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he Dramatists Legal Defense Fund was created to advocate on behalf of writers who are confronting censorship and other threats to their First Amendment rights. Our initiatives include a directory of pro bono legal resources, a compiled resource guide for those navigating ongoing violations of their rights due to the presence of ICE in their communities, and championing artists who take bold steps to fight for free expression in the dramatic arts through the Defender Award.

We are thrilled to be celebrating the work of Maggie Lawson and Liberty Welch as they navigated the University of Central Oklahoma’s cancellation of their production of Boy My Greatness by Guild member Zoe Senese-Grossberg, an historical drama about the young boys who played women in Shakespeare’s Globe.

Maggie and Liberty were told that Zoe’s play violated Oklahoma State Bill 796, which prohibits universities from using state funds to “support or require certain activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion” (yes, that’s where we are now) – and the drama department canceled the production 3 weeks before it was scheduled to be performed.

But first – the school contacted Zoe with a new contract that they indicated would let the production go on: because they included provisions that would hold her, the playwright, liable in the event of a lawsuit. On the advice of the Dramatists Guild, Senese-Grossberg did not sign the document, and the play was indeed canceled.

But Maggie and Liberty decided to find a way to put the play on, launching a GoFundMe which gave them the ability to rent space, pay to license the play, and give stipends to the student actors and crew working on the show. All while also donating a portion of the funds to local queer charities such as the Youth Homeless Alliance.

As Liberty Welch said to the press: “What is theatre if it’s not diversity, equity, inclusion? The whole point of us sharing stories is to learn about new things that maybe you didn’t understand before.”

Thank you, Liberty, Maggie, and Zoe. We’re honored to have you all here tonight! And though our deepest wish is that we didn’t have to defend these principles so vehemently – when they are so central to a just and humane society, we’re inspired by the fact that you are doing so and with such grace and tenacity.

- JOHN WEIDMAN & CHRISTINE TOY JOHNSON

Liberty: Thank you to everyone who listened to us and talked about our play and production. It was so crazy to get support from our community; we really thought no one was going to listen to us. Specifically, we want to thank the people a part of the process, Zoe [Senese-Grossberg], Tari [Stratton], everyone at the Dramatists Guild, and the Dramatists Guild Legal Fund [Committee]. You have all been so amazing, and even though it’s so scary for us to talk to adults, you guys have been so great!

Maggie: We also want to thank our amazing cast and crew for all of the beauty they created, and our professors for helping us throughout the process, because even though it was the university, our professors always stood by our side.

Liberty: This play means so much to us, because as queer students in theatre, we saw ourselves and our friends in this play. We really just wanted to do a fun play with our friends for our junior year thesis. It is so crazy to be given this honor for that. Even when we were fighting for Boy My Greatness, it didn’t really feel like we were fighting. We were just a group of friends doing a show together, because that’s what theatre is: people getting together to tell stories.

Maggie: Because I am very performative and I love a quote, I’m gonna end my portion of the speech with a quote from Boy my Greatness that I think about daily: “What is disease against something as holy as art?” With that, I wanna say thank you everyone again—I just cannot say it enough. Thank you!

Liberty: I want to end by saying thank you again, and please keep listening to queer and trans students from the middle of nowhere. They need you! ★