Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

—— arts keep hearts open to feelings. No matter the money count or leadership or any issue facing humans, art is the only way for us to stay human through it all. 

I caught the final performance of POTUS at City Theatre. It was hilarious. Writing a review after the show closes might seem odd. So I reached out to two of the Pittsburgh based cast members, both queer, and requested a Q&A. Exploring their experiences in the show might inspire you to see it elsewhere. Or learning about City Theatre might inspire you to see the next production. It is never too late to talk about the power of the arts to move us.

Missy Moreno is from my neck of the woods. Her character was the younger sister of POTUS, the former love of the Press Secretary, and a felon with an ankle bracelet. She was bold and brilliant.

Your Name: Missy Moreno

Your Pronouns: She Her They

How do you describe your identity? 

—— I feel I am a queer work in progress ; being an ally since early 2000s and only within last 5 years have i realized and listened to my own self about identifying as a queer woman and the words that’s connect best so far are as a pansexual and demisexual and genderfluid. I just think it’s wonderful to have terms to articulate what I didn’t know I needed to express all these years 

You gave a shout out to the Mon Valley in the City Theatre program. Tell us about your Mon Valley. 

—-I did! My Mon Valley is specifically the Steel Valley and it’s a place I hold dear and a feel grateful. It was a bootcamp in gratitude and survival for me and I think most who grew up there. It’s honest to a fault at times and takes no BS. It’s truly grit and steel and sometimes those things are too tough for internal exploration or things like pronouns. So I also am a acutely aware of what didn’t work for me there too.  

What Pittsburgh creators – writers, musicians, poets, etc – have influenced your work? Is there anyone with whom you’d like to collaborate?

—- I am so honored I just made the highest dream come true of meeting AND working with the legendary Tamara Tunie. She is also a Steel Valley woman. And I have looked up to her since I was a kid in the 80s. She was our beacon of who made it in art and didn’t have to go the factory route. And she’s been a definition of what dreams can happen. 

I have been blessed to work with many pgh legends from Sally Wiggin to Rick Sebak to Joe Gruschecky and have met a LOT of times Billy Porter. He has Absolutely influenced me beyond. Also gene kelly is an amazing inspiration to me and of course Mr Rogers. And a dream collaborator would be Michael Keaton. Maybe we can make Batman The Musical finally happen! 

The first time I saw you onstage was in the recent City Theatre production of POTUS. Your character,Bernadette, was hilarious –  so much swagger and vulnerability. What drew you to the role? 

——Bernadette was immediately so familiar and like many people I already know rolled into one. And I LOVE the originator of the role Lea Delaria who I just had the honor of meeting! She is the definition of cut to the core no BS say what’s on your mind kinda gal. Which I am very related to haha. I got to read for other roles but that one definitely touched my funny bone and piqued my queer interests. 

Bernadette is a sibling to the unnamed POTUS, in one scene the shenanigans involve her impersonating him from a distance based on their resemblance. Other infamous Presidential siblings include Roger Clinton, the brothers-in law Rodham, Billy Carter, Malik Obama, and Neil Bush (all men!)  Tell us about Bernadette’s relationship with POTUS.

——so funny enough there is no real context in the play besides her being younger than him and a manipulator to him. I actually think she was primarily grateful to use him for his power and felt they were both top criminal minds in their respective fields. Hers happened to be illegal and his was ironically law. But I felt she just saw right through him and didn’t think much of him – basically how I felt she viewed most men in “power” 

POTUS is a farce and used a lot of salty language. The language and the sexualized content has a discernible shocking impact of some members of the audience. Is this because people are unfamiliar with the concept of farce or just prudishness? How would you describe the role of farce in contemporary culture? 

—-it was utterly fascinating and tantalizing to absorb the vast audience reactions to the content and yes salty dialogue! As a comedian, I think of Modern and slang language all the time and what it means to what groups of people and why. Personally, I love all “bad words” haha. Words are just words and it trips people up when really we need to look deeper into the intents and uses per engagement.  And getting to say CUNT was so awesome becuse I find it sick that words for female genitalia is seen as the worst words we can say in our society and that enrages me. Cunts birth life. And I love how the young gay culture has taken back that word and made it to mean serving fierce utmost slaying.

Farce is my lifeblood via the pipeline of sitcoms. I live  breathe and eat sitcoms all day haha. Golden Girls to Brooklyn 99 to Threes Company to Veep to Schitts Creek to The Jefferson’s, I love the science of it all and this play felt like being before a live studio audience making a political lady sitcom every night. A dream come true to move fast and furious with words and sweat. It’s been humans favorite way of live storytelling

Since Commedia dell’ Arte  landed and I think will always be a crowd favorite. 

How do the arts contribute to a livable city?

—— arts keep hearts open to feelings. No matter the money count or leadership or any issue facing humans, art is the only way for us to stay human through it all. 

Pittsburgh’s white feminist community continues to wrestle with intersectionality and acknowledging much less deferring to the leadership of local Black women. How does art like POTUS offer us a path to a more inclusive feminist community? What does your feminism look like? 

—- POTUS is loud and big  and unafraid to be what it is – no veneer no pulling punches it’s the good bad and the ugly. And the women look like almost all of us , from ages to body types to sexualties and ethnicities. And it doesn’t make women look falsely perfect or too demure to be real. And we need to always see women being fully realized complex characters that have voices and aren’t damsels in need of rescuing. But as people in all roles. It was fun to play a White round woman criminal! That is possible ahaha! Not a stereotypical choice but we are all capable of all choices. My feminism is that every person should be in any part of society for the content of their character. And that Patriarchy is dangerous for all of us – specially for men. It’s a trap of pain and we are all capable of living in the freedoms we think we already have. 

In addition to acting, you are a comedian,teacher, and improv specialist. How did those skills inform your role of Bernadette? 

—-I used all aspects of my skills for this Role – from hyper listening thanks to improv

And live comedy. Listening to scene partners and how the present audience is taking the story in each moment. So fun to be present in each breath with each other. I felt like a student learning about Bernie and how her mind worked and how she saw others. I loved playing her in a  brutally honest fashion – it was so freeing. To tell it how it is and to love fully open. And to see how criminals are pushed aside when they are not truly outcasts. 

Tell us about the first LGBTQ person you met and what impact they had on your life? Using initials or pseudonyms is fine. 

——I didn’t consciously know anyone gay until community college. During a community show – a peer I loved actually came out to me! Also not fully understanding what queerness is. And we learned together to be vocal. Well, I as a support. And the cast had other gay people and I clicked immediately to them. I didn’t know I could even access that kind of self love and actualization then having had a very religous childhood and teen and young adult time. queerness was barely talked about in the 80s and 90s to kids and so i didnt get to be fully me until now in my 40s. i feel so grateful now beyond my comprehension!

What is your love song for LGBTQ youth? 

PINK PONY CLUB. i want us all to dance in our heels of choice under the big disco ball of love – each as we fully are – together 

Who are some of the younger openly LGBTQ artists and creators that our readers should know about?

CHAPPELL ROAN. she inspires me endlessly. Joe Serafini is a gorgeous human and musician singer and songwroter pianist genius and from pgh. his heart is glowing and i cant wait to see all he brings. also Brian Broome is one of the best writers of our generation. age doesnt matter there – his work will make your soul laugh cry and learn. 

POTUS has wrapped its Pittsburgh run. What is next for you? 

LOTS of comedy shows, from Arcade to new works – i have a few big projects in the making in 2025 and i have never felt so inspired post POTUS play. 

Where can readers find you on social media?

find me everywhere @SikeItsMissy and missymoreno.com 

On an additional note : Getting to do this wonderful show and production with City Theatre and director Meredith McDonough was one of those milestone life changing projects. I was seen for me and what I could be. Using all my years of training and performing to be a role that didn’t have to look a special way  or compete with what a man would approve of. I got to express my queer side and explore queerness without it being a punchline or joke or even discussed. It just was part of world without question or extraneous examination. This show has allowed me to feel the most Missy i am and that I (or anyone) doesn’t have to follow a gender or sexuality or feminine or language or body size blueprint  to fit in and just get to exist without question. And my friends and family and strangers had fun and celebrated this world and this me. And art has never healed me so deeply. 

So thank you so much for letting me share this experience with you and your readers. 

Thank  you, Missy.