Sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and possibly TCT’s most political play to date, LACED is set on the eve of the 2016 election at a woman-owned, queer bar in Tampa, FL, where a hate crime has just occurred. The play centers on three characters, Minnow (Angelina Lopez de Catledge), Cat (Jordan Patriarca), and Audra (Stephon Duncan), whom audiences first meet amidst the debris of a terrifying incident. Over the course of the play, which alternates between the moments just before and just after the hate crime has occurred, the characters bare their souls as they struggle to understand, clean up, and move forward.

Among the play’s many important messages are confronting discrimination and injustice; giving voice to the most marginalized members of LGBTQ+ Community (BIPOC, Non-Binary, Bisexual, and Woman-Identified); practicing and championing (self)acceptance and empathy; rebuilding and triumphing after tragedy; exercising your rights; and modeling hope and resilience.

A steadfast champion of gender, racial and sexual equality on- and off- stage, Thinking Cap Theatre has consistently presented bold, new plays that give voice to marginalized communities: from its very first production, Milkmilklemonade by Joshua Conkel, to Cleansed by Sarah Kane, Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee, and Collective Rage by Jen Silverman.