Verb to be included in Volume II of the Anthology

3. Everyone has a good time making their schools and communities safer places to be

Check out the book trailer for OUT & ALLIED ANTHOLOGY, created by UNE Business Administration major, sophomore, Piaoyang Wang and recent graduate of the Greely High School International Baccalaureate program, Emily Hill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mbjoFYgI_c

Get your own copy of OUT & ALLIED at local bookstores or online-- http://www.addverbproductions.org/programs/outallied/

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.