Name as you’d like it to appear: Teylor Burke
Gender as you’d like it to appear: n/a
City you live in and/or improvise in most: Richmond, VA
Impro(v) Bio:
Teylor has been performing since 2009, including performing with ComedySportz in Buffalo, NY and Richmond, VA. They are currently the Education Director for CSz Richmond Theater, creating programming for adult and student classes, summer camps, and training leagues.
How does being trans/NB influence your impro(v)?
It doesn’t consciously affect my improv at this point. When I first started performing, I was still socially presenting as a woman. I would often get comments that I “played like a man,” which I believe got me more stage time with that theater. That era of leadership was dismissive of many women’s skills.
Do you play trans/NB characters often?
My characters are often trans, but that doesn’t need to be announced or explored during the scene.
How do you feel about cisgender actors playing trans/NB characters in impro(v)?
I’m usually pretty hesitant on this point. A cis person has to know our culture and community well enough to not portray us as a characture or stereotype. It can be done, but not by everybody.
Besides announcing it, how might you know/show a character is trans/NB?
I played a character in a scene once where both people were getting ready for bed. I just casually unzipped a binder during the process. It was a very subtle move, but made me feel great, and the people who get it, got it.
How do you feel about playing different genders generally, in terms of naming gender and of expressing it?
I really avoided exploring gender in improv for the first decade or so. As I better understood my own expression, I have been more willing to play across the gender spectrum. I have a hard time playing super femme characters – I don’t think it reads well to the audience – so I play them most sparingly still.
Does your local impro(v) community know/understand your gender? If so, how has that been in terms of acceptance/understanding?
Luckily, our current theater iteration has been very welcoming and open to people of different genders. We share pronouns at every check-in circle and our cast is gender-diverse. It helps that the majority of our managers are trans or gender-nonconforming.
What are some things that teachers/directors/other performers can do to make sure trans/NB improvisers feel safe and welcome?
Ask for pronouns and correct others. every. time. Do not rely on the trans person to do the correcting; they are gauging whether it is safe to do so. Side-coach away from all characters that rely on stereotype, like when a man uses a falsetto voice and shifts his hips to indicate he’s a woman. That shows that you’re looking to protect all gender expression.
Thinking about examples of trans/NB characters across all media (Impro(v), TV, Movies, Plays etc), what are the best trans/NB characters or stories you’ve seen depicted? The worst?
The worst will forever and always be Max from The L Word. His portrayal set my own journey back years. I am in love with Our Flag Means Death and the diverse portrayal of characters there. Every character is queer, but it’s not their defining feature.
Who do you look up to/admire as a trans/NB person in impro(v) or the world generally?
Representation is still so limited in the enby community, that I’m excited whenever I find someone talking about it. Vico Ortiz and G Flip recently have been top of mind.
What’s something special that you and/or trans/NB performers have to offer?
Since we often view gender structure from the outside, that leads to a level of perception that can be exploited on stage. Even little moves, like making a doctor or judge female, make the show more fun and diverse.
Is there anything else you’d like to say about being trans/NB or impro(v) in general?
The improv community has come a long way since I first started in this art form. I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve.