Scarlet Masque Theatre Journal New Beginnings and Fond Farewells Vol. 1 | Page 28

21
I previously considered naming this section “Conclusions” as a means of utilizing a more
orderly and academic convention to close my paper and give my final thoughts on the subjects
addressed. However, I went with a gut instinct and referenced one of my own personal favorite
musical theatre composers, Stephen Sondheim (a prolific gay composer who had a profound
influence on Jonathan Larson, amongst others; i.e. myself). This seems a little bit more fitting
than “Conclusions” simply because the nature of this essay and the climates I’ve witnessed are
constantly changing, and to draw any singular conclusions would be exclusive to my own
experiences with this research, my biases in the material covered, and my biases as a gay
white male writing about queer drama. This is also why I chose to include a referential date as I
did with the previous sections, to further unify the paper in terms of structure, yes, but also to
allow myself my own space to live and work in and future generations to put their input into this
work. The continual dialogue and exchange of academic interest in queer drama will extend its
life as a meta genre far beyond any performances or DVD recordings, pictures in a scrapbook,
or a playbill from opening night. These are our stories, and we deserve the right to keep them as
long as we can.