Mae West and the Trial of Sex
Written by John Heimbuch
Directed by Allison Vincent
May 31 – June 22, 2025
at Crane Theater
Extra! Extra! Provocative Playwright Mae West Runs Afoul of Broadway Censors, Her Popular Play “Sex” Raided for Obscenity. Tammany Hall claims it was necessary to prevent West’s new homosexual drama, “The Drag,” from corrupting the youth of New York. The sultry starlet faces time in the slammer if she doesn’t amend her immoral ways and stop “Sex” at once!
Mae West and the Trial of Sex draws from court documents, newspapers, and West’s own plays to explore the overt sexuality and curious queerness of her rise to fame. Playwright John Heimbuch uses Mae West’s legal battle over censorship to show how queer representation became criminalized on stage and screen, cutting LGBTQIA+ people off from their past.
Performance Schedule
All performances of Mae West and the Trial of Sex take place at the Crane Theater (2303 Kennedy St, Minneapolis, MN)
Saturday May 31, 7:30pm (Opening)
Sunday June 1, 2:00pm
Thursday June 5, 7:30pm
Friday June 6, 7:30pm
Saturday June 7, 7:30pm
Monday June 9, 7:30pm
Thursday June 12, 7:30pm
Friday June 13, 7:30pm
Saturday June 14, 7:30pm (ASL Interpreted)
Sunday June 15, 2:00pm (Audio Description)
Wednesday June 18, 7:30pm
Friday June 20, 7:30pm
Saturday June 21, 7:30pm
Sunday June 22, 2:00pm (Closing)
Featuring
Emily A. Grozdik as Mae West
With Ensemble Members:
Jack Bechard
Neal Beckman
Kelsey Cramer
Kayla Dvorak Feld
Samuel Osborne-Huerta
Joe Swanson
Production Team
Playwright – John Heimbuch
Director – Allison Vincent
Scenic Design – Sarah Bahr
Costume Design – Mandi Johnson
Lighting Design – Tony Stoeri
Sound Design/Composition – Thomas Speltz
Properties Design – Bobbie Smith
Drag Consultant – Domino Rosa
Intimacy Coach – Alli St. John
Dialect Coach – Keely Wolter
Choreography – Jon Michael Still
Music Director – Leslie Vincent
Stage Manager – Andre Johnson, Jr.
About Mae West
Before she was an icon of the silver screen, Mae West was a Broadway actress and playwright (under the name Jane Mast).
In early 1927, while performing in her long-running melodrama, Sex, about a Montreal sex worker, West was developing a new play about Greenwich Village queer culture called The Drag. This play had a sympathetic view of homosexuality, and included a large-scale drag ball onstage, which worried the New York press and police. West became the target of a media campaign to clean up Broadway, culminating in a police raid of Sex. West fought the charges in court, and received a 10 day jail sentence for obscenity, but the trial and publicity launched her career.
About the Creative Team
John Heimbuch (playwright) is Walking Shadow’s Artistic Director. He has written numerous works for the company, including William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Transdimensional Couriers Union, Drakul, A Midwinter Night’s Revel, and Cabal. He has been researching the events of Mae West and the Trial of Sex at historical archives around the country for the past two years.
Allison Vincent (director) is an actor, deviser, and director in the Twin Cities. She is a company member of Transatlantic Love Affair and Four Humors Theater. She is known to Walking Shadow audiences as a performer in Open and 21 Extremely Bad Breakups, and the director of our popular production Feast.
Location
The Crane Theater is located at 2303 Kennedy St. NE in the heart of the Mid-City Industrial neighborhood.
The Crane Theater
2303 Kennedy St. NE #120
Minneapolis, MN 55413
NOTE: Parking and the entrance to the theater are located at the back of the building. Look for the yellow door. There is also ample free street parking available in the evenings.
Accessibility
ASL interpreted on Saturday, June 14 at 7:30pm by Maria Dively (NIC) and Nella Titus (NIC).
Audio Described on Sunday, June 15 at 2:00pm by Elana Centor.
Crane Theater is wheelchair accessible.