In a city (and a world) where the death of the lesbian bar is a bleak and well-documented phenomenon, STONE emerges as a pop-up dyke bar brimming with queer nostalgia, butch tears and femme power. The work is Inspired by Leslie Feinberg's seminal text Stone Butch Blues, STONE celebrates the lesser known heroes of the queer liberation movement - from the 1960's and way waaay beyond (all the way back to the 1400's, to be precise), to create a work of historical fiction that sheds light on the generational injustices perpetrated against a community that is often overlooked: Butch lesbians, masculine women, trans men and the people who fought beside them.

STONE follows our Butch Elder as she reminisces on the years she spent falling and fighting for her first true love, Theresa. We jump in and out of the Elder's heartbreaking letters to her long lost femme, as the bar she so fondly remembers. filled with all of its colorful patrons, comes to life in uproarious and fantastical scenarios. The play pulls from a diverse array of texts by lesbian artists and activists: Merrill Mushroom, Ria Brodell and Houston civil rights hero Rita Wanstrom - to name a few.

STONE is an homage, a teach-in, a celebration, and a love letter - by and for our community. It integrates live music, drag performance, love stories and all-out riots to create a spellbinding spectacle that is both grounded and liberating, heartfelt and slapstick, fierce and tender. STONE is for anyone who loves women and femmes deeply and profoundly. It is for those who have felt misunderstood and downtrodden. It is for those who have been harassed by the police and the public. For those who feel unsafe, and need a place to be loved, fully, for exactly who they are.

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Photos by Ajo / @nightowlsocialclub Him/His is a piece that seeks to address trans masculinity and body image through the complex maze that is homosexual desire. Joel is a gay trans man, alone, trying to pass while cruising at a gay bar for the first time. After a random act of violence, Joel runs into Peter, a gay man from a very different generation who is reaching the end of his rope with the monotony of nightlife and grindr hookups. Despite their natural chemistry, Peter is hesitant, wanting to respect Joel's body and spirit, but also fearing the unknown. Joel has his own fears, as well, and wonders how a man like Peter could ever want a guy like him. In a turn away from more mainstream gay narratives, Peter and Joel are tender with one another, trying their best to communicate despite their insecurities. But in such a fraught culture of gender confusion and body objectification, is their connection enough to save them from themselves?

Produced at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in April 2019 in collaboration with Victor Mellors and Zhanna Cherneko. Melissa has found herself on yet another business trip, alone in a hotel. Holed up in room 305, she is left to wonder about the worth of her life, her self and her body, as those around her struggle to build the lives they long for. Can she do the same? Honey is a new work about women and how much they're willing to give to get what they need.

Inspired by interviews with sex workers conducted in Oklahoma in 2017 and 2018, the Oklahoma Contemporary premiered Honey as part of their Women in Performance series in June 2018. Directed by Katherine Wilkinson, Morgaine worked with Emma McFarland, Chelcy Harrell and Wilkinson as core collaborator and co-writer. Morgaine also performed in the cast alongside Korri Werner, Claire Fountain, Julie Watts, Holli Would, Kaylene Snarksy, and David Burkhart.

Read The Oklahoman's review Cradle Two Grave is an emotional exploration of the relationship between twin sisters, one of whom lives with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Combining elements of Greek tragedy with contemporary devised theatre, Cradle Two Grave uses authentic found recordings, interviews, original music and raw text to draw its audience into the ongoing tug-of-war between twin sisters and chronic mental illness. While our patient takes us on a journey through the fraught history of BPD by way of her own experiences in and out of treatment, her twin sister, Mo, grapples with her own fears and frustrations. Mo ultimately comes to terms with that which she cannot control - her sister's diagnosis, and her unconditional love for the diagnosed.

Performed by Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood, Naomë Antoinette, Patricia Sabulis, Korinne Winter, Terra Chaney, Sarah Suzuki, Sarah Kowalski, Fiona Rae Brunner, and Billie Wyatt, Cradle Two Grave concluded the inaugural season of Corkscrew Theater Festival, a festival that provides early-career artists with a high level of production support.

Watch the trailer for the 2017 Corkscrew Festival

See my interview about the show on StageBuddy

Photos by Ajo / @nightowlsocialclub Read the DU Clarion's review

Watch: A conversation between the director and me