A Series of
Unmentionable Acts
Our inaugural production is a multi-modal exploration of LGBTQIA+ history, designed to bridge the gap between academic research and public curiosity. Through a blend of high-energy performance, period-accurate music, and grounded scholarship, we invite audiences to reconsider the 'unmentionable' stories that shaped the queer experience at the turn of the century.
The 2-hour experience includes orations, period music, and theatrical staging of now recognized gay historical events that occurred prior to and simultaneous to the heyday of the early-20th century Chautauqua (a traveling tent show), but were taboo and never celebrated due to their “unmentionable” nature.
Reimagining the Chautauqua and offering it in several locations throughout the Kansas City Metro area, A Series of Unmentionable Acts centers the performance reenactment of: Heinrich Ulrichs’s inspiring/thought-provoking address to the German assembly in 1867, becoming the first public “coming out” story; Henry Blake Fuller’s At St. Judas’s (1896) effectively the first homosexually-themed play published in the United States; and a Womanless Wedding, a mock wedding where all roles were played by men circa 1880s-1930s.
Campy, melodramatic, and deathly serious while underscored by period music and choruses of tra-la-la, these acts reveal a viewing of the “unmentionable” late-19th and early-20th centuries culture that has been left unheard and unseen. Prior to each performance, anticipate a history lecture on the source materials. Staged in a queer and gaily manner, A Series of Unmentionable Acts will address contemporary historicism of the LGBTQ community in the changing conservative Midwest of today.
Talent
David Krom is a Kansas City actor, entertainer, and drag artist whose work has delighted audiences across the region for more than two decades. Many know him as the legendary De De DeVille, a beloved drag persona celebrated for sharp wit, impeccable timing, and a flair for theatrical spectacle. David’s stage credits span comedy, drama, cabaret, and musical theater, including An Otherwise Hopeless Evening, Die, Mommie, Die!, Noises Off, Hay Fever, and Sordid Lives. His performance in An Otherwise Hopeless Evening marked the beginning of a creative collaboration that now continues with A Series of Unmentionable Acts. Drawn to projects that explore the intersections of history, storytelling, and queer experience, David is thrilled to help bring these remarkable—and often overlooked—stories back to the stage. He extends his gratitude to the artists, audiences, and communities that continue to make space for curiosity, connection, and a little bit of mischief.
David Krom
The Sacristan
under construction
Christopher Roberts is a Kansas City actor and vocalist whose stage work spans musical theater, contemporary drama, and choral performance. Most recently, he appeared in Gospel Is a Drag at the Arts Asylum. Christopher has also performed as a featured soloist, dancer, and ensemble member with the Heartland Men’s Chorus at the Folly Theater and Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Additional credits include The Laramie Project, Children of Eden, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Dessa Rose, and Dreamgirls, in which he appeared as James “Thunder” Early. His work also includes multiple productions of The Civil War and Flight at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Christopher is delighted to join A Series of Unmentionable Acts and lend his voice to a project where history, performance, and community meet.
Christopher Roberts
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs & Victorian Urning
under construction
Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles was born in Kansas City and has been making music, art, and theater here their whole life. Their work experience encompasses writing, performing, music directing, and deep historical research and storytelling. Having graduated with a degree in classical piano performance, they have turned their focus to participating in queer artistic expression and creating original works that explore what queer identity means via music. Past favorite productions include: Hir, Unicorn Theatre, 2018; Tipton, original work commissioned by Kansas City Public Theatre, 2023; bare: a pop opera, The Arts Asylum, 2025. Ahafia’s ongoing mission is to create and participate in art that welcomes and includes all trans creators, technicians, and performers. Queertauqua resonates with their deep interest in exploring queer history through theater, and they are excited and honored to join in this production.
Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles
The Bridegroom
forthcoming
Darius Sparks
The Best Man & Fin-de-Siecle
forthcoming
Celeste Michael is a Kansas City-based playwright, director, educator, and theater artist whose work spans new play development, youth theater, and community-based performance. In 2025, Celeste premiered Connections: A New Trans Play at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, continuing a commitment to creating work that centers LGBTQ+ stories and lived experiences. Their work has also been featured through Whim Productions’ Alphabet Soup festival, and they have contributed to productions throughout the region as a director, designer, educator, and queer resource practitioner. Favorite directing credits include Mean Girls Jr., Peter and the Starcatcher, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Celeste is thrilled to join A Series of Unmentionable Acts and to help bring these hidden histories, joyful disruptions, and queer possibilities to life beneath the Queertauqua tent.
Celeste Michael
The Usher & Manifest Destiny
under construction
Miriam Lee
Puppeteer
forthcoming
Miriam Lee is thrilled to join A Series of Unmentionable Acts as a puppeteer. Recent credits include Frankenstein (The Creature), Urinetown (Locstock), West Side Story (Velma), Much Ado About Nothing (Conrad), and The Aronists. A current student at UMKC, Miriam has training in acting, dance, music, and improvisation. She has been recognized by the Kansas Thespian Festival and the Kansas State Speech Championship and is delighted to help bring Queertauqua's unique stories to life through puppetry.
Joseph (JGK2) is an artist, historian, and founder of Queertauqua, a contemporary performance project inspired by the traveling Chautauqua movement. A doctoral candidate in History, his research examines queer performance and public culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His work has received support from organizations including No Divide KC, Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, Charlotte Street, and he has been recognized through regional grants, fellowships, and public humanities initiatives. Blending archival research with live performance, Joseph creates projects that invite audiences to engage with history through storytelling, reenactment, puppetry, and participation. Previous productions include An Otherwise Hopeless Evening, first staged in the original Jewell Box Lounge on Troost in Kansas City and toured to Provincetown, Massachusetts. A Series of Unmentionable Acts represents the culmination of years of research into queer histories of performance, censorship, and public assembly.
Joseph G. Keehn II
Lecturer
forthcoming
Darius Sparks is a Kansas City actor and educator whose work celebrates the power of storytelling, authencticity, and community. Most recfently seen in Gospel is a Drag at the Arts Asylum, Darius is passionate about creating performnances that invite audiences to laugh, reflect, and connect. As he begins his career as a first-year teacher, he is equally committed to nurturing creativity on and off the stage. Daris is thrilled to join A Series of Unmentionable Acts and help bring these remarkable—and too often forgotten—stories of queer history to new audiences.
Support & Venues
The Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America (GLAMA) is made up of collections located in the LaBudde Special Collections Department at the Miller Nichols Library at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The mission of GLAMA is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the materials that reflect the histories of the LGBT communities of the Kansas City region.
No Divide KC uses the arts as a vehicle for stimulating social awareness, participation and community building. No Divide KC partners with Kansas City-based organizations and artists to create artistic events that are focused on the stories of underserved and misrepresented communities in Kansas City.
The Arts Asylum was established to give artists of all types with a safe space to create. The Arts Asylum was founded to enrich the Kansas City arts community and the city as a whole. The Arts Asylum focuses on performances of new works, reimagining of classics, educational and professional development and ensuring that all artists have a safe place to create.
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Kansas City United Church of Christ seeks to build an inclusive Christian community, develop our faith, and put faith into action, based on the belief that God is still speaking. Our mission is strongly rooted in social justice and equity for all, and we actively participate in these movements in our community. No matter who you are or where you are on your life's journey, you are welcome to join us.
Greenwood Social Hall holds space for artists and audiences to meet in honesty and presence, where story is sacred and performance unfolds as an act of shared vulnerability. Rooted in intimacy and deep listening, Greenwood Social Hall invites connection, reflection, and transformation through the power of live experience.
Kansas City, Kansas Public Library provides free access to information, resources, and opportunities for lifelong learning. Through programs, services, and welcoming spaces, it supports literacy, education, and community connection across Wyandotte County.
The Student Union at UMKC serves as a central gathering place for students and the broader campus community, supporting connection, involvement, and student life. Through shared spaces and programs, The Student Union fosters collaboration, belonging, and meaningful campus engagement.
