DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/KVZJ-HS75
Defense Date
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Theatre
First Advisor
Dr. Keith Byron Kirk
Abstract
Growing up as a queer individual in a deeply religious Southern Baptist community, I learned early that faith and identity could feel like irreconcilable forces. I sat in the pews, surrounded by voices that preached love but often excluded people like me. For years, I struggled with the question: Can I be both queer and faithful? This tension—between belief and belonging, between the church I was raised in and the identity I could no longer deny—became the foundation of my journey, my artistic practice, and this thesis.
Through this research, I explore the intersections of queer identity, religious trauma, and the transformative power of theatre. By conducting in-depth interviews with LGBTQIA+ individuals raised in faith communities, as well as religious leaders with differing perspectives, I investigate the lasting impact of exclusionary religious teachings and the ways queer people navigate, reject, or reclaim their faith. These narratives serve as the basis for queerchurch, a devised theatrical work structured as a whole church service. The performance invites actors and audiences to engage in a communal process of reflection and healing using therapeutic techniques, forum theatre, and documentary storytelling.
This work is not just about my own reconciliation—it is about creating a space where others can find theirs. By merging academic research with artistic practice, I advocate for theatre as a sanctuary: a space where the wounds of religious trauma can be acknowledged, queer joy can be celebrated, and new forms of faith and community can emerge.
Rights
© Casey J. Worley
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
4-28-2025
Included in
Acting Commons, Christianity Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Playwriting Commons, Queer Studies Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons