My name is Caleb Dukes and I am the one they always warned you about. You know the one… Yeah, that one.

Just kidding! I am simply a writer and theatre-maker from Austin, Texas, now in New York, New York. I discovered my passion for making people Feel Things in high school when I wrote Virginia, a play about the life of my great-grandmother compiled from interviews she gave to my grandmother before her passing. Telling stories quickly became my hyper-fixation. After attending and graduating from Rice University with a degree in English and Visual & Dramatic Arts, I pursued an MFA in Playwriting and Screenwriting from the Actor’s Studio Drama School at Pace University. There I debuted my first show in New York, Prosecution/Defense, a fictional court drama about two victims of the same abuser meeting for the first time.

Since graduating, I have been working on a full production of my take on the trans villainy trope, The Feminine Urge, with the help of Daisy Theatricals. Telling stories that never get told — but so desperately need to be — is my life’s purpose. I explore subjects that are not supposed to be talked about, such as violence in the queer community, dealing with trauma publicly, and the exploitative nature of art itself. My perspective puts complexity and nuance at the forefront, with each of my plays gesturing toward finding out the nature of man, without a judgement of good or bad. I want to collaborate with those who inspire me, fellow trans artists, and people who have a real passion for craft and substance over spectacle. Working with others, telling stories that are so often dismissed or rewritten, is how I plan to shape the future of the craft.