WE WERE THERE is the story of Jean and Douglas, two boys who meet in June, 1969 on the first night of the Stonewall riots, and the men that they become over the course of the next 30 years. The play ends on the night of the Matthew Shepard March in New York City in October, 1998.

The play takes Jean from just-out-of-the-closet newcomer to New York, to Off-Off-Broadway performance artist to Hollywood and back as he tries to use his caretaking nature for a greater good. Douglas goes from closeted draft-dodger to disgraced public school teacher to Wall Street player to AIDS activist. And the play takes their relationship from one-night stand to friends-with-benefits to monogamy to caretaking to recrimination and separation and, ultimately, to reconciliation and redemption.

While I hope the play is not a political screed, the contemporary politics of each time period of the play plays a vital role in the characters choices and movement.

The play is in three acts of two scenes each. The play takes place in one studio apartment in New York City. While the set remains the same, the characters’ looks (hair, clothes), priorities and motivations change dramatically from scene to scene.