James Lecesne

Darkness: Where light is not. Light: Brightness or illumination from a particular source. Absolute brightness: The mystery of Leonard Pelkey. This is the story of a luminous force of nature: a boy who encounters evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears. Phoebe’s life in Neptune, New Jersey, is somewhat unremarkable. She helps her mom out with her hair salon, she goes to school, and she envies her perfect older sister. But everything changes when Leonard arrives. Leonard is an orphan, a cousin who Phoebe never knew she had. When he comes to live with Phoebe’s family, he upsets the delicate balance of their lives. He’s gay and confident about who he is. He inspires the people around him. He sees people not as they are, but as they hope to be. One day, Leonard goes missing. Phoebe, her family, and her community fight to understand what happened, and to make sense of why someone might want to extinguish the beautiful absolute brightness that was Leonard Pelkey.

THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY was originally developed and first presented at Dixon Place in New York City, opening on February 22, 2015. It was directed by Tony Speciale; it was produced by Dixon Place; the original music was by Duncan Sheik; the visuals were by Matthew Sandager; and the clothing was by Paul Marlow.

Trevor is an exuberant, sociable, and witty thirteen year old. So how come, when he takes that nerve-wracking turn toward his locker at school, he feels scared and alone? Shunned by his friends, misunderstood by his parents, and harrassed at school for being different, Trevor goes from wondering what color glitter to choose for his Lady Gaga costume at Halloween, to wondering why some feelings "are so intense it makes you just want to lay down and die rather than go on feeling it," and making an attempt on his life.  Trevor  mixes humor and realism in an urgent look at what it is like to feel alienated from everything around you. And more importantly, what critical ties can step in at the most unlikely moment, to save you from despair, and give you reason to go on living.  Trevor  is an update of the film version of the story, directed by Peggy Rajski, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 1994. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning youth. As the recent attention to youth suicides has received increased media attention, and Dan Savage's IT GETS BETTER campaign has gone viral around the world, the public is finally beginning to face hard facts. Thirty-three percent of suicides among teenagers involve LGBTQ youth, one-third of all LGBT kids report having attempted suicide, and nine out of ten report overt harassment at school.  Trevor  is an effort to make those kids feel loved and supported, so they will find the strength to go on living.

Trevor tredici anni, è un inguaribile ottimista, uno spirito effervescente ed entusiasta, un artista in erba che con la sua vita sogna di cambiare il mondo, proprio come Lady Gaga. A scuola, però, le sue passioni iniziano ad attirargli battutine e insulti, che nella sua limpida ingenuità Trevor non capisce, e così facendo contribuisce a rinfocolare. Abbandonato dagli amici, frainteso dal mondo degli adulti, genitori compresi, Trevor si ritrova presto affibbiata l'etichetta di gay. Una storia che si ripete spesso in molte scuole del nostro Paese. Per fortuna, però, nel caso di Trevor questo è solo l'inizio.