We recently connected with Taylor Alexander and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In the winter of 2019-2020, I wrote a musical called The Artists’ Temple with my then-partner, now-husband, Quinton Alexander and my good friend Jeremy Adam. This was my first project that I led as a lead without a director. It was very special to write songs with Jeremy. I’m not a strong songwriter, so we worked together to craft the music in the show. We threw this show together in 3 months and had a nearly sold out run of shows at The Victoria Freehouse (RIP). I loved getting to poke fun at theater kids in a show about a theater cult that worships a god called “The Bard”. We got to play with physical comedy and musical theater – it was a great time.

Taylor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Taylor Alexander has grown up in Philadelphia. She studied dance, theater and voice while growing up. They met Wyatt through sketch comedy at Temple University, where fae received her Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and Production. Community and safe places to create art of all types is very important to faer.

She previously worked on shows such as The Witching Hour, The Golden Age Dance Show, and Stir de Pot. They performed in Glister, Grosslesque, We’ll Sleep When We’re Dead, The Artists’ Temple and The #Knightlife Digital Renaissance Faire.

Fae is responsible for managing budgets, payments and many of the administrative aspects of The Hum’n’Bards Theater Troupe.

The Hum’n’bards Theater Troupe is a queer musical collective for the Philadelphia theater and nightlife communities. Our mission is to provide a safe, accessible, and empathetic platform for DIY productions with an emphasis on new exciting works that push the envelope without leaving anyone behind.

In 2012 Wyatt Flynn and Jasmine Kojouri were living together in an artist community, and spent their days spitballing ideas for a theater company that devised original musicals.

Flash forward to 2016, where Wyatt and Taylor worked together in a gelato shop in Philadelphia. Taylor spent many shifts sharing her ideas and dreams of performing, while Wyatt scrawled out lyrics on receipt paper. Jasmine was living across the country in Las Vegas, but the group wanted to collaborate despite the distance. Wyatt had an idea for a show, and with a swift kick in the butt from Taylor, and Jasmine’s ability to direct in an unconventional creation process, the group created Pangaea.

The show was inspired by our once united continent that is now dispersed into the many continents we know today. It explored how we connect over distance and time, and is the foundation of what would become The Hum’n’bards.

In September of 2016, The Hum’n’Bards made their debut in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival with Pangaea.

I’m most proud of my company’s ability to bring together great artists to create wonderful works of art. We’ve worked with so many great people. Putting money in the pockets of talented trans and queer people makes me very happy.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most reward aspect for me is paying other artists, especially artists in marginalized communities. I don’t have much money to spend on stipends, but it’s important for me to spread the little bit of wealth that I receive from our supporters. There are many shows where I don’t pay myself, because there simply isn’t enough money in the budget. But I see the shows and rewatch old shows and look at the old pictures, and I feel so proud of the work we’ve been doing. I’ve met so many amazing people through my work with The Hum’n’Bards. I might not be married to my husband if he didn’t see our production of Glister in 2017. All of my closest friends are Hum’n’Bards. We’re a troupe and we’re made of love, queer magic and hotness.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to pay queer people to get up on stage and sing from their hearts. Whether it’s a tribute show, like Sing Out Louise: A Tribute to Chicago, Hazards of Love (2021) and God Forgive These Bastards (2018), or an original show, like Glister (2017), We’ll Sleep When We’re Dead (2019) or the upcoming staged reading of Wishling in September of 2023, I love to hear the queer people sing! I’ve been on every side of the production puzzle – casting, payroll, acting, etc – and it just brings me so much joy to bring together queer and trans people to sing and act and tell stories.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.humnbards.com
• Instagram: @humnbards
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humnbards/
• Twitter: @humnbards
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyu0MA-gXTSUN0LfJv2Ilxw

Image Credits
Patti109 – SinnStax Photo + Media aqcc-k.gleason – Kelly Gleason artists temple-sayten – SayTen Studios bastards-h. scantling – Harrison Scantling chicago-sayten – SayTen Studios hazards-k.gleason – Kelly Gleason wishling (Postcard) – Linden Curhart and Taylor Alexander DSC08166 – Kelly Gleason