Mar 19, 2004  |  By: MARK REILLEY  | COMMENTS     

David Mays, 24, plays Sissy at all ages. He was drawn to the play because he related to the feelings of isolation. “In my childhood and adolescence, I was in my own world and a loner. I never really fit in with any particular group or clique,” he says.

The University of Central Oklahoma graduate was also intrigued by the play’s unique delivery. Mays says, “I was extremely moved [by the script] and fell in love with it. I found the idea of filming it and putting it on the Web wonderfully different and exciting. I’m having a blast with it.”

Mays hopes viewers will learn to embrace their differences rather than run from them.

“I’ve been called ‘weird’ many times in my life and at first it [seemed] a very bad thing, but now I love it,” he says. “I’m not normal and I’m proud of it, damn it!”

Matson keeps production costs low through creative frugality. “I use whatever I can to make something out of nothing. I made the huge cross for the ‘God’ scene out of some old wood I found in my yard,” he says.

Local theaters lend costumes, props and set decorations, his garage doubles as the studio. “I try to be my own gay Wal-mart and look for falling prices.” It also helps that the entire “Sissy” company of actors volunteers their time.

After Matson shoots the play, his partner handles the post-production editing and Web site maintenance. In addition to the plays, TaRsplace.com promotes a wide variety of information about local gay theater, art gallery displays and entertainment.

Ultimately, Matson hopes to show the world, or at least the people who visit his Web site, that all people — effeminate and butch, gay and straight — just want to belong.

“Like everyone else they crave happiness, health, security, love and to simply exist without discrimination or judgment,” he says.