THIS IS REAL
directed by David Herskovits
March 1 – April 4, 2026 @ Target Margin Theater
Special Benefit Performance on March 24 @ 7:30 pm
Featuring Queerly Femmetastic, James Tigger! Ferguson, Daddy Ho, Susannah MacLeod
J Moliere, Timiki Salinas, TANSY, Mari Vial-Golden, & Merlin Whitehawk
David Herskovits, Director & Sound Design
Karen Boyer, Costume Design
Jesse Freedman, Sound Demon
Marika Kent, Lighting Design
Normandy Sherwood, Scenic Design
Emily Duncan, Production Manager
Sarah Orttung, Stage Manager
Michelle L’amour, Intimacy Director
Orla Patterson, Assistant Director
Ari Richardson, Assistant Stage Manager
Daniel Wilde, Production Assistant
THIS IS REAL brings Target Margin Theater’s transgressive spirit to life for America in 2026. Created by 2025 Obie Award-winning director David Herskovits and a cohort of artists, this new work is inspired by the obsessions of the great French writer Jean Genet: power, sex, and revolution.
A theater. A brothel. A business. In Target Margin’s new work THIS IS REAL, performers enact fantasies of American power while an insurrection rages just outside. As the dust settles, who among us will be left wearing the crown? And what sacrifices must be made?
Genet was a thief, drifter, prostitute, who wrote from prison; his work affronted convention and challenged audiences to question their own lives. We admire Genet’s unflinching honesty in confronting power. He does not judge. He is never prim or pious. Genet was committed to representing the outsiders of our world, the COUNTERCULTURE, MISFITS, LOSERS, and CRIMINALS.
THIS IS REAL asks audiences to consider what is the beauty and wisdom of the outsider. Aren’t we, all of us, outsiders in our own ways?
Nudity. Flag Burning. Drones. This is a patriotic play.
This is Real runs 80 minutes without intermission
Out of respect for the performers, all performances of THIS IS REAL will be PHONE-FREE!
You will be required to turn off and check your phone with the box office upon entry to the theater.
Please note: This production contains nudity, loud sounds (gunshots and bombs), and smoke effects.
Photos by Whitney Browne