GRSJ224/GayManinTheatre

Gay Men in Theatre

Roles and stereotypes that surround a gay man and his career in the musical theatre community is a common topic in discussion amongst performers. Like anything, each situation will vary from man to man. Through analysis of interviews, performances, audience reception, and employment opportunities (within the field) of gay men who work in the business, a consensus of what commonly occurs for these men. Specifically the role(s) they play in the musical theatre community and the LGBTQ community, as well as what (if any) complications they faced in establishing where they are now.

Andy Mientus

An interview with Andy Mientus brings the perspective of an openly bisexual man who has established a successful career and personal life. He has performed in shows such as the touring production of Spring Awakening, the off-broadway production of Carrie: the Musical (2012), and in the TV show Smash. Most recently, he has made his Broadway debut in Les Miserables. Clearly successful in building his career, he seems to have had no obstacles in the process. As an openly bisexual man, he has dated both men and women. In this interview (linked below), he speaks of his personal life and his recent engagement to Michael Arden, another Broadway performer and director. From the description Mientus provides, the couple have been able to have a "typically" romantic relationship together. There was no mention of lack of support or the openness of their relationship and sexuality hindering their careers as performers.

Mientus discusses his sexuality in a very diplomatic way, identifying that the topic is "a very unique topic because nobody talks about it, but it's not as rare as one might think." It is often a common belief that these topics - especially when it comes to sexuality in theatre - are rare because they are not talked about. But like any other community, there are a wide variety of such individuals in the theatre community. There is a prevalent false perception that men who work in theatre are gay. However, the opposite is true, and gay men are in fact a minority within the theatre community.

Being an individual with a bisexual preference in theatre is considered rare, however it remains a readily discussed topic. Mientus talks about his belief in a spectrum, which is a topic of academic debate. The Kinsey Scale is a scale from 0-6 that "attempts to describe a person's sexual experience or response at a given time." Mientus identifies most people will fall somewhere on that scale, but many like to categorize and make things black or white. An interesting point raised of the Kinsey Scale is that it is a good base to identify sexuality, but it leaves out certain variables, including gender identification, sexual experiences and history, etc.

Aside from becoming an important figure in today's theatre community, Mientus has been able to become an important figure for youth who do identify as somewhere in the middle. He claims that there is "more out there than one or the other." Having people like Mientus out in the community is not only inspiring people musically, but he attains a role model status for those in a similar situation. In this sense, they can look up to him and identify with his sexual preferences. This role enables him to have a considerably positive impact on the perceptions of bisexual identifying individuals.

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris started his career at 16 years old after being discovered by a Hollywood screen writer in a local drama camp. The show that launched his career as a young actor was Doogie Howser. In his twenties, Harris stared in critically acclaimed shows including Cabaret and Rent. Throughout his career, Harris has "transcended being typed cast" specifically by his portrayal of the legendary character Barney Stinson in the hit television show How I Met Your Mother. After his part on How I Met Your Mother, Harris' popularity boosted him to another level of fame. It enabled him to host the Tony's a total of four times which elevated him to the status as the individual with the second most Tony's hosted ever.

After a successful first season in 2005, Harris' sexual orientation was never heavily addressed. In 2006, Perez Hilton, an American blogger and television personality publicly tried to out him. Harris did use the opportunity to open up to the public and announce his sexual orientation. Many "Hollywood insiders thought that his admission would ruin his career. Instead, ratings for "How I Met Your Mother" continued to climb and Neil went on to win two Emmy awards." As stated in Harris' interview with Oprah Winfrey Harris's coming out, was almost a non starter, as in his coming out did nothing to his career. In this interview, Harris stated that he felt that his career was only positively affected.

"Time magazine named Neil Patrick Harris one of the 100 most influential people in the world." His extremely believable portrayal of the biggest womanizer on television, Barney Stinson, in contrast with the stereotypes associated with Harris' sexual orientation has broken the mould for gay men in the television and theatre community, as well as throughout the world. "The public's perception of gay men is shifting because of this guy."

Harris is considered "one of the busiest actors in Hollywood." Between filming television series, featuring in movies, and starring on Broadway, Neil has not only created an extremely successful career, he has also established a beautiful family life with husband David Burtka, and his twin son and daughter, Harper and Gideon.

Personal Life

David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris got married in Italy in 2014. The couple met and fell in love while both staring in shows on Broadway. Harris and Burtka reside in a homey two story house in suburban LA with their beautiful young twins. Oprah refers to them as "American's most famous, real life modern family." The first year after the twins were born by their surrogate mother, Burtka took upon the role as the stay at home dad, a position he long aspired to become.

Both of the actors' families are supportive of their relationship. The fathers of both Harris and Burtka took some time to accept their sexual orientation and marital choice, but have grown to respect the two lovers and their way of life. It was David's mother passing away that solidified his father's confidence in their relationship. He had said, "Neil, I'm so glad you're here, because I consider you to be my son in law," and he still felt that way even before Harris and Burtka got married. Both families believe that the couple is doing better than most other couples they know.

Despite how ideal the couple seems, they go through just as many problems any couple does. Both being in the same industry, the greater success of Harris drove Burtka to find happiness in another field after finding little success in the television scene in Los Angeles. Although Burtka is extremely supportive, he still struggled at the time. David started as a stage and television actor, but after a long dry spell, he enrolled in a culinary arts school and now has a successful catering company, is a correspondent for E! News, and is an amazing father. Both Harris and Burtka having dating and having sexual relations with women, Burtka identifies his belief in the Kinsey Scale, a basis of sexuality brought up by many individuals when discussing sexual orientation.

This iconic couple has provided inspiration to many gay boys and men. Although Harris and Burtka don't want to be role models or poster parentsthe eyes of the world is on them. The couple do feel pressure to make it work, but the lifestyle they have chosen to live provides the opportunity for the family to live a normal life. Burtka and Neil have strategically chosen to reside in the Valley, removed from the hustle and bustle of the paparazzi and Los Angeles scene. They live a private, "average" life style to support their choice of family lifestyle.

Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen is most famous for his recent roles on the silver screen. Playing Gandalf in Lord of the Rings as well as Magneto in X-Men, these roles set McKellen's career to be nothing short of spectacular. The actor was born in England in 1939. In 1961 he attended Cambridge University and was heavily involved in theatre ever since. He worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and within the National Theatre of Great Britain. His work earned him an Oliver Award as well as an Evening Standard Award. In 1981, he racked up the Best Actor Awards, including the Tony, for his portrayal of Salieri in the Broadway production of Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus.” For over a decade, he toured his one-man show, “Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare,” through four continents, including twice on Broadway.

McKellen did not "come out" until 1998 during a radio broadcast. After doing so, he became an active member in promoting respect for the gay and lesbian community. However, his career did not slow down. McKellen has been knighted by the Queen and appeared in several movies. He also continues to perform in theatre. In 2013, he appeared on stage as one of the leading roles in the classic "Waiting for Godot".

Negative Perceptions of Gay Men in Theatre and On Screen

Despite all the positive advancements for gay men in theatre, they do still face prevailing stereotypes not shared by their contemporaries such as Neil Patrick Harris. A survey by the actors' union Equity revealed that around 57% of gay actors that did respond felt that they could be open about their sexuality with their agents. Some of whom that did reveal their sexual orientation were later told by their agents that it would be best if they were to conceal this from the public. What this implies is that they feared that they would be placed in stereotypical roles as is often done so. Most notably, actor Rupert Everret regretted his decision revealing his sexual orientation because, "For an actor to be working (at all) is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren't. So it's just silly for a working actor to say, 'Oh, I don't care if anybody knows I'm gay' – especially if you're a leading man." However, the public fuels this perception as well. Eric Stonestreet, who plays as an overtly flamboyant husband to another man in the TV show "Modern Family" revealed in an interview on the Arsenio Hall Show that many fans were disappointed that he did not behave in the same manner that his character did. Such sentiments depict the nature of how society has internalized gay men and their role in theater and on screen.