“Tell Me What You Learned Tuesday” is an irreverent and reverential journey into a queer boy’s life, and the joys and sorrows of his family.  Through physical theatre, monologues and multiple parts, Tom Truss becomes the Johnsons, a quirky and troubled family, as they unpack treasures and tragedies around their dining room table.

This work is a four year journey with Amy Brentano, three showings, a pandemic and suitcases Tom has been hoarding.  He got tired of creating autobiographical dance and theatre pieces, so let his psyche loose and imagination run wild and birthed Tell Me What You Learned Tuesday, that’s almost not about his life.

“Tell Me What You Learned Tuesday” will play at The Foundry, (2 Harris Street in West Stockbridge, MA) on August 19 at 8 p.m. and August 20 at 2 and 8 p.m. The event will be held indoors. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. As sexual assault figures heavily into the narrative, this show is intended for an adult audience and not suitable for children.

Tom Truss is a performer, creator and educator. His thirty plus year career includes dancing, acting, choreographing, directing, devising and teaching.  He toured with the Liz Lerman/Dance Exchange(’89-’94); ran his own dance company (’94-’01); was a community artist at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (’94-’99) where he taught at schools and various communities throughout Berkshire County; and taught at American Dance Festival (’93-’98).  He has been published in Dance Magazine and was a frequent contributor to OutRightRadio an award winning radio show on PRI.  He has performed all around the world and his work has been seen at the Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, New Zealand’s Wellington Fringe, American Dance Festival, On the Boards, Dance Place and The Foundry to name a few, as well as in parking lots, rivers, furniture stores and cars.  Truss graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Texas, obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of Iowa, a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the College of Wooster, is an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and just finished the level one training for Internal Family Systems.  Some awards he has received are Best Choreography – Austin Critics Table Awards (HAIR), Best Actor- Austin Critics Table Awards (The Idiot), Best Actor Nominee – B. Iden Payne Awards (The Idiot).  Currently he leads classes through Berkshire Pulse with the immigrant community, is a freelance director and choreographer, and has started a practice as an Internal Family Systems practitioner.  He is also touring ReWritten, a multimedia evening length duet co-created with Matthew Cumbie.  ReWritten uses the intimate relationship between American authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville as a portal to examine love, loss, when you say no to dreams, queerness and the power of stories.