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CALL ME ELIZABETH

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY KAYLA BOYE
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL WEBER

Call Me Elizabeth is solo performance piece about the early life of Elizabeth Taylor. Set in May 1961, the play is inspired by Taylor’s conversations with writer Max Lerner as they discuss plans for a biography. Through a morning session with Lerner at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Taylor rediscovers her sense of self following her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and recovery from a nearly fatal battle with pneumonia. The play examines Taylor’s career, life, and loves, chronicling her survival in the face of adversity and tragedy, and illuminating the core compassion of her character that inspired her later activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Call Me Elizabeth had its first staged reading on October 1, 2019, at The Den Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, directed by 12-time Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Hollis Resnik. In honor of Taylor's activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the evening benefited Howard Brown Health. The play was named one of the Top 3 Solo Events of 2019 by the Michael and Mona Heath Fund.

The filmed production of Call Me Elizabeth premiered in March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and streamed with Broadway On Demand, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Youngstown Playhouse, and Porchlight Music Theatre. A portion of proceeds benefited Howard Brown Health and Brave Space Alliance in continued support of programs concerning HIV/AIDS. Presentations of the piece have been awarded grants by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and Illinois Arts Council.

Call Me Elizabeth had its live world premiere in June 2022 at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles under the direction of Erin Kraft as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show continues to tour nationally and is currently accepting booking inquiries through 2024.