Actor & Activist Sis on the Trans March on Broadway & Supporting Trans Performers
In the aftermath of Cameron Mackintosh’s shameful comments in the Daily Mail, the actress and activist known as Sis saw an opportunity for trans performers and theater-makers like herself to come together. First, Sis is planning the Trans March on Broadway for September 6 in New York City to start “an actual conversation led by us” about the inclusion of trans performers in the theater industry. She is planning to follow that up with a concert at a later date that highlights trans talent.
Starting conversations isn’t something new for Sis. Originally from Houston, Texas, she grew up performing and eventually majored in theater for college. After graduation, she fulfilled her dream of coming to New York and within a short span of moving across the country, she started transitioning. “That became very daunting and difficult,” she told me via Zoom, “because I didn’t know where I fit in the industry.”
But when New York theaters turned dark due to COVID-19, Sis found an outlet and audience on Twitter that sparked a renewed interest in activism. She’s “always been somebody who’s wanted to franchise the disenfranchised and make sure everybody has a chance in this industry” but in the last year, her audience of fans and collaborators have grown substantially, including many young musical theater standouts. While still auditioning and performing, recently alongside “Jagged Little Pill’s” Antonio Cipriano, Sis has been focusing on creating her own work like an upcoming web series called “Besties” that begins production soon. In addition, Sis runs a non-profit called The Next Generation Project, an organization “dedicated to providing mental health and self-care resources to Black and brown trans folks.” But no matter the project, Sis says her goal is to “make space for trans bodies in this industry.”
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
What was your reaction to Cameron Mackintosh’s comment on trans actors?
Sis: It’s just horrible. The fact that people think they can say things like this and get away with it. My first thought was, what are you reacting to within this industry? Trans women are not cast enough for you to have this full opinion. It also stems from this idea that trans women are not real women. It’s this idea of erasure. Saying, “I don’t see the value or reason why we should cast trans people.” It’s this idea that we don’t exist and we shouldn’t exist and we aren’t real. Because why can’t a trans woman play Marry Poppins, a magic lady who descends from the sky via umbrella? It’s just silly and you show your true colors. He’s not the only person who thinks that.
There are so many borders where people didn’t want to allow Black bodies, trans bodies, people like myself, to exist in this industry. That is what I want to nip in the bud. Trans people are not monoliths. We are our own existences and our own bodies and our own human beings. We are capable of doing whatever we want. Trans people are in this industry and deserve to have space in this industry.
How can we begin to create a better environment for BIPOC and trans performers?
Producers and casting agents are not people who exist in the world like we do. They exist in their own little world. They don’t understand the existences and identities of these people. We needed an equalizer. People like myself, disenfranchised people, activists, people who understand the existence should be in those rooms. I think we need to do better work of making sure that nobody is left behind. We can’t have old rich white men in the rooms anymore. We need to have people of varied experiences in those seats.
One thing that I think gets missed a lot in these conversations is that sometimes casting a trans actor in a traditionally cis role won’t affect the character or the story being told but sometimes it will. That’s not a bad thing at all. That’s how we innovate and create meaningful new productions. But we must be able to have those open and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
People use “well, it will change it” as an excuse. What’s wrong if it does? If it does, we’ll have that conversation. For anybody who joins a cast, depending on how they look or who they are, it’s always gonna change the narrative. If you put a Black woman in “Wicked,” that means a lot. We’ve gotten to a point where theater is just not innovative; it’s just not creative. It’s all mass-produced. Everybody just wants to make a thing that can sustain and make money. I understand money needs to be made, but these rich, white-ass producers aren’t even taking the time anymore to at least do good work. Innovation is what moves this world.
People want things they’ve never seen before. It’s bodies of colors that are pushing the boundaries. I don’t need another revival of “The Music Man” with white people-centered. I’ve seen that before. You all did it 100 years ago. Why are you doing it again? We’re not even putting the energy into it anymore. It’s like we don’t give a fuck.
Between activist work and crowd-sourced projects like “Ratatouille,” social media seems to have democratized the theater industry during the pandemic and given a platform to people like you who are just starting out.
The pandemic made it so that the stage door was able to come down. Because everything was closed, it served as an equalizer to showcase anybody in the community. There wasn’t this entity to essentially hold people back. Twitter furthered that idea. It challenged what it meant to be somebody and what that looks like. Yes, I’ve been able to have a voice now because people are tuned in and paying attention where they haven’t been before.
You’re planning the Trans March on Broadway for September 6. Can you tell me more about that?
I will be releasing the exact location the morning of the March [on my Twitter]. When you hear a protest or march, I think people have these zany ideas of what that means. They aren’t these negative and riot-like places. They are community gatherings; they’re like church. The reason why I want to do this march is because I want us to come together as a community. I wanted the trans community in our industry to be seen. Once you see somebody, you can identify with them.
When you listen to somebody, you can understand them better. I wanted us to come together as a community and talk about this shared goal of making sure that trans folk have space here in this industry. I just think it’s time to have a grand conversation.
For more information on the Trans March on Broadway or to learn more about Sis, follow her at @ucancallmesis on both Twitter and Instagram. She is next looking for producers to stage a concert, tentatively titled “You Gotta Have a Gimmick,” that showcases trans talent.
