Five Questions With… Bradford Louryk

Bradford Louryk created and performs in Christine Jorgensen Reveals – as Christine Jorgensen herself. In the play, he lipsynchs a recorded interview with Jorgensen that was conducted by Nipsey Russell and recorded in 1958. The show, as directed by John Hecht, has garnered rave reviews, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Louryk did his BA at Vassar, and has acted at varied theatrical venues, from Studio 42 (of which he was a founding member) to Playwrights Horizons to hERE. Christine Jorgensen Reveals plays in New York until January 28th.
1. How has this piece affected your understanding of gender? Is this the first time you’ve played a woman?
This is not the first time that I’ve played a woman, but it’s the first time I’ve played an historical human being who happens to have been a woman. My previous experiences were with Greek tragic heroines – Klytaemnestra, Elektra, Medea, Phedre – and with biblical figures – Judith from the story of Judith and Holofernes, and I’m currently developing a piece about The Virgin Mary called “Version Mary.” I like to stretch myself as much as I can as an actor every time I’m onstage. Whether that’s through language or physicality or playing the opposite sex, I always want to grow as a performer through whatever role I’m creating.
That said, since I first became aware of cross-gendered casting as a politicized choice (when I was exposed to Charles Ludlam’s writing) when I was about 15 years old, I have understood gender as a fluid construct. Thus, my approach isn’t about being male or being female, but about realizing the character in an honest manner. Men are not exclusively masculine and women are not exclusively feminine, thus, when you paint your character with details from the spectrum of what we understand gender to be, you arrive at – I hope – a fully rounded person, with whom the audience can interact.
2. Some say that gender expression is performative. Do you feel that you are performing gender in this piece? More or less than in other performances, where the gender of your character might have corresponded with your own?
Some say identity is performative, and I agree with that. I am aware of the complex identity that I perform on a daily basis, as I am sure any thinking, analytical person is. Again, I don’t tend to approach a given character as “man” or “woman” but as, say, Tearman (a male role I created in the American premiere of the Danish play “First You’re Born”) or Elektra. Each is an individual. Everything I am and everything I have in me is at the service of any role I play, and within me I have the potential to be anything I want to be, as do we all. To answer the question briefly, I feel I am performing a character who happens to be female, and unless I were playing myself onstage – which I have no interest in doing at present – I’m always conscious of the break between who I am and the character I’m playing.

< Bradford as Bradford.
3. What was your connection to trans communities before this piece and has that connection changed because of it?
I didn’t really have a connection to the trans community before. I feel, having been a vessel for Christine’s authentic words, that I understand the phenomenon of being born with an imbalance between gender and biology as well as anyone who hasn’t personally faced such a situation. Other than that, there have been members of the trans community – famous members like Amanda Lepore – who’ve come to see the play, and they’ve responded very positively to it and are glad it’s being done.
4. There are transwomen who might be offended by a male person portraying Christine Jorgensen, especially because her transition was the first time so many had even heard it was possible – and gave them hope. Were you aware of that before the play went up? Tell us a little bit about the process you took in preparing for what might be a contentious choice (to some).
I am an actor playing a character. If you examine the levels of distance between myself and the character, I think it’s intensely theatrical: I, a biological male, am playing a woman who was born a male. It completes the circle in an interesting way. I have enough distance to make it a theatrical performance. I mean no offense to anyone in the Trans community. It’s only because of my desire to share Christine’s extraordinary perspective and stunning intellect that I wanted to create this play.

< Bradford as Christine.
5. What kind of research did you do to prepare for the part?
When I first discovered the recording of “Christine Jorgensen Reveals” at Footlight Records in the East Village, I had no idea who she was. I’ve always had an interest in peculiar recordings, and the album cover was very intriguing. It said, “Is she a woman? What about her love life? Can she become a mother? An intimate glimpse into the personal life of the world’s most sensational celebrity.” It was also more expensive than just about anything else in the store, so I though it must certainly be worth purchasing. Understand, too, that I didn’t even own a turntable at the time, and this was a 33rpm disc from 1958. I didn’t even listen to it for quite some time after I bought it. But when I first heard the recording, I was immediately intrigued on an artistic level. I knew I wanted to share what I’d heard with others, and that I would have to do it in a theatrical manner. I always say that I’m as much a dramaturg as I am an actor, so I read her autobiography and did a lot of internet research. It’s interesting to note that while she was such a sensation only fifty years ago, there’s relatively little information available on her. When you’re creating a piece like this, it’s not enough to know what she did or how she felt, as it might be when creating another character. I wanted to see how she moved, how she breathed, how she sat, what she did with her hands when she spoke. David Serlin, an author and professor at UCSD, was instrumental in providing documentary footage of Christine which proved highly instructive. And, of course, I’m involved in all of the design research, from the fabrics in the clothes to the style of the wig. I also had an incredible dramaturge, Christie Evangelisto, whose research provided that much more texture to my portrayal of Christine.
(Thanks to Johanna for facilitating this interview and for contributing questions.)