Baseball star leaves closet in IU Theatre and Drama’s ‘Take Me Out’

Baseball fans have sung “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” many times, but when a beloved player announces he’s gay, will the fans still fill the stands?

The IU Department of Theatre and Drama’s latest production, “Take Me Out,” explores what such a revelation can do to the game of baseball, the team players and the individual himself.

The play opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, with shows Saturday and April 1-3, with an additional show 2 p.m. April 3. All shows are in the Wells-Metz Theater. Tickets are $20, while student and senior citizen tickets are $15. The show contains mature content, including full male nudity.

“It’s nudity done really well,” said sophomore Jeremy Frankenthal, who portrays William R. Danziger. “It’s not like people are just going up there and standing there for no reason. It does serve a purpose.”

During the show, the world of the New York Empires changes forever after star Darren Lemming, portrayed by graduate student Jaysen Wright, lets the world know that he is gay.

“Really, it’s about racial identity, sexual identity and really finding out who an individual is, how an individual should feel about themselves and how society deals with superstardom and things that go against the norm,” said Frankenthal.

Featuring an all-male cast, the show follows the players on the field and in the locker room. The team dynamic shifts in a new direction after they learn Lemming’s secret, but the team manager discovers a love for the game because of the secret.

“Take Me Out” is not just a man’s play, however, nor is it just about being gay.

“It’s basically what happens to a person when a person reveals an inner truth and is not accepted,” said Henry McDaniel, the graduate student playing Kippy Sunderstrom.

“When we reveal things that are very personal to us, it has consequences and for better or worse, those consequences affect us. I think men and women deal with that issue equally.”

Director and graduate student Jonathan Courtemanch said he is proud of his cast for their fearlessness and talent and hopes the audience is ready for a good time.

“Keep an open mind and get ready to have some fun,” Courtemanch said. “That’s the most important thing. It’s going to be a great opportunity for this community to see what is really a great new American play.”