Above the Line with Jason Stuart
By Charles Karel Bouley
Jason Stuart one of the funniest LGBT comedians in America, he has torn up comedy clubs from New York to Los Angeles, and every place in between. Stuart’s also appeared in independent films, major motion pictures, on television and even at corporate speaking events along the way.
Stuart works hard, harder than many of his contemporaries. Being out and proud means he has to work harder. So, what’s he getting himself into now? Stage: legitimate, honest-to-goodness get-me-an-understudy, break-a-leg stage shows. While Stuart has been in a play before, he has never been one of the lead characters.
“There’s a big difference between doing a show with actors who are also waiters and waitresses to doing a show with people who are real ‘theatre’ people, with an ‘re’ at the end,” he said.
“Above the Line” opens March 19 is billed as a “below-the-belt, comic play about the making of a movie” and is being presented by the Indecent Exposure Theatre Company at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles.
“I get up and go to work every day now, it’s like I’ve been drafted, but it’s remarkable,” Stuart said. “[Theater] is a full-time job on top of the full-time job of living.”
In February, Stuart headlined the HRC Comedy Night in Phoenix — one of many benefits and charities he performs each year. He’s also scheduled to appear at the annual Lifeworks Benefit for LGBT youth at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood.
“I feel strongly about doing these types of events,” he said. “I know life is all about money these days and most of these places can’t pay that much, but it really is about empowering each other.”
With a play launching in March, a major benefit appearance in April, and TV and film priorities keeping him busy, Stuart has plenty of things to keep Blade readers’ appetites whetted and ready for more.
*Be sure to pick up the Blade’s April issue for an exclusive interview with Jason Stuart.