Meet Rebecca McGlynn | Playwright, Lyricist, Composer & Performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rebecca McGlynn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebecca, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born the son of two wonderful parents. My mom has always been involved in the arts. She worked professionally as a painter and illustrator, and occupied her weekends bolstering the alto section of the church choir. While I never drew much beyond stick figures, I was very lucky to have had a childhood filled with passionate and dedicated music teachers who fostered my education on trumpet, piano, and singing.

Mom was also an avid fan of musical theatre, so raising me in Connecticut—a stone’s throw from New York City—gave her plenty of opportunities to take me to see Broadway shows. “The Phantom of the Opera” blew my 8-year-old mind, and from then I was hooked on musicals.

I inherited my passion for writing from my dad, who had a long career as a newspaper and corporate writer. He is the smartest and funniest person I know, and I’m lucky to have inherited (at least a modest portion of) his wit.

As I developed my skills in theatre, music, and writing, it just seemed natural to put all of these passions together.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I wrote my first musical in college. It was about the life of Joshua Norton, a (real, historical) Gold Rush-era San Franciscan who proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States.

In 2016, I co-wrote the book, music, and lyrics to “My Big Fat Blonde Musical,” a body-positive one-woman musical about the struggles of being a woman of size pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles. It was performed by Theresa Stroll at the Hollywood Fringe Festival that year and won many awards, including Top of the Fringe, Best Musical, and Best World Premiere. (We recently adapted it into a nine-episode digital series.) The project introduced me to the world of solo theatre—and inspired me to tell my own story in the same medium.

My greatest struggle growing up was a disconnect with my body. I noticed that I was not interested in dating—at least, not in the same way or for the same reasons as most of my peers. At 15 I attributed this to asexuality—a lack of sexual desire. At least to a certain degree, that felt like it explained this feeling I had: that of being nothing more than a passenger in my own body. This feeling became the basis of my solo show, which I began writing in 2017. I explored themes of sex and romance, and how toxic masculinity hurts not only women, but men as well. (At that time, of course, I still thought I was a man.)

It wasn’t until just after the Covid-19 pandemic began—I was 32—that I understood the depth of my own pain. I realized I was a transgender woman, which added so many new and confusing layers to my life, my sexual identity, and my show.

As I adjusted to my new life, living my truth, and coming out to my friends and family, my show changed drastically. But it was still important to me to show how men—or at least, those of us assigned male at birth—are harmed by the masculine sexual role they are often pressured to fulfill.

So, in my latest show—“Asexuality! The Solo Musical,” which premiered at the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival in June—I play my pre-transition self, an asexual man navigating a hyper-sexual world. Through music and comedy, I explore themes of sex, love, romance, and eventually finding my own place on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. I was honored to once again win the awards for Top of the Fringe, Best World Premiere, and the Encore Producers’ Award.

On top of my theatrical work, I’m an Emmy-nominated photojournalist, and I’ve worked in film and TV for 15 years as a cinematographer, editor, and sound mixer. These skills have also worked their way into my theatrical work. Video and multimedia play an important role in “Asexuality;” my three “inner voice” characters appear as visual projections.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spot to visit is the Griffith Observatory. It’s a beautiful building with an absolutely breathtaking mountaintop view of Los Angeles. It also helps that I love science and astronomy, so the exhibits and planetarium shows are very cool.

I love to get brunch at Harvest Moon Kitchen & Marketplace in Valley Village, and Geeky Teas & Games in Burbank is a fun spot to hang out and play some board games. I’ve also loved going to dinner and movies at the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown—good food, comfortable seats, good movies and lots of great old movie posters on the walls. (Plus their bathroom sign is just about the most trans-friendly public restroom sign I’ve seen.)

I also want to shout out Republic of Pie—ever since I moved to North Hollywood, it’s been my go-to destination for writing. It’s a cafe with an outdoor (shaded) back patio. I’ll pop in with my iPad, order a coconut iced tea and a Thanksgiving pot pie if I haven’t eaten, and write. They also have live music and performances every so often which is really great.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jessica Lynn Johnson, my producer, has cultivated an amazing group of solo theatre artists in Los Angeles. Her company, Soaring Solo Studios, is dedicated to bringing the stories of these artists to life. Jessica is an accomplished solo performer and frequently runs a free meditation, writing and performing workshop at the Whitefire Theater in Sherman Oaks.

Heather Dowling, my director, was one of the many talented creatives I met through Soaring Solo. I have seen both of her one-woman shows and she is a phenomenal writer and performer. As a director, she has a wonderful sense of collaboration, and I really feel like our skillsets complement each other in an extraordinary way.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is another incredible community of actors, writers, directors, and other artists. While I feel many arts festivals center around a sense of competition, the Hollywood Fringe truly thrives on artists uplifting one another. I am so blessed to have met all of these incredible creators.

I would like to also acknowledge the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which has provided countless people with desperately needed health services, including sexual and mental health, as well as gender-affirming care. The Trans*Lounge group at the LGBT Center has been an excellent resource for peer support in the trans community.

I have met so many other trans folx since coming out, and far, far too many of them have stories about being rejected by their families. Parents kick them out of the house, refuse to speak with them, all for trying to live their truth. So I would like to acknowledge my parents, who have both been so accepting of my transition and my happiness. (They would tell you that they don’t deserve thanks or acknowledgement for simply continuing to love and care about their child. Someday, I hope we will live in a world in which trans children being loved and accepted by their parents is a common narrative. But right now, we don’t. So thank you for your love and support, Mom and Dad.)

Website: https://linktr.ee/rebeccamcglynn

Instagram: @bexmcglex

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCDzHdld30lf29F73VjtUViw

Other: “Asexuality! The Solo Musical” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/7486

Image Credits
Jenn Scuderi Crafts Sal Genoa Brendan McCay Carly Tsuda Lisa Verlo