Why Scott?

* Scott knows how to reach people where they are on very difficult issues. He warmly opens discussions of gender and sexuality on this level--the level of each and every person in his audience.

* Scott is a campus-wide promotion! He supports and honors your LGBT communities, reaches students across lines of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, and political affiliation with his theatrical work. As a workshop leader he does the same, and he even does a special presentation for Greek houses. His class talks offer invaluable personal experience strengthened by his women's studies education at Emory University; he can speak to any liberal arts or social science curriculum. This leaves room for a number of inter-departmental collaborations, which means great potential for funding on any size budget.

* As a transgender person, Scott understands gender identity and sexual orientation as something that EVERYBODY has, and live in different ways that all deserve honoring. Whether a lecture or workshop, or one of his solo performances, people leave having learned not only about gender and sexuality--about groups outside of their own identities--they leave having learned a great deal about themselves. This knowledge sticks.

The Shows

Debutante Balls
"Debutante Balls" is a theatrical stand-up comedy dance through the fascinating culture of the Southern Debutante Ball. Schofield's wicked sense of self-aware humor and poetic sensibility guide us gently (or is that genteel-ly?) through the many ways he "came out" into Southern Society (as a lesbian, radical feminist, and finally, as a transgender man), poking fun at gender roles and sniffing the vapors of nostalgia gone-with-the-wind in these modern times. Applauded by Judith (Jack) Halberstam and the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity alike, this is a generous, insightful, not-to-be-missed solo show.

Underground Transit
Transgressing, undressing, digressing: go underground with an almost-Homecoming Queen turned gender renegade. This edgy yet accessible spoken word roll through one Southerner's budding trans identity set against the cityscape of the New York City subway features rock n’ roll with a touch of drag, and incredible poetry that draws you in for the ride.

Watch some clips!

Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps
"Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps" is the last installment of an autobiographical performance trilogy by Scott Turner Schofield, and the first-ever commission of transgender work by the National Performance Network. "127" is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure solo work combining aerial acrobatics and multimedia storytelling for an unrepeatable evening of gender exploration. Literally: in just the way human beings unconsciously choose how we see gender based on our own cultural cues, audiences for
this show choose Schofield's narrative path from female-to-male, choosing what stories they will hear, step-by-step (even featuring a decoder ring!).

Other Neat Tricks

Lectures & workshops
Scott Turner Schofield has lectured and facilitated workshops extensively to a wide variety of disciplines and audiences about transgender identity, safety, and allyship, as well as on his artistic career and performance aesthetics.

Departmental talks vary from Women's/Gender Studies to Social Work, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology. For class talks, Schofield tackles gender identity from the ground up, molding his personal experiences and observations of gender, sexuality, race and class in response to any course's curriculum. Usually this means responding to readings in Women's/Gender Studies 101 to the graduate level, however other topics have included masculinities and queer theory, personal identity as shaped by social policy, sex and intimacy in transgender sexualities, gender violence and peacemaking, and negotiating difference in the DSM-IV. An award-winning, widely-produced professional artist since graduating college in 2002 (completely self-supported since 2004), as well as an artist who privileges theater as a means of grassroots community building, Schofield is a valuable career speaker to theater and performance students as well.

Schofield has been instrumental in shaping Residence Life and university administration policies regarding transgender support and safety at Emory University, the University of Virginia, Appalachian State University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also offers a special allyship program that builds bridges of commonality to the oddest of bedfellows: Queer student groups, Student Athletes, and university Greek (fraternity and sorority) systems.

Important Technical Stuff

Tech for "DB"
2-3 tech operators.
Follow spotlight or dedicated specials
Theatrical lighting
Sound system
One white 4x8' stage platform
3 pitchers, 2 gallons of iced tea, and small dixie cups.
This show requires an intensive (at least 2 hours) tech rehearsal with tech operators to set the quick lighting and sound cues. This piece can be performed in a multipurpose room or any kind of theater. Performance space must allow the pouring and consumption of liquid.

Tech for "UT"
1-2 tech operators.
Flexible seating in the performance space,
Focusable track lighting
Sound system
This piece can be performed in a multipurpose room or any kind of theater.

Tech for "127"
2-3 tech operators.
Weight bearing overhead beam for aerial tissu hang
Crashmat
TV
Video projector
Light plot including side lighting
This show requires a theater space, blackbox most preferably. This is by far the most technically-intensive show, but also the most slick and professional piece. More work, but also more "bang for the buck".

Honoraria

The most important thing to remember here is that COST SHOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THIS WORK! All figures are negotiable to fit within your budget. Really. What is your budget?

1 performance: $525-1000 ($850 is most common).

Class talks/workshops: $150-300 ($200 is most common).

2-3 day Community Residency (class talks, workshops, and performances): $1500-3000 ($2500 is most common).

All honoraria are exclusive of travel, lodging, and per diem (round trip airfare, usually from Atlanta, often negotiable while on tour; hotel stay OR campus guest housing OR private room with a host; $20/day OR on-campus meals OR community meal after performance/lectures, etc).

Scott's Calendar

Some Expectations and Ideas

Bringing a performance piece is very different from bringing a lecture. There are more technical requirements that must be paid close attention to in order for audiences to get the most out of the experience. If you want to bring a performance (you do! you do!), Scott wants to give you the best show possible. You, the Venue, must remember these things:

Nuts and Bolts:
* A performance space with good lighting and sound is 100% necessary. The doesn't have to mean a theater—there are lots of good multi-purpose rooms that will work perfectly because they are set up for lights and sound. If you can collaborate with the theater department on campus, or even a community theater space, even better. In either case, working with your campus's professional Audio Visual Technician (and their student interns) will make for the best possible show.

*A minimum 2 hour technical rehearsal in the space with the tech operators is absolutely vital. You wouldn't expect to run a marathon without practice, right? While Scott doesn't need much practice to deliver a great show, the people who run the lights and sound will. They simply must practice together with as little time stress as possible.

Some elements of Scott's contract may seem arbitrary. Why a full-sized iron and ironing board? Why not just a dorm-sized one? Honey, have you every tried ironing a prom dress on one of those??? Scott wouldn't ask for anything he didn't need, because you already have enough going on. The things he does ask for (down to the sandwich before the show) are what he requires to give you the best show possible. That's the goal. It is absolutely expected that the Venue (you) will provide all of the elements requested in the contract. And then you'll get a great show in return!

Commitment! Not a dirty word:
Scott (and any performer or speaker) bases his living on doing shows. So if you get flustered by a term paper and decide to cancel a show, that means way more than your B-. It means a significant chunk of income to Scott. Please, please delegate the responsibilities outlined here so that this never happens!!! Everybody feels bad when it does. Once dates are agreed upon via email, Scott does require a date-hold fee of $150 per day that will be due in the event of a cancellation.

Publiss, Dahling...:
* The only way to get people to come see the show is to spread the word. Marketing analysts say the average person has to come into contact with a piece of information 4 times before they'll pay attention! So, (1) posters, (2) emails, (3) class talks, and (4) a newspaper article are a good start, but the bare minimum to get butts in seats and make an impact on your community. You are expected to fulfill those 4 forms of publicity,and eagerly encouraged to try more!

* Other ideas are getting commitments from professors, Student Activities, and Greek organizations to offer extra credit or cultural credits; coalition-building with campus groups (theater, progressive social change groups, cultural groups); community-building with local LGBT and Ally organizations (like PFLAG); even setting up a community radio interview. Most of this just takes an email or two: “Ya wanna?” “Yeah!” “Great!” (Okay, 3 emails.)

* The value of class talks cannot be underestimated, that's why it's mentioned twice! Think about it. 4 classes x 20-40 students = 80-160 possible audience members. Say half of them show up, it's still a crowd. Meanwhile, every one of them learns something about gender identity and being a good ally to the LGBT community from a speaker whose accessibility, knowledge, and speaking skills have been complimented by some of the foremost thinkers and artists in the US. How's that for good press?

Coalition Building is Key:
They say good leaders delegate. Successful performance events with Scott's work are usually a function of good leadership, eg, lots of people sharing the responsibility. Scott's shows are a perfect opportunity to bring together student groups, university offices, academic departments, and community members. One show was co-presented by 3 student groups (a Pride Alliance, a Feminist group, and a radical student collective); Gender Studies and Theater Studies; the Office of LGBT Concerns and the Women's Center; Student Activities and the Office of the Dean of Students. Students also advertised to the local PFLAG and LGBT Center. Finally, Scott spoke to four different departments in 2 days before the show (Gender Studies, Theater Studies, Psychology, and Social Work). Needless to say, over 350 students attended the show! Imagine the community impact of this art, which also just happens to be some major transgender visibility!