THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY BACKSTAGE GUIDE 3 Note from Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside ..............................................................................Page 4 About Playwright James Lecesne ........................................................................................................Page 5 “The Backstory” with Joe Foust ...........................................................................................................Page 5 Interview with Director Kurt Johns ......................................................................................................Page 6 Design Research & Vision from Costume Designer Travis Bihn ...........................................................Page 7 About The Trevor Project ................................................................................................................Pages 8-9 About Matthew Shepard .............................................................................................................Pages 10-11 The Rising Number of Hate Crimes Since 2016 ...........................................................................Pages 12-13 How to be an Ally & Friend .........................................................................................................Pages 14-15 About the It Gets Better Project .................................................................................................Pages 16-17 About American Blues Theater ...................................................................................................Pages 18-19 BACKSTAGE Contributors Elyse Dolan Associate Producer American Blues Theater with Gwendolyn Whiteside, Joe Foust, Kurt Johns, and Travis Bihn © 2019 American Blues Theater. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS