First published 2015
At a hidden bungalow colony in the 1962 Catskills, white-collar men gather on weekends to transform into their female alter egos. These professionals leave their families behind to safely inhabit lives they cannot live openly in the world beyond. The colony becomes their sanctuary, a place where they can dress as women and embrace identities society would never accept. When the possibility arises to share their secret existence with the outside world, the members face an impossible choice. Opening their lives to public view could bring the freedom they crave, but it also threatens to destroy everything they have built in their conventional lives. Each man must weigh whether the liberation of truth is worth risking their careers, families, and social standing. Fierstein crafts their dilemma with humor and insight, exploring how these self-created women navigate between authenticity and survival in an unforgiving era.
Genres: fiction, drama, romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, lgbt
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, identity-exploration, secrets
Setting: Catskills
Period: 1962
64 pages · Paperback · Dramatist's Play Service
Content warnings: transphobia