There are many reasons why playwright, actor and composer Douglas Lyons is on Cultural Attaché’s Icons 2025 list.
When Lyons made his Broadway debut as a writer with Chicken & Biscuits in 2021, he didn’t just introduce a new family comedy — he introduced a new sensibility: unapologetically joyful, emotionally grounded, and vibrantly Black. Since then, Lyons has expanded his creative universe with Beau the Musical, a show he co-wrote that explores love, legacy, and chosen family, and Don’t Touch My Hair, which completes his “Deep Breath Trilogy.”
His play, Table 17, is the second play in his “Deep Breath Trilogy” and its opening at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles was the reason we spoke on November 7th.
I spoke with Lyons about that play and about breaking theatrical conventions, writing through Broadway performances, and insisting that joy — especially Black and queer joy — deserves a central place onstage.
This interview was posted on November 12th.
To read the print version of my interview with Douglas Lyons, which includes photos from Table 17 and Beau The Musical, please go HERE.
Photo: Douglas Lyons from the Cultural Attaché interview