Two years after a gay-bashing, how will the fraternity react when a brother comes out of the closet? Using the structure of a Greek tragedy, 'Phi Alpha Gamma' weaves together the voices of four fraternity brothers as they grapple with the remnants of a hate crime and their own fears. This haunting portrait of panic focuses a compassionate eye on the complicated threads of brotherhood embedded in Americana. "MUST-SEE SHOW ... The fast-paced piece examines masculinity, faith, brotherhood, and love in a college fraternity struggling to deal with two brothers, one an imprisoned gay-basher and the other newly emerged from the closet. Bernitt's savvy script offers few easy answers and plenty of twists that toy with the audience's sympathies." - Ross Raihala, St. Paul Pioneer Press "Only in his early twenties ... [Dan Bernitt's] solo piece, Phi Alpha Gamma moved, surprised, and even shocked some Fringegoers. Its harsh portrayal on homophobia and its emotional residue in a college fraternity understands the tragic psychology of homophobia. Hence, it's rendered with anguish, not vindictiveness. ... He's an exciting young writer-performer." - John Townsend, Lavender Magazine "One of America's next great monologists." - Emily Otto, nytheatre.com
Dan Bernitt is a writer and solo performer. His performances include 'Phi Alpha Gamma'; 'Thanks for the Scabies, Jerkface!'; 'Swan Balloon'; 'The Gayer Show' (with Les Kurkendaal); and 'Moments of Disconnect'; and they have been featured in venues internationally: from Minneapolis and Cape Cod to New York and Dublin. He is a recipient of grants and fellowships from the Kentucky Center for the Arts, the University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Arts Council, the Robert Chesley Foundation, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. Both his books, Dose: Plays & Monologues and Phi Alpha Gamma, were named finalists for the Lambda Literary Award.
He is a summa cum laude graduate of the arts administration program at the University of Kentucky. He has also served as creative writing assistant faculty for the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts, a program of which he is a graduate. He is currently an MFA playwriting candidate at The New School for Drama in New York City.
He loves organic pears.
