With a foreword by Harvey Fierstein and a new introduction to The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley, twentieth century theater is seen as a powerful force in bringing gay and lesbian characters and themes out of the closet and into the spotlight. These dramatic selections share themes of oppression countered by love, fear, anger, and humor--not only gay or lesbian, but universally human. Included are Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy, Terrence McNally's The Ritz, Lanford Wilson's The Fifth of July, Paula Vogel's The Baltimore Waltz, and many more.

Ben Hodges is an actor, director, theater and independent film producer, and was executive director of Fat Chance Productions and the Ground Floor Theater. He is editor of Forbidden Acts: Pioneering Gay and Lesbian Plays from the Twentieth Century, and co-editor of The Commercial Theater Institute Guide to Producing Plays and Musicals.

Part of Alyson's new screenplay series, this volume of the final scripts of two cult classics will provide endless enjoyment to fans and students of film. Renowned playwright and filmmaker Charles Busch, whose work has graced the stage from Off-Off Broadway to Broadway, provides commentary on the making of these two films and discusses what it's like to be both behind the camera and to star as a leading lady.

Charles Busch is the author of the award-winning Broadway play The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, and Our Leading Lady. He starred in such plays as The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, which ran for five years Off-Broadway. In 2003, Busch received a special Drama Desk award for career achievement as both a performer and a playwright.

A hilarious romp from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood with the beloved Emmy-winning actor, playwright, and gay icon

Leslie Jordan is a small man with a giant propensity for scene stealing. Best known for his bravura recurring role as Karen's nemesis, Beverley Leslie, on "Will &Grace" (for which he won a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006), he has also made memorable appearances on "Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Monk," and "Murphy Brown,"

Raised in a conservative family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Leslie -- who describes himself as "the gayest man I know" -- boarded a Greyhound bus bound for LA with $1,200 sewn into his underpants and never looked back. His pocket-sized physique and inescapable talent for high camp paved the way to a lucrative and varied career in commercials and on television. Along the way he immersed himself in writing for the stage, and his one-man testimonials have become cult off-Broadway hits. But with success came dangerous temptations: a self-proclaimed former substance abuser and sexaholic, Leslie has spent time in jail and struggled to overcome his addictionsand self-loathing.

"My Trip Down the Pink Carpet" is a rollicking, fast-paced collection of stories, served up with wit, panache, and plenty of biting asides. Filled with comically overwrought childhood agonies, offbeat observations, and revealing celebrity encounters -- from Boy George to George Clooney -- it delivers a fresh, laugh-out-loud take on Hollywood, fame, addiction, gay culture, and learning to love oneself.