Highways Performance Space is in its 37th. As part of promoting, supporting and presenting new works created by artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, Executive Director Leo Garcia and Artistic Director Patrick Kennelly created the BEHOLD! Queer Performance series. As part of this series, on May 16, 2026, Mixed eMotion Theatrix presented So Now You Know, Stories in Motion: the Queer Community, stories told via narration and dance. The cast included professional dancers who can act and actors who move extremely well.
The co-choreographers of So Now You Know were Janet Roston, Artistic Director of Mixed eMotion Theatrix and dancer/choreographer Kate Coleman (she/her). Roston is an award-winning Director/Choreographer of theater, live performance, television, music video, live tours and commercials. Coleman has performed with LA Contemporary Dance Company, Mixed eMotion Theatrix, and her choreography has been presented on the Dance at the Odyssey Series.
The stories told in So Now You Know were very familiar to anyone who grew up gay, lesbian, transgender or simply not part of what was considered normal in America, but as the title suggests, they might be shocking to those who do not have a personal relationship with a Queer person.
Mixed eMotion Theatrix – Kate Coleman and ensemble in “So Now Your Know” Choreographed by Janet Roston and Kate Coleman – Photo by Barry Weiss.
The show opened with the performers drifting in and immediately making the audience feel welcomed. It was titled bless the space, but for me Roston’s choreography created a sense of inclusion and people exuding confidence.
A man, Lee-Ron (he/him), related that he wanted to come out to his very conservative father but even while his dad was dying of cancer, he could not. A trans masculine person, Maze Felix (they/he), said that they almost committed suicide because of the harassment they endured during their transition, and a transgender man, Mars Wright (he/him) wanted to be like a character in the film 500 Days of Summer and after a difficult break up, he sort of succeeded.
When one of the performers announced that she was a straight woman, Mary Ann Welshans (she/her), the theater lights flashed and the performers groaned. Her story, however, included her mother coming out to her as a lesbian and supporting her second child as she announced that she was they and then back to being a she who shopped for clothing in the men’s department.
The lives and struggles of the transgender community are not as publicly discussed as those of gays and lesbians. So Now You Know allowed the audience to begin to understand what they go through before, during and after their transition from one sex to another.
The story that every gay man could related to was told by Tommy Hobson (he/him) about the relationship with his father and how he was determined to look and act like a straight man. Physically, Hobson succeeded and when he was acting as an angry father in another segment, he came across as very straight. Society expects men and women to present themselves in a certain manner and the majority of gay men become good at developing two personae. One for when they are in public and another when they feel save to be themselves. Fortunately, Hobson has learned to love himself and as he put it, “I identify as a man because I am one.” He is a proud gay Black man.
Mixed eMotion Theatrix – Mary Ann Welshans and ensemble in “So Now You Know” Choreography by Janet Roston and Kate Coleman – Photo by Barry Weiss.
Each story was accompanied with solos, duets or a group of dancers interpreting the narrative. The choreography hit a nice balance of mimicking the words and being abstract. Coleman created movement that allowed the dancing and the words to express the myriad of emotions expressed throughout the evening. They trusted that this was an intelligent audience and by their responses, I believe that the movement was reaching them.
The person who delivered some of the best acting of the evening, was Russel Alexander-Orozco (he/him) whose story struck a chord with everyone in the theater. Throughout his life Alexander-Orozco has been an activist for gay rights. Mentioning how we are currently living under a wannabe fascist regime, he delivered the powerful line “Time is precious especially when you’re fighting for your existence.”
With the audience being so close to the performers at Highways, a couple of the performers were overacting just a tad and would benefit from toning it down.
Highways has created a safe environment for the LBGTQIA+ community to present their work. People who attend performances there generally know that scene. I feel that Mixed eMotion Theatrix’s So Now You Know would be received by any audience and fit in any venue. The performers left us with the parting words, “Now that you know, there’s so much more to know.”
The wonderful cast of So Now You Know was: Kate Coleman, Lee-Ron (he/him), Danny Castro (he/him), Mary Ann Welshans, Maze Felix (they he), Tommy Hobson, Russell Alexander-Orozco, and Mars Wright (he/him).
In addition to Janet Roston and Kate Coleman, the creative team included Executive Director, Story Coach and Development, Ryan Bergmann (he/him). Marketing Director was Sarah Mullis (she/her) and Social Media Manager was Sarah Wines (she/her).
The BEHOLD! Queer Performance Series continues on May 22, 2026 at 8:00 pm with works by Keli Gunn — MASC (excerpt), Jules Mara & Bruna Gill (Ides) — Ghost Riders, Avery Polster — Hit and Run! (work-in-progress), and Eva Watson — careful where you step. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Highways Performance Space website.
For more information about Mixed eMotion Theatrix, please visit their website.
This review was edited on May 19, 2026
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Cast of So Now You Know, photo by Barry Weiss.
