Atlanta-based writer-performer Scott Turner Schofield has received widespread praise for his groundbreaking theater works. (Photo
courtesy undergroundtransit.com)
Step by Step Acclaimed Trans performer offers his guide to manhood
MORE INFO: ‘Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps’
Written by and starring Scott Turner Schofield
Jan. 31-Feb. 3
7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave.
404-523-7647, www.undergroundtransit.com
WHEN SCOTT TURNER SCHOFIELD FIRST thought of writing a book about transitioning from female to male, he began asking guys for their thoughts on what it took to be a man.
The advice ranged from the humorous and superficial — learn to drink a beer in 10 seconds and fart on command — to more sensitive suggestions like be a good brother and remember that every woman is potentially someone’s sister.
Not completely satisfied with the tips, Schofield turned to his own evolution first from KT Kilborn, the name under which he wrote his well-received show "Underground TRANSit," and then on to Scott Turner Schofield. The Atlanta-based transgender writer and stage performer culled his life for anecdotes that offered insight into manhood, compiling a heartfelt how-to guide in his new one-man show, “Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps.”
The critically acclaimed multi-media show runs Jan. 31 to Feb. 3 at 7 Stages in Little Five Points. The Atlanta performance is officially considered one of the “world premieres” for the show, since 7 Stages helped commission it along with producers in Seattle and Houston.
Audiences never hear all 127 steps in “Becoming a Man,” which in 2007 became the first work by an openly trans artist to receive funding from the National Performance Network, a prestigious nonprofit dedicated to supporting artists. The storyline is dynamic and depends on audience input for everything except the beginning, middle and end of Schofield’s tale.
“It’s basically a different show every night,” Schofield says from Miami, where “Becoming a Man” is in the middle of a seven-day run.
At the beginning of each performance, audience members receive a “decoder ring” that includes labels and characteristics such as “butch,” “gay” and “woman.” At various points during Schofield’s act, the audience is encouraged to shout out how they perceive Schofield using the labels, each corresponding to one of the 127 stories.
The actor never tells the same story in the same order,which he says keeps him on his toes while forcing him to process some stories in contexts that differ from the way he experienced them. It also leaves him at the mercy of his audience, unable to sometimes tell some of his favorite stories, like when he attempted to sign up for the Army — which was one of the tips Schofield received while researching his book on manhood.
The Army scene captures Schofield’s patriotism and desire to “become a better man” and features audio of an actual recruiter reassuring Schofield what a strong man wartime enlistment would make him.
At the end of the conversation, Schofield informs the recruiter that he was born a girl, and the audience listens to the government agent inform Schofield that being transgender automatically disqualifies a person from serving his or her country.
“It’s so timely, so I hope it comes up,” Schofield says of the Army scene.
IN HIS SEARCH FOR MANHOOD, SCHOFIELD discovered that breasts and a vagina don’t prohibit someone from being male. He shares this insight during one of the most explicit scenes in “Becoming a Man,” when Schofield spends five minutes on stage entirely naked.
Chronicling his formal transition from female to male, the scene features Schofield as the canvas onto which is projected the letter his psychiatrist had to write in order for Schofield to receive testosterone treatments, along with the medical number used to diagnose gender identity disorder.
Schofield elected to not have gender-reassignment surgery, and deviates from the traditional perception of a transgender person as someone who was born in the wrong body.
While understanding how many transgender individuals can feel that way, Schofield believes being a man born in a woman’s body accounts for how he experiences the world, and gives his art the potential to move people.
“As a transgender actor,my body can do things that a man or woman can’t do,” Schofield says.
One of Schofield’s talents is convincing the audience to perceive him as a man, then taking off his clothes and forcing them to consider their preconceptions about gender, masculinity and humanity.
“[Nudity] makes clear that my sex is different from my gender — and that’s what being transgender is — in a way that just talking about it never could,” Schofield says. Schofield’s show also challenges conventional wisdom in some transgender circles and the hierarchy that determines whether a person is “trans enough.”
Standards such as whether someone has changed his or her name, takes hormones or has had a sex change are as arbitrary as a penis and vagina when it comes to someone identifying as male or female, and “are destroying to so many people,” Schofield says.
“There is no [single correct] way to be a trans person,” Schofield says. “The point of what I’m saying is 'be you,' and there’s no right way to do that other than to do what you do.”
“BECOMING A MAN” IS THE THIRD THEATER piece created by Schofield, who is preparing to publish his first book, “Two Truths & A Lie” in February. His work is rooted in the underground arts scene, but is quickly sprouting mainstream success.
In addition to the National Performance Network funding, Schofield received a 2007 Princess Grace Award for his theater work, honored alongside filmmaker George Lucas.
While grateful for the support of such heavyhitters, Schofield sometimes feels the tension of going from the margins to center stage.
A protest prevented Schofield from speaking at a school as part of a recent promotional tour for “Becoming a Man,” and the ticket prices for Schofield’s shows have gone from about $5 to $20 since he received the sanction of mainstream institutions.
The artist worries that the price hike might keep a young transgender person or typical Little Five Points resident from seeing the show, but he also appreciates the ability to connect his story to audiences who have never confronted their biases related to gender and sex.
“I understand for a lot of people, a transgender story is going to seem so far out of the box,” Schofield says. “Actually, everyone of us has a gender and at least 127 stories that make you who you are, that are poignant, and silly, and violent, and all these facets.
“I want to give people a sense of importance of their own stories, and how all the little tiny steps create something beautiful and big,” Schofield says
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