This Tuesday at 6pm on Transpositive, we air a powerful new interview with playwright Mikki Gillette and actor Ethan Feider about Riot Queens, the latest production from Fuse Theatre Ensemble. Riot Queens runs March 5–29, 2026, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm here in Portland. At a time when trans lives are under political attack, this production brings urgent history to the stage and reminds us that resistance has always been part of our story.
Written by Mikki Gillette and directed by Harper York, Riot Queens dramatizes the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots — a trans woman-led uprising against police violence in San Francisco that took place three years before Stonewall. Grounded in extensive research, the play centers on three characters navigating survival, community, and political awakening: Dixie, an organizer with Vanguard; Haley, a sex worker confronting change and risk; and Nina, a newcomer torn between possibility and loyalty. The production asks what courage looks like when simply existing is an act of defiance.
Fuse Theatre Ensemble has spent 16 years creating paradigm-shifting, politically engaged theatre in Portland and beyond. A recipient of multiple Drammy and BroadwayWorld Awards, Fuse is known for centering queer voices and marginalized communities on stage. Their work dares audiences to leave their comfort zones, challenges artists to collaborate rather than compete, and calls on the community to sustain the arts in bold and equitable ways.
Join us Tuesday at 6pm on KBOO Community Radio as we talk with Mikki Gillette and Ethan Feider about the making of Riot Queens, the legacy of trans resistance, and why telling our history matters right now. Tune in live at KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland or stream online, and be part of a conversation that connects past struggle to present-day organizing.
- KBOO