In this moving evening of intergenerational mixed-media theatre, a diverse youth ensemble performs monologues drawn from OUTWORDS’ oral history interviews with LGBTQ+ elders. Live performance weaves together with original video footage from the interviews themselves, creating a cinematic dialogue across time. PASSING THE TORCH is a fierce celebration of queer joy, the trailblazers who paved the way, and the next generation who will carry on their work. Following the performance, join the cast, creative team, and elders for a Q&A.
Participant Bios
DIRECTOR:
Director and creative multi-hyphenate Petey Gibson (he/him) is deeply passionate about elevating queer stories and building sparkling queer futures.
An avid community guy, Petey serves as Producer for Celebration Theatre’s Trans Lineage annual new works program, trans comedy + performing arts festival The Joy Who Lived, and Them Fatale, a much-loved Drag King mutual aid show in Los Angeles, raising over $55K to date for local queer and trans organizations. He’s a proud member of the LA County Queer Arts Coalition.
As an actor, TV credits include Fox’s ALERT, Broad City, Grace & Frankie, NCIS: New Orleans, and Transparent. Theatre credits include World Premieres at American Repertory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse.
CREATOR AND PRODUCER:
Jack MacCarthy (he/they) is a writer, producer, and performer, and the Communications Director of OUTWORDS. He is co-host and co-producer of OUTWORDS’ Queering Precedent podcast. Before moving to Los Angeles, Jack spent seven years as the Executive Artistic Director of Caps Lock Theatre in New York, working with writers like Sheila Callaghan, José Rivera, Rob Askins, and Leah Nanako Winkler. As a playwright, his work has been called “a lot of fun” by The New York Times. Jack is also a published Young Adult novelist – look for SQUAD (pub. FSG) under his mortal name from before he ascended, Mariah MacCarthy – and an award-winning screenwriter. Learn more at jackmaccarthy.com.
Imani Alis is a native Angeleno actor and drag king. Queer theatre is their favorite type of project to work on because they believe in the acknowledgment and archival of queer history, pain, and joy, so they are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this piece. Most recent queer theatrical credits include: Be Not Afraid as Necromia (Cursed Productions), Romeo & Juliet as Mercutio (Thespihonest Theatre Company), and T – a monologue show written and performed by trans and GNC people. When not in the spotlight, you’ll find them lost in a novel or tending to their garden in the sunshine.
Juliet Hubbard (17) is ecstatic to be a part of this production. Previous stage credits include Bat Boy, The Threepenny Opera, Mean Girls, Kodachrome, and Metamorphosis. Previous training includes the Lir Academy and the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin Ireland, and ongoing study at the Musical Theatre Conservatory at California School of the Arts. She is preparing for a career in theatre, and is so proud to represent her community through her passion. Juliet would like to thank her family for always supporting her to be her most authentic self.
Ákos Jónás is a trans artist, scholar, and queer advocate, recently graduated from USC. His acting credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), Something Rotten! (Nostradamus), Bacon (Mark), and The Addams Family (as Morticia – pre-transition!). He was nominated for Best Young Actor by LA Theatre Bites for his performance as Archie in Where Within, an original musical for the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival. He is overjoyed to be joining OUTWORDS’ production and grateful for the chance to bring queer history to life. Connect with him on LinkedIn (/ákos-jónás) or on Instagram (@akosteszta).
Arturo Marin is a young queer performer from the San Fernando Valley who was first introduced to theater at 11 years old. His first musical experience was watching Hamilton, and he loved everything from the dance movements to the iconic lyrics. He has spent the last few summers participating in the Summer Performing Arts Camp at Lankershim Arts Center. He aspires to become an actor and plans to audition for musicals through the drama program at Grover Cleveland Charter High School. He hopes that this experience with OUTWORDS will help him get one step closer to his dream.
Camila Rozo (they/she) is an actor and organizer with a soft spot for new works, operating at the intersection of theatre and liberation. They are a proud devising member of The Ghost Road Company and Co-Founder of Sana Sana Productions, a Queer Latine theatre/film collective. Recent credits include: Shapeshifter in The Aaron Play, Off Broadway – Jacinta in Fuenteovejuna at Repertorio Español, winning the Premio Talia NYC for Best Supporting Actress in Spanish Classical Theater, and Penelope in Ghost Road’s The Unraveling, winning the Stage Raw Award for Best Supporting Performance. Abolish ICE and Free Palestine.
Passing the Torch: Queer and Trans Voices Across Generations is organized by The Outwords Archive as a part of the 2026 Circa: Queer Histories Festival, presented by One Institute.
The Outwords Archive (OUTWORDS) was founded in 2016 to record, preserve, and share the stories of LGBTQ+ elders. OUTWORDS believes in the deep capacity of these oral histories to strengthen the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, and to empower LGBTQ+ young people with the knowledge that they are not alone on their personal journeys and challenges, as well as context for the movement they belong to and the elders on whose shoulders they stand.
OUTWORDS has recorded over 400 interviews in all 50 states. We share our full catalog of interviews with the public, completely free of charge, on our website. Learn more at theoutwordsarchive.org or queerelders.org.