Gay actor, director and voiceover artist Nick Trengove performs in Chicagoan Nambia E. Kelley’s adaptation of Richard Wright’s novel Native Son at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., starting in previews on Friday, May 10. The show’s official run begins May 20.
Native Son takes place in the ‘30s on Chicago’s South Side, and is based on a true murder case. The play focuses on a 20-year-old Black man named Bigger Thomas, who is attempting to achieve his dreams in an unfair world.
“[As a result of] unlucky circumstances and the pressures of living in a racist society, Bigger commits a terrible crime,” Trengrove said. “And ultimately, it’s about his search for freedom in the face of all that.”
Trengove makes his Lifeline Theatre debut playing Jan in Native Son. He always knew he wanted to work with the company in some capacity, and had auditioned for them in the past.
He specifically auditioned for the Jan role after reading both the book and script. Trengove regards Jan as a “more nuanced” and complex character to play than, for example, Inspector Britten, whom he said, “represents the dominant racist attitudes towards Black Americans at the time.”
Native Son, Trengrove added, is a story particular to both Chicago and America, and its depiction of race relations is relevant to the present day. He called the material “challenging” and said that he is “lucky to be able to render it for the audiences to hopefully find a way forward.”
Growing up on the Central Coast of California near San Luis Obispo, Trengrove dreamed of becoming a storyteller. He watched the same movies over and over again to study the actors’ performances, played story-driven video games, and continually lost himself in books.
He also hiked, ran and took part in organized sports. Trengrove regards his hometown as “beautiful” but also “a little insular at times,” so he left to attend the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in English and political science while minoring in theater.
After graduation, Trengove worked in San Francisco, taking part in new plays, short films and workshops. He called the city “an incredible place to cut your teeth as an actor” with its “thriving new works scene.”
Trengove eventually came to Chicago for his MFA at DePaul University’s theater school. While taking classes, he also worked in the storefront theater scene. His other credits include the musical adaptation of Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha; The Book of Sebastien with The Jacobins; and two new play festivals with Pocket Theater VR and Playground Chicago. He also understudied roles for First Floor Theatre’s Mike Pence Sex Dream and About Face Theatre’s This Bitter Earth.
“As a gay man, I bring that sensibility, that lens, into every project I’m a part of,” said Trengove. “And while the focus of Native Son isn’t the queer experience, it’s my belief that every project, artistic or otherwise, is served by having a team of diverse collaborators with diverse experiences. I’m glad to be bringing my queer experience to the table.”
Trengove currently produces a queer Dungeons and Dragons play podcast called Queers on Dice with fellow queer performers. He also takes in other theater productions and, now that the weather is nicer, runs and bikes on the Lakefront trail. As soon as Native Son opens, he plans on volunteering at a food bank, which he frequently did back in San Francisco.
He eagerly anticipates the opening of the play.
“Kelley’s adaptation is the perfect theatrical distillation of Wright’s novel,” he said. “She takes Wright’s masterfully written plot and plays with time, space and theatrical devices to create a thrilling stream-of-consciousness unfolding of events. In doing so, she gives us a more intimate understanding of what the main character, Bigger Thomas, is going through, while still staying true to the spirit of the novel.”
Native Son opens in previews Friday, May 10, with its regular run from Monday, May 20-Sunday, June 30. See nicktrengove.com/. To find out more about the production and purchase tickets, visit lifelinetheatre.com/performances/2023-2024/native-son/.