A Brief History of TOSOS
In 1974, Doric Wilson (with Billy Blackwell, Peter del Valle and John McSpadden) formed TOSOS (The Other Side of Silence), as the first professional theatre company to deal openly and honestly with the gay experience. Steve Sterner and Peter del Valle’s musical review LOVERS opened the Basement Theater on Church Street in downtown Manhattan. Starring Jerry Bell, David Fernandez, John Ingle, Martin Rivera and Anthony Santelmo, the show was a success, moving off-Broadway for a commercial run. Michael O’Brien and Jerry Thomas’ famous staging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s IOLANTHE was the last major production at The Basement with Billy Blackwell, Michael Bowers, Reva Cooper, Jeffery Wayne Davies, Toni Hoffman, Stephen Thorn and Deborah van Valkenburgh in the cast.
During its short existence the company featured new plays and revivals by such writers as Brendan Behan, Noël Coward, Christopher Hampton, Charles Jurrist, Joe Orton, Terrence McNally, Robert Patrick, Sandra Scoppettone, Martin Sherman, Doric Wilson and Lanford Wilson with performances by actors like Molly Adams, Tom Bade, Brian Benben, Barbara Berge, Victoria Ellen Bradbury, Dale Carmen, Penny Chaipis, Sally Eaton, Mary Farrell, Bruce Hopkins, Greg Michaels, John Michel, Joe Pichette, Mary Portser, Diane Tarleton and Caroline Yeager.
Besides theater, the programs at TOSOS ranged widely from readings by poets Paul Crawford, Emilio Cubeiro, Dale Driscoll, Jack Galligan and Joe Rubin and exhibitions of art and photography by Tony Coffey, Duss, Audrey Frank, Susan Kurtz, Chuck Lawrence, Steven Marc-Mackin, Ira Siff and Steve Weininger to the notorious MANHOLE parties and cabaret nights featuring Terry Hammond, George Sardi, Johnny Savoy, John Wallowitch and the equally infamous Billy and Tiffany.
A long list of technicians, designers, directors, and sponsors contributed to TOSOS, including Richard Andersen, Jay Arthur, Michael Boyel, Tommy Chaipis, Webb Clason, Jack Dowling, John Draper, Martin Friedman, John Glines, Curtis Holsapple, Rob Kilgallen, Danny Lanning, Reed Lenti, Jack Logan, Marshall W. Mason, Allan Noseworthy, John Pascarella, Ty Pinney, Tom Ross, Jay Schmiedeskamp, Robert Saum, Bruce Shenton, Lou Thomas and Mike Young.
TOSOS went into hibernation in 1979 after the long run of Doric Wilson’s THE WEST STREET GANG at the Spike Bar. When TOSOS began there were no other full-time gay theater companies, when it suspended production, Terry Helbing’s Gay Theater Alliance listed 150 companies all over the world.
In June of 2001, Doric Wilson, Mark Finley and Barry Childs decided to revive the company opening in January with LOOK AGAIN!, a very successful series of concert readings surveying pre-AIDS plays and musicals and benefitting the Pat Parker-Vito Russo Library at The Center.
