Tanya Barfield’s ‘Bright Half Life’ Traces A Lesbian Couple’s Relationship Over 25 Years

For her latest play, Tanya Barfield aimed for “a transcending love story” that would not only “embrace the dichotomies in life,” but also break fresh ground in the world of queer theater.

“For many years, I wanted to write a romantic story,” the Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright (“Blue Door”) told The Huffington Post in an interview. “At the same time, I find the saccharine narratives that so often come when we think of love stories utterly boring. [I wanted to] speak honestly and truthfully about a relationship with all its highs and lows.”

The result is “Bright Half Life,” which has been deemed a “kaleidoscopic” examination of “love, skydiving and the infinite moments that make a life together.” The off-Broadway play, which opens Feb. 25 at New York City Center Stage II, takes a non-linear look at the journey of an interracial lesbian couple, Erica (Rebecca Henderson) and Vicki (Rachael Holmes), as they navigate personal and societal pressures over 25 years.

Saying that she was “proud to be among a small group” of playwrights who have produced stage dramas about lesbian relationships, she then added, “That said, ‘Bright Half Life’ isn’t about being gay. It’s about being alive and in love.”

The Women’s Project Theatre world premiere of “Bright Half Life” opens Feb. 25 at New York City Center Stage II. Head here for more details.

The Huffington Post