*Take Me Out* at Gonzaga, Nov. 11-13

What if a player very much like Alex Rodriguez (or Derek Jeter?), while playing for a team very much like this year's World Series-bound New York Yankees, casually let drop during a press conference that he's gay? What if he were so self-assured (and even arrogant) that he assumed no one would really care? And what if he then became the idol of gay men across America -- and the cause of deep, deep discomfort among conservative (and even homophobic) players, both in his own team's locker room and on opposing teams?

The Gonzaga Readers Theater Project presents Richard Greenberg's play (which ran in New York in 2002-03), directed by Gonzaga Prep principal Kevin Connell and performed by Gonzaga University actors, on Wednesday-Thursday, Nov. 11-12, at 7 pm and on Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 pm (yes, 10 pm) in the Magnuson Theater at the east end of College Hall, on the GU campus at 502 E. Boone Ave. Donations requested; definitely NOT for children.

In an intriguing bit of casting, Steven Gray (the 6-5 junior guard from Bainbridge, Wash., on the Zags' basketball team) will be reading the central role of Darren Lemming, star centerfielder of the New York "Empires."

[ photo: Steven Gray, two years ago as a freshman, when he had broken his wrist early in the season; from slipperstillfits.com ]