Lucas Bouk is an American opera singer and actor from Rochester, New York. He came out in 2018 as a trans man, and played his first role as an openly trans man in a jazz opera character written with him in mind. A play about his transitioning was staged in 2018, and revived in 2019. In June 2019, he became the first openly transgender opera singer in a featured role written for a transgender singer in ''

Stonewall Stonewall or Stone wall may refer to: * Stone wall, a kind of masonry construction * Stonewalling, engaging in uncooperative or delaying tactics * Stonewall riots, a 1969 turning point for the modern LGBTQ rights movement in Greenwich Village, Ne ...

''.

Education and personal life

Lucas Bouk grew up in Rochester, New York in a conservative environment, with "misunderstanding, misattunement, and pain" from his conflicted gender identity. He married his high school sweetheart when they were both 21. Bouk studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. After graduate school Bouk and his husband had a child together. The pregnancy and birth were extremely difficult for Bouk: "I felt drowned and suffocated by cisgendered parenting expectations. My son's existence wasn't the problem, it was all the

social norm Social norms are shared standards of acceptance, acceptable behavior by groups. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into wikt:rule, rules and laws. Social normat ...

s and expectations surrounding the idea of being a mother that plagued me with anxiety and anger." Bouk initially thought his anger towards casual sexual harassment and the word "mother" was due to being a "staunch feminist"; later the family would stop celebrating gendered holidays. In 2014, Bouk made the decision to resign from his job and seek personal growth and professional advancement by relocating to Manhattan. Concurrently, he began engaging in yoga and participating in dance classes as a means to enhance his physical well-being and promote self-acceptance. In September 2017, Bouk began to self-identify as a transgender man. He came out to his husband, who was supportive. Bouk wears a tuxedo for concert singing rather than a traditional gown. In October 2018, Bouk took part in Bumble's worldwide campaign about New Yorkers "discussing their lives and loves".

Career

Before coming out, Bouk sang a series of cabaret evenings featuring famous songs for female characters, by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

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, Jason Robert Brown, George Gershwin,

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

, and Rodgers & Hammerstein, to "become comfortable inhabiting female characters onstage that I might be able to feel more confident in my body in my actual life". Later he focused on female opera characters, “trapped by circumstance, society and gender”. In May 2018, as part of New York's 2018 Opera Fest, he came out publicly as a trans man in a new opera, ''Tabula Rasa'', a jazz-inspired work presented by the Cantanti Project, from gay composer Felix Jarrar and librettist Brittany Goodwin. The role of dadaist Tristan Tzara was created for Bouk so he could "publicly express isnew gender identity". It was Bouk's first male role since coming out. In November 2018, Bouk and director Bea Goodwin presented “Mr. Liz Cabaret: Living in the In Between“, a coming of age story and cabaret about Bouk’s coming out process, at Alchemical Studio Lab. For the one-man show they used his journal entries, photos, paintings, and memories. It includes painful episodes of being misgendered. The show returned in February 2019 at New York City’s The Tank. Following his one-man show, he did the transgender-themed “ ''As One''” at Alamo City Opera. “As One” is a newer opera which has already been performed around the world, telling the story with two characters, Hannah Before and Hannah After, who share insights into the transitioning experience. Bouk portrayed Hannah After. He then did Giacomo Puccini’s “'' Suor Angelica''” and “'' Gianni Schicchi,''” at St. Petersburg Opera. In May/June 2019 he reprised his role in “''As One''” at Merkin Concert Hall for

American Opera Projects The American Opera Project (AOP) is a professional opera company based in Brooklyn, New York City, and is a member of Opera America, the Fort Greene Association, the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance, and the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A. ...

and New York City Opera. In June 2019, Bouk played a featured character in ''

'', an opera about the 1969

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...

which had its world premiere in conjunction with Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019. ''Stonewall'' was commissioned by New York City Opera (NYCO), and features music by

Iain Bell Iain Bell (born 1980) is an English composer whose output is predominantly of vocal works, namely opera, art song or orchestral song. Life and career Bell was born in London. His first opera, ''A Harlot's Progress'', to a libretto by Peter Ackro ...

, a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Mark Campbell, and direction by

Leonard Foglia Leonard Foglia (born August 24, 1954) is an American theatre director, librettist, and novelist. Foglia made his Broadway debut as the assistant director of ''The Heidi Chronicles'' in 1989. He also directed revivals of ''Wait Until Dark'' (1998) ...

. ''Stonewall'' is the first opera to feature a transgender character written for a transgender singer. Bouk portrays Sarah, a trans woman celebrating the first anniversary of her transitioning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouk, Lucas Living people American opera singers American male musical theatre actors Musicians from Rochester, New York Transgender male actors Transgender male musicians American LGBT singers Year of birth missing (living people) University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni 21st-century American opera singers American transgender men American transgender actors American transgender musicians Transgender singers

Education and personal life

Career

See also

References