Robert Leone and Ed Decker (Playwrights) have been together for 35 years and are dedicated to live theatre and the arts. Ed founded the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco 40 years ago and remains the Artistic Director. Robert is recently retired from his work as Senior Advisor for Global Health Fellows II, an organization that recruits, places and supports public health professionals working in more than 20 developing countries and in Washington, D.C. He is also a freelance writer and painter.
Over the course of five years and hundreds of interviews with queer individuals around the globe we created Rights of Passage, a searing heartfelt play about international LGBTQI+ human rights that had its world premiere at NCTC. We are currently teaming up again on a new project, I Am Another You, currently in development for NCTC’s new global podcast program Planet Q.
Mixing puppetry, mask and dance with modern devices such as digital media, Rights of Passage explores the struggle of Wayan, a young, gay Hindu man in Indonesia. Beyond Wayan's journey, the play expands to tell true stories of LGBTQ struggles and triumphs from around the world.
