COMING SOON!
THE PAST IS ALWAYS PRESENT EDUCATIONAL THEATER PROJECT
LGBTQ HISTORY IS BEING ERASED. WE'RE PUTTING IT CENTER STAGE.
History UnErased and Houses on the Moon Theater Company have teamed up to develop and produce an original musical that brings to life powerful, untold stories that have been left out of our U.S. history education. The Past Is Always Present ensures these stories are seen, heard, and remembered!
The release date of the first edition is September 17th, 2025, to coincide with Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
The Past Is Always Present is in development and has been made possible in part by funding from the Library of Congress.
MEETING THE MOMENT
New and emerging efforts are underway to digitize LGBTQ primary sources alongside the growing number of states enacting laws and policies restricting LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum in public schools, and the distortion or erasure of LGBTQ history from national institutions, museums, exhibits, and websites.
The Past Is Always Present is our new approach to sharing LGBTQ-inclusive US history! The musical, targeted for high school stage productions, brings to life stories that have been overlooked or erased from the historical narrative and connects those stories to a broader and more accurate reflection of America — to inspire, educate, and entertain!
The Bosque School, Albuquerque, NM, Theater Students Workshopping the Script with Jeffrey Solomon, lead playwright; Emily Joy Weiner, Artistic Director; and Raliegh Neal, Music Composer. May 2025.
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
Year One, October 2024 - September 2025: We are using digital primary sources from the Library of Congress and state and local archives to create and pilot the musical with students in Los Angeles, CA, Albuquerque, NM, and in NYC at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in collaboration with National Queer Theater. Educational materials development includes case studies with video introductions and more.
Subsequent Years: The Past Is Always Present will continue its creative development process with high school students in states that are currently restricting students' access to LGBTQ-inclusive history. This process, which includes primary source improv, will expand the script to include bonus acts that highlight LGBTQ history from state and local archives in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and many more.
A New York City Public School student sent us an audio audition file, putting music to some of the lyrics included in the application form. She recorded this while on the subway. Have a listen!
New York City students workshopping/piloting the script and musical score at the Hetrick-Martin Institute in June 2025:
Before the programming began, students were asked, "What do you think about when you think of LGBTQ history? What are you hoping to learn more about?" Below are a few of their responses:
"I am hungry to learn this history. I want to see and know for a fact that we existed back then, even if people deny it."— Jade
"I think of Two Spirits in Indigenous communities and the way they are revered and normalized as an inspiration to our culture and experience today, especially having an ethnic connection to Indigenous Americans. I am so excited to learn more about the regular queer people in everyone’s history and how they can change the way we see the present time." — Parker
"I want to know how learning about LGBTQ history changes mindsets about the world." — Casandra
MEET THE TEAM
Jeffrey Solomon
Playwright
Emily Joy Weiner
Artistic Director
Raliegh Neal II
Composer
Robb Leigh Davis
Artist & Educator
Kathleen Barker
Program Director
Jocardo Ralston
Artist & Educator
Dinah Mack
Content Developer
J. Eric Fisher
Artist & Educator
Jayson Caluag
Graphic Designer
Mor Erlich
Video & Animation
Cheyenne Foxtree
Indigenous Consultant
Danny Roberts
Project Manager
Visit our STAFF page to learn more about History UnErased's team. CLICK HERE to learn more about Houses on the Moon Theater Company.
COMMITTED DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS
Our committed distribution partners will be sharing The Past Is Always Present with educators and constituencies in their networks nationwide, and in turn, those recipients will then share The Past Is Always Present within their educational contexts — reaching nearly 2,500,000 lives and exponentially more lives indirectly!
National Council for the Social Studies
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
New-York Historical Society
Out Youth Texas
Colorado LGBTQ History Project
Invisible Histories Project
International Schools
Scholarly Editing
Equality Pennsylvania
Maryland Center for History and Culture
Teach Plus
Tranz Central Coast
University of Texas Austin
American University
Waynesburg University
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Fordham University
Sonoma State University
Central Connecticut State University
Middlesex Community College
University of Michigan
Augusta University
University of Southern Maine
University of California Los Angeles
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Astrea Foundation
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Highline Heritage Museum
Stonewall Columbus
Kaleidoscope Youth Center Ohio
OutWords
Queer Humboldt
Humboldt Pride
New York Public Library
National Queer Theater
Join us in revamping the script of American history!
You can make a gift to help us expand this project by clicking the donate button at the bottom of your screen.
CONTACT US if your organization is interested in becoming a distribution partner or sponsor of 2026 productions.
SERENDIPITY
After submitting our grant proposal to the Library of Congress for The Past Is Always Present project, Mor Erlich discovered the following primary source (from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture) when creating the intro video for our case study about James Baldwin.
James Baldwin's handwritten notes on Sheraton Tacoma Hotel notepad [circa 1963]
Malcolm X's Question... to Be a Citizen of The nation? The world? The race?
A. to confront Religion / Race / Power
B. The question of Identity
C. Involving History
D. Identity of History being synonymous: being the Present
E. Attempting to make the Past / History