#bekah brunsetter

[wiremagazine]

OUT & ABOUT: THE CAKE

By Michael Bustamante | Photos by George Schiavone

The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter heads to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County December 5-22, 2019, in the Carnival Studio Theater (Ziff Ballet Opera House). Bekah Brunstetter is the writer and producer of the hit TV series This Is Us, and The Cake is just as emotional and hilarious. Inspired by the Supreme Court case, the play follows the story of Della, a baker who is in a sudden conundrum when a girl she helped raise asks her to make a wedding cake for her and her soon to be wife. Don't miss out on this beautiful play about putting our differences aside and focusing instead on what unites us – love.

We sat down with Artistic Director Margaret Ledford to discuss The Cake and the importance of having plays with LGBTQ storylines.

Michael Bustamante: Tell our readers about The Cake and what it is about. Margaret Ledford: The Cake by Bekah Brunsetter is about Della, a North Carolina Baker, who after learning that her deceased best friend's daughter is marrying a woman, declines to bake their wedding cake and the consequences of that action for all involved.

MB: How did the idea of the play come about? Tell us how it was inspired by the Supreme Court case. ML: Brunstetter began writing The Cake in 2015 before the case was seen by the Supreme Court. She based it one several denied gay wedding cake stories that had been surfacing, including the Colorado case that went to the Supreme Court.

MB: As Artistic Director of City Theatre, why did you feel it was important for your theatre company to present this production to South Florida audiences? ML: We are a nation so divided on a variety of topics, I believe it is my duty in and to my craft to get all kinds of people with varying opinions in the same room, experience the same theatrical moments – moments that may or may not reflect the viewers own beliefs – and experience humanity. And, in that experience, maybe we can grow and lean into what is the same about each of us as humans, rather than focusing on what divides us.

MB: As the director of The Cake, what is your favorite scene from the play, and why? ML: I am a southern girl, I identify so strongly with the character of Jen in having southern roots, but with a more worldly spirit. She is torn between where she came from and who she is. In a beautiful and funny scene between Jen and her wife to be Macy, Jen explains that she is split between both of these worlds and it is both heartbreaking and funny. I love it because it speaks so strongly to me and mirrors my own experience of loving my southern roots and not being like my family at all.

MB: What would you like audience members to take away from The Cake? ML: A deeper understanding of themselves and how the choices they make ripple out into the world. I also hope for a better understanding of people that do not hold the same viewpoint as they do – increased compassion for humanity as a whole. As well as a lot of laughs and cake!

MB: How important do you think it is to have plays with LGBTQ storylines? ML: Extremely! Especially in Miami where we are a melting pot of cultures and different ways of life that often stay in different siloes from each other.

MB:Is there anything else you would like to share with Wire Magazine readers? ML: City Theatre will be hosting post-performance discussions about the play and its topics and themes following our Sunday performances on the 15 and 22. And get your tickets quick!

This was originally published in Wire Magazine Special Issue 3.2019

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