Shannon TL Kearns

Shannon TL Kearns

Shannon TL Kearns is a transgender man who's playwriting is obsessed with big questions told through small stories. He is committed to work by and for marginalized communities, using writing to create a new future for all of us. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Uprising Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN. Shannon is a recipient of the Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 20/21. He is a Lambda...
Shannon TL Kearns is a transgender man who's playwriting is obsessed with big questions told through small stories. He is committed to work by and for marginalized communities, using writing to create a new future for all of us. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Uprising Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN. Shannon is a recipient of the Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 20/21. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow for 2019. He was awarded a spot in the HBMG Foundations’ Winter Playwright Retreat in 2018 and 2019. He has participated in Pillsbury House Theatre’s Chicago Avenue Project writing plays for and with children. He was a finalist for the Equity Library Theatre of Chicago’s Reading Series, the 2019 TransLab, and the American Stages 2019 New Play Festival. He was a semi-finalist for SPACE on Ryder farm in 2020. He also teaches storytelling and playwriting for youth and adults. Shannon’s plays include Body and Blood, in a stand of dying trees, Line of Sight, Twisted Deaths, The Resistance of My Skin, and Who Has Eyes To See.

Plays

  • Body + Blood by Shannon TL Kearns
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    8
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Transgender, christianity + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Transgender, christianity, ritual
    A fever dream, a man caught in Limbo. In the midst of a crisis what do we remember and how? Joshua is a bartender who feels a calling to be a priest. Oh, and he also happens to be transgender. Caught between worlds, caught between his trans friend Peter and the guys at the bar and the stuffy church warden can he make a difference in anyone's life or is he just not enough of anything to count? What does it...
    A fever dream, a man caught in Limbo. In the midst of a crisis what do we remember and how? Joshua is a bartender who feels a calling to be a priest. Oh, and he also happens to be transgender. Caught between worlds, caught between his trans friend Peter and the guys at the bar and the stuffy church warden can he make a difference in anyone's life or is he just not enough of anything to count? What does it mean to choose visibility in a world where the visible often lack safety?
  • in a stand of dying trees by Shannon TL Kearns
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Transgender, big city/rural divisions + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Transgender, big city/rural divisions, guns in American life
    In this play big city idealism and small town realities intersect. Ben and Amanda love their town. They love their neighbors. Sure, they sometimes disagree, but they are comfortable. When Liam, Ben’s former college friend, comes to town on a campaign to get people to “vote blue” their idyllic life is threatened. Can people remain friends even when they disagree? How is it for transgender folks who live in rural...
    In this play big city idealism and small town realities intersect. Ben and Amanda love their town. They love their neighbors. Sure, they sometimes disagree, but they are comfortable. When Liam, Ben’s former college friend, comes to town on a campaign to get people to “vote blue” their idyllic life is threatened. Can people remain friends even when they disagree? How is it for transgender folks who live in rural areas? And who has the right to defend themselves?
  • Line of Sight by Shannon TL Kearns
    Cast: 
    7–10
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Transgender, school shooting + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Transgender, school shooting, trans youth, LGBTQ
    Line of Sight is the story of Alex, a young trans masculine teenager, who is bullied at school, not accepted by his parents, and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. In the midst of a shooting at his school, he somehow manages to turn himself invisible. Guided by a mysterious prophet Alex struggles to figure out why he can't be seen and what he should do next.
  • Twisted Deaths by Shannon TL Kearns
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    6
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: health care, Transgender + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: health care, Transgender, conservative, death, right to die
    Pam and Ryan couldn’t be more different. He is a young transgender man and she is an older conservative woman but when they are both diagnosed with cancer their lives intersect in ways that neither of them could have ever imagined.

    This work explores questions of identity, relationships, our health care system, and who has control over your body and life.
  • Beyond The Door by Shannon TL Kearns
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: children, fear
    Genre: adventure, comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: children, fear
    A short play for children.

    Alex doesn't like sleeping with the closet door open and maybe for good reason. Alex hears noises and meets Sam the Explorer who claims to be there to take Alex on an adventure. A short and funny piece about overcoming your fears.
  • The Resistance Of My Skin by Shannon TL Kearns
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: Transgender, dating + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: Transgender, dating, Sex, Body image, media
    Ayden and Jess have been dating. They both think that tonight might be “the night”, but each one is nervous for their own reasons. Ayden hasn’t been with anyone since his transition. Jess is afraid that her size will make Ayden run away. Can they overcome their insecurities to be intimate with one another? How can they embrace vulnerability in the midst of fear?
  • Who Has Eyes To See by Shannon TL Kearns
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: Transgender, family + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Transgender, family, pregnancy, adoption
    Jamie, a transgender man, gets called back to his family home by his mother, Catherine, with the cryptic message that his sister, Emily, is in trouble. With the support of his loving wife, Alison, Jamie comes home to confront family struggles, a mother that doesn’t recognize him, and a past that he thought he had left behind but that impacts him in ways he can’t even see. A touching story about family,...
    Jamie, a transgender man, gets called back to his family home by his mother, Catherine, with the cryptic message that his sister, Emily, is in trouble. With the support of his loving wife, Alison, Jamie comes home to confront family struggles, a mother that doesn’t recognize him, and a past that he thought he had left behind but that impacts him in ways he can’t even see. A touching story about family, connections, and what it means to have a home.