A group of playwrights have teamed up to create a new collection of short plays on LGBTQIA+ themes that will be made available royalty free to non-profit theatres, colleges and universities, and community organizations to be performed to raise funds for local LGBTQIA+ organizations.

The collection, titled Say Gay Plays, will be launched with a staged reading of the works via Voyage Theatre Company. The performance, which will benefit New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth, will be held May 13 at NYU Skirball.

The playwrights penning works include Fernanda Coppel, Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, Ty Defoe, Marquis D. Gibson, Nina Ki, Derick Edgren Otero, Harrison David Rivers, J. Harvey Stone, Lucy Thurber, and Doug Wright.

The May 13 performance will be hosted by Broadway alum and RuPaul's Drag Race star Peppermint (Head Over Heels), with special appearances from Yuhua Hamasaki, Murray Hill, and Jeff Hiller.

Directors include Joseph Megel, Lisa Rothe, Raz Golden, Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li, Jayna Shoda Meyer, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, Matthew Pezzulich, Lisa Rothe, and Jenna Worsham. The cast will include Benjamin Paulk, Jack Cherry, Joey Morof, Jess Kadish Hernandez, Erica Cruz Hernández, Lawrence Davis Jr., Danny Johnson, Evan Billups, Zo Tipp, Claire Gardner, Nic Billey, Eric R. Williams, Emmanuel Elpenord, Robert Stanton, Jamie Feidner, Kevin R. Free, Bianca Leigh, Dale Soules, Rina Dutta, and Alex Wyse, with more to be announced.

The initiative was conceived by Tectonic Theater Project, Miami New Drama, and Provincetown Theater as a response to Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, often referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The creators hope the project will help raise awareness for LGBTQIA+ equality during the upcoming election cycle, while providing financial support to queer non-profits nationwide.

Groups interested in participating can find more information about getting involved at SayGayPlays.org.