Opening Night
Were the World Mine SOUTHWEST PREMIERE
7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 29

As the gay outcast at an all-boys prep school, Timothy (oh-so-cute Tanner Cohen) is, of course, prone to daydreaming about the handsome jock. But his are no ordinary flights of fancy; they're musical theater extravaganzas, complete with show-stopping songs, dazzling sets, and pirouetting rugby player chorus boys. So when the drama teacher invites Timothy to audition for A Midsummers' Night Dream, we know that theater is his destiny. With a voice like honey, he's cast as the mischievous Puck, and — in a delicious surprise — shares the stage with Jonathon, the aforementioned handsome jock (smoldering Nathaniel David Becker). But the rabidly anti-gay coach wants to shut down the production: some of the school's finest athletes have been cast in female roles, and what could be more hetero-threatening than that?! Aside from Timothy's "heteroflexible" but dyke-a-licious girl-pal Frankie (Robin William's daughter, Zelda), this small town is teeming with homophobes. Without giving too much away, let's just say that lovestruck Timothy really gets into character and turns all that upside down.
The mastermind behind this bedazzled confection is Tom Gustafson, whose short musical Fairies was a festival sensation. Once again, and with a much bigger budget, he lets his imagination explode, and the results are devilishly funny and intoxicatingly romantic, for homos of both genders! He's assembled a vibrant cast of adorable young talents on the rise. And the way he brings Shakespeare to life via song is genius; from plaintive ballads to brilliantly-choreographed dance numbers, this is musical showmanship that rivals Hedwig! The best thing, though, is that he doesn't just dabble in brief moments of magic; he lets Timothy's purple-pink fantasies and Puck's erotic spell take over the entire film.

Director: Thomas Gustafson
USA, 2008, 95 min.

Opening-night’s A Presummer Night’s Dream Gala

After the Southwest premiere of the visually sumptuous Were the World Mine, we move the magic to the banks of the Trinity at Flowers on the Square where the wild thyme blows, where oxlips and the nodding violet grows. Enjoy live music, food by Snap Catering and cocktails, but watch out for mischievous Pucks bearing pansies that squirt into your eyes. (Don’t worry, it won’t burn . . .