Patricia Loughrey keeps the theater arts alive and well in many communities, including the GLBT and HIV/AIDS communities. She puts on plays at the Diversionary Theater that appeal to as many people as possible. This can be seen in the wide array of plays she has produced and written such as The Daddy Machine, Dear Harvey, The Inner Circle, Secrets and many others that have a theme of fun, education, sharing and activism all rolled into one. Secrets won a Ryan White Award and continues to tour in high schools throughout the nation.

Dear Harvey has won praise across the country and has had runs in every conceivable theater. Her thought behind this particular play was that the younger generation seemed to know very little about Harvey Milk and she was determined to ensure that, like other minorities, our leaders were not only recognized but accessible history for them. Most, if not all the research for Dear Harvey was done the good old fashioned way, through interviews with those who knew him. Patricia did not know Harvey personally; however the more she learned about him the more she was completely overcome by what an amazing person he was, not only for the GLBT community but for humanity as a whole. She has not only taken GLBT theater and arts to a new level she ensures that they are alive and accessible to all, adding so much to our San Diego GLBT culture.

GLT: What is your inspiration for writing?

PL: I was a Theater major and a performer, I realized I wanted to tell stories. Writing helps me connect with the world. Listening to stories is amazing. UC Santa Barbara had a really good undergrad program and I was able to produce my first play. The second half of learning or knowing what you have, is seeing it live and come to life. I have always said that I would like to work for and with the same group of people for years, and Dan at the Diversionary Theater really gave that to me. I also teach at San Diego State.

GLT: How do you feel about being given the Special Award for Cultural and Artistic Excellence?

PL: I am very excited about it. I really did not expect it and I am very flattered. It means a lot for a person to be recognized for what they do and what they are passionate about. I feel really lucky that I am able to do what I love. It is also a way that I can give back to my community, something that I enjoy so much.

GLT: Tell us about The Daddy Machine?

PL: Well, the Diversionary has been around for years. Adults in the community and subscribers asked Dan to put on a play that they could bring their daughters to. We looked around and couldn’t find anything. I started looking at books and we spoke with The Center’s groups and listened to what they wanted. Dan put it on the regular season.

GLT: What are your favorite writing pieces?

PL: The Daddy Machine was fun, because prior to that it was all about serious issues. Also Dear Harvey was a lot of fun and people who have seen it have said it changed their life. It changed mine as well. He had exclusiveness and he was the first bridge builder, it was wonderful to be a part of passing that message on.

GLT: What has been the best thing that has come out of writing for you?

PL: I think writing has been a path of self acceptance. I am much more peaceful inside. I used to write all these troubled poems about how hard it was to write. I had all this angst and I didn’t know how to get it on the page. For me, it is always sweeter if you don’t make it up.

GLT: How did you decide to write plays that were about HIV education and what was the inspiration for that?

PL: In my twenties, very early on in the AIDS crisis, I was working at a play writing festival and the director Ed Decker saw that it was going to affect kids, so he asked me if I would write a play about HIV. I also teach play writing and I sometimes wonder if I am more of a teacher than a writer. It put me on the path to the type of plays I write. I do feel like there is a teaching component to my plays.

GLT: Would you consider yourself an activist?

PL: I don’t. I am probably wrong in that as my plays have courted controversy. One time, a private catholic school agreed to let Secrets come into the school. A play by a lesbian! So, I guess yes in that way I am a bit of an activist.

GLT: Will you be attending The Pride Parade and the Pride Festival?

PL: I will be attending San Diego Pride. In the parade I will be riding in a convertible. We invited the alumni from Dear Harvey to be in the parade with us.

GLT: What advice would you give to a young person who would like to get into directing, theater or acting?

PL: Involve themselves in theater in any way that they can. As a stage manager, or one of the crew. Also, a professor once said to me, read everything you can to make sure you give yourself time to fall in love with life. And of course, write.

Patricia Loughrey would like to thank the San Diego community, Nicole for the first interview on Harvey and who has been a real champion for the play, Stuart Milk for letting her tell his family’s story and the Diversionary Theater.

We at The Gay & Lesbian Times would like to thank Patricia for sharing her thoughts with us and for adding so much to our very diverse community.