Best of KC 2024: Mazzy Mann’s queer odyssey 1309 gave Midwest trans kids a timeless totem
Photo Courtesy of Mazzy Mann’s Instagram
Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2024. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout November.
Writer and director Mazzy Mann made her directorial debut on Aug. 21 with the play, 1309. The production is an autobiographical opera that takes us back to 2005 as Mazzy—a transgender girl in the Midwest—learns that she isn’t responsible for her family’s shame after all.
Performed at Greenwood Social Hall, 1309 gives an inside look into an ordinary grain-belt family as they struggle with the pressure of a suburban society. The musical combines horror and comedy to produce an evening of laughter, singing, and tears. The title serves as reference to Mazzy’s childhood home address, which symbolizes both where she came from and the courage it took to escape the numerical residence label.
The leading character, Mazzy, is portrayed by Spencer Ruwe, who successfully gives an honest look into Mann’s early life. Other cast members range from Reuben Okerberg as Blue, Luke “Skippy” Harbur as Tony, Mazzy’s step-father, Abigail Brisbane as Mother, Cliff Hoitt-Lange as the Radio XY Narrator, and Brad Mathewson as “The Angel of Time.”
1309’s uplifting story of trans joy and resiliency in the Midwest continues to have a lasting impact on the LGBTQ+ community and allies within the Kansas City area, who saw their own origins reflected in the short-run of stagecraft. While showings ended in August, Mann is already moving forward with new projects and their own next act.
