Photo By Henry Perez
Text by Mary Damiano

There’s a nice symmetry to this photo, which features playwrights Michael McKeever, Douglas Carter Beane and actress Pilar Uribe. McKeever, of course, is a local success story, an actor and prolific playwright with more than a dozen plays to his credit, whose work is produced internationally. Beane is a Tony Award-nominated playwright, who has a terrific chance of bringing home that coveted trophy on June 15 for his book to the musical Xanadu. And Pilar Uribe is a local actress who regularly wows audiences, including earlier this year, when she played the role of uber-agent Diane in the GableStage production of Beane’s comedy The Little Dog Laughed. These three theatrical forces came together Sunday, June 1, at the 6th annual Lavender Footlights Festival. McKeever and Uribe acted in staged readings of scenes from Beane’s plays, while Beane enlightened the audience about the craft of playwriting was accepted Lavender Footlights first ever Ovation Award. It was a celebration of the wonderful world of theatre, Miami style.