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It’s a truism that teens tend to overdramatize. Yet in Mikki Gillette’s play They Them Their, which focuses on a group of trans teens gathered at a queer youth center, existence truly is a matter of life and death.
Them Them Their is produced by Fuse Theatre Ensemble, which is celebrating 15 years of presenting politically motivated work that represents marginalized groups. The production, which is being performed at Grinds and Vines (a coffee/wine bar located in the basement of Sunnyside Methodist Church) and directed by Ravyn Jazper-Hawke, drops us into a day in the life of its four main characters, Faeris, Jordan, Amber/Raven, and Jess.
The casual environs of the coffee house fit the mise en scène of the youth center, emphasizing the feeling that you are eavesdropping on the characters. The authenticity of the dialogue and the organic, intuitive delivery of the actors only reinforces this sense.
At the center of the group is the flamboyant and wildly charismatic Faeris. Clearly the alpha dog among their peers, Faeris (Johnathan Billington) exemplifies the rebellious nature of someone who has stopped caring what society thinks.
We catch glimpses of Faeris’ vulnerability as they question their value as an artist. (“They’ll probably all say this looks like something a houseless trans gutter punk would paint,” Faeris says of one of their creations. “I’d rather put it in the garbage than hang it on my wall.”) Otherwise, those faint glimpses are eclipsed by bravado.
Holding the job of facilitator for the group is Jess (Dante Tirado Morales), who mentors the teens while navigating their own journey through uncharted terrain. Further complicating the group is the burgeoning romance between Faeris and the soft-spoken but confident Jordan (Audrey Booth), along with the reality that the impressionable Raven (Rayburn Gotter) looks to the defiant Faeris as a source of inspiration (Faeris heartily feeds into the praise, saying, “Ah, there’s my acolyte”).
As with many “triangles,” someone gets hurt. Admiration and awe quickly build into resentment, anger and jealousy, as Raven feels cruelly slighted and betrayed by Faeris and Jordan during their darkest hour.
Not one to follow the formulaic narrative of a typical love story, Gillette centers the play around Faeris and Raven, who ultimately are two sides of the same coin. Raven is at the threshold while Faeris is, by all outward appearances, thriving in self-acceptance (though a plot twist suggests that Raven is more resilient than they perceive themself to be).
Exploring trans teens struggling with their identity is the crux of this story, but there is an underlying, subtle thread: heartbreak, jealousy, betrayal and rejection are universal. There are times when the drama in They Them Their can become a bit convoluted, but these intricacies align with the spontaneity and cross-talk that can develop in dramatic scenarios.
Gillette (who was named one of Portland’s 25 most influential people in the arts by WW in 2022) was inspired by her experience as the facilitator at a queer youth group, the Gender Crash Group.
“The young people I met there struck me as being light years ahead of where I was in their conceptions of, and interactions with, gender.” Gillette writes in the program notes. “I see my own story in different ways in all four of the characters depicted here.”
Gillette’s firsthand experience enriches the play’s in-depth portrayal of what can and does occur on a daily basis in queer youth centers all over the country. With the daily attempts to legislate transgender people out of existence, it is important now, more than ever, to tell these stories.
SEE IT: They Them Their plays at Grinds and Vines, 3520 SE Yamhill St., fusetheatreensemble.com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday and 3 pm Sunday, through Oct. 22. $20 suggested donation.