True Colors: Youth Liberation Studio is the Theater Offensive’s longest running seasonal program. It uses a proven community-based theater approach to train and activate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and allied youth leaders ages 13-25. True Colors youth leaders work with The Theater Offensive to develop comprehensive youth programming that engages participants deeply in our mission.
AWARD-WINNING QUEER YOUTH THEATER
True Colors is the only queer and trans youth theater program in the region and the longest-running of only a few such programs throughout the country. Participants in True Colors create original work based on their own personal stories as queer and trans youth of diverse racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds, from all across different communities in Boston. Participants then share these stories with schools, community groups, and youth-serving government agencies. These stories reflect the realities of queer and trans youth today, create honest dialogues, and have powerful impacts on audience members. True Colors programming is informed by The Theater Offensive’s mission, which focuses specifically on Queer and Trans People of Color, and its Queer and QTPOC Liberatory Aesthetics work.
At the core of our True Colors programming is the desire to provide youth with the tools to succeed artistically, personally, academically, and professionally. Youth in True Colors Troupe are provided with a stipend that exceeds minimum wage, funds for hot meals, and technical support upon request.
From True Colors: OUT Youth Theatre: Evelyn Francis and Trae Weekes (Photo courtesy of NAHYP Awards)
FIND YOUR PLACE IN THE STUDIO
A creative space for LGBTQ+ youth ages 14–18 to make art, build community, and explore what liberation means to them.
This fall, The Theater Offensive invites LGBTQ+ youth (and allies) ages 14–18 to join True Colors: Youth Liberation Studio, an eight-week creative program rooted in artistic expression, community care, and collective learning.
Come create, experiment, perform, ask questions, and connect with other young people in a space designed to support your voice, creativity, and well-being.
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True Colors is designed to support the whole person, not just the artist. Participants will receive:
A health & wellness stipend
Food and beverages during sessions
Access to mutual aid
A welcoming and supportive creative community
Eight weeks of artistic learning and exploration
Opportunities to develop and share your creative work
A celebratory Homecoming event with youth peers
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Across eight weeks, we'll explore questions like:
How can art bring us together? Can we look to history to find our voices in the present? How do we stay engaged in times of crisis? What does collective joy look like as we strive for liberation? What if we could create better futures together?
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LGBTQ+ youth (and allies) ages 14–18
No previous theater or performance experience is required.
October 16 – December 11, 2026
Mondays | 6:00–8:00 PM
Boston Public Library, Teen Central
Fridays | 6:00–8:00 PM
Online via Discord
The Boston Public Library location is accessible by train, bus, and walking. Ending with Technical Rehearsals on December 9th & 10th for the Homecoming Celebration on December 11th at the Boston Center for the Arts!
WHEN + WHERE
Applications are due October 9, 2026.
If you're looking for a place to make art, learn something new, meet other LGBTQ+ young people, and explore what liberation can mean for you and your community, we'd love to have you join us.
APPLY
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They/them | Associate Director of Education & Institutional Learning
Jo Michael Rezes (they/them) is a nonbinary theatremaker, AEA actor, transmedia artist, and education consultant in Greater Boston dedicated to the development of new, queer works which feature transgender collaborators and fabulously grotesque aesthetics. Jo instructs gender and performance courses across the country (Yale Dramatic Association, UMass Law, The Theater Offensive). Their TEDTalk, “A Playful Exploration of Gender Performance,” is available online. Jo is developing a monograph called Fractals: Nonbinary Acting Methods and facilitates workshops on the subject. Rezes dedicates themself to inclusive performance pedagogy beyond binary constructions and embraces queer aesthetics, sensation, and experience over final product. Having held teaching appointments at Boston College, Emerson College, and Harvard University, Rezes currently serves as the Associate Director of Education & Institutional Learning at The Theater Offensive—leading their nationally recognized True Colors programs for LGBTQIA+ youth. Rezes is a proud Vassar College alum and holds a Ph.D. in Theatre & Performance Studies from Tufts University.
TRUE COLORS STAFF
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He/Him | True Colors Manager
Ricardo “Ricky” Holguin (he/him) is the True Colors Manager at The Theater Offensive. Recently, he worked at Fenway Health as an Outreach & Prevention Navigator where he was responsible for providing HIV prevention services to populations in need of navigation. Ricky developed a multifaceted, culturally-competent social media campaign known as Revolución con Don P, or Revolution with Don P, which provided LGBTQ+ Latinx and BIPOC youth access to knowledge, education, and support via social media, online dating platforms, and local venues. He is also a Boston-based actor/singer/dancer and a member of Actors’ Equity. He was last seen playing Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka (Wheelock Family Theater). Other Boston credits include 1776, Man of La Mancha, and Fiddler on the Roof (New Repertory Theatre), Altar Boyz (Greater Boston Stage Company), Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Wild Party (Moonbox Productions, IRNE Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor), and Guys and Dolls (ReagleMusic Theatre). He obtained his M.F.A. in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory. Ricky is from Laredo, Texas, but considers Boston to be home.
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Val Miller (any/all) is the True Colors Intern, a transgender human being currently attending the University of Massachusetts Lowell studying Political Science. Born in Connecticut and raised in Massachusetts, she has done True Colors multiple times and is now serving as an intern for TTO. When he isn’t holding down the fort here, he spends his time studying for law school, baking, and binging The Pitt."
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They/she/faers | True Colors Studio Director
Eva Murray is a theater artist, educator, director, choreographer, and performer dedicated to serving and supporting the magic of young people! She believes that we are all students of life and is honored to be able to share in collaboration, creativity, curiosity, and imagination with her students. They keep their dedication to the growth, agency, and expression of young people as their driving force in their classes. Fae graduated from Connecticut College in 2017, where they received a Bachelor's Degree in both Theater (with a performance concentration) and Gender and Women's Studies - Now Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies). Eva is honored and elated to be working with TTO's True Color's Troupe. Outside of teaching, you are most likely to find them snuggling their cats, reading tarot, or singing.
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They/them | True Colors Assistant Studio Director
Rachel Maddox is a non-binary playwright and critical educator with a K-6 teaching credential. A New Jersey native, they graduated from Connecticut College in 2016 with a BA in Theater (Playwriting Concentration) and an Elementary Education Teaching Certificate. Rachel currently teaches 4th grade and loves those kids to pieces. They also work as a storyteller and teaching artist for the Rhode Island Black Storytellers while pursuing and developing playwriting. Rachel is so excited to be working with TTO’s True Colors Troupe this summer. They believe deeply in the power of storytelling and disrupting the narrative. When they’re not storytelling or disrupting, they’re usually reading 3 books at the same time or watching The Golden Girls.
TRUE COLORS OVER THE YEARS
