Stonewall 50 at La MaMa

The East Village Off-Off Broadway institution La MaMa celebrates the golden anniversary of the Stonewall riots with a month of queer performance. Writer-director Nia Witherspoon's immersive play Messiah (May 23–June 2), set against a hip-hop backdrop, examines the legacy of black nationalism through the prism of a teenage trans protagonist. The performance series Squirts (May 31–June 2) highlights new voices in the NYC queer scene. Global Gay (June 6–9), directed by France's Salvino Raco, explores the experiences of LGBTQ people around the world; 13 Fruitcakes (June 13–16), created by South Korea's Byungkoo Ahn and Gihieh Lee, looks at a baker's dozen of queer historical figures, as portrayed by a Korean cast that includes drag star "More" Jimin. Bearded Ladies Cabaret's Contradict This! A Birthday Funeral for Heroes (June 20–30) drags gay iconography into the spotlight. And on June 8, the peerless Taylor Mac presides over a special edition of La MaMa's Coffeehouse Chronicles series.