Keith Hovis has always had a knack for finding the absurdity in every day life. Anyone who has seen one of his musicals in the Twin Cities knows that.

But in THE OSTENTATIOUS OUTLAWS OF NEEHAI VALLEY, that laughter sits on the surface of a piece that asks much bigger questions about family, belonging, and identity.

OUTLAWS is in its third year of development with Trademark Theater, and we’re only a week away from the one-night-only public reading. To celebrate how far this piece has come, we sat down with Hovis himself to learn more about the history of OUTLAWS and what is means to him.

Q: What was your initial inspiration for OUTLAWS?

A: I grew up in the Evangelical church. I didn't have a vocabulary for being gay other than it being wrong. I wanted to reclaim my religious trauma and infuse the stupidity of prejudice and queerphobia with the absurd humor it deserves.

Q: Could you describe your journey with this project and Trademark, so far?

A: Well, I had the idea, and Tyler got on board quickly, but the actual figuring out how to make the idea a reality took a lot of trial and error. I’ve thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall with each draft, and bit by bit, we have picked out the pieces that work and thrown away the rest until we shaped the story into what it is now.

Q: What was the first piece of art you saw that inspired you to write and compose your own work?

A: I don't think there was one moment. Writing has always been something I was drawn to. As a young kid, I would put on puppet shows in my basement and make my mom write down the "script" that I was making up as I went. The more exposed I got to plays and musicals, the more I wanted to try and make my own work. So, one year I just applied for the Fringe Festival and went for it. I will say that as a closeted guy growing up in the church, I was always easily scandalized. So Rent and Avenue Q were the first two pieces that made me say, wow, you can do that on stage? And set me on a path to find as much obscure, weird, and offbeat theater pieces as possible.

Q: What does "queer joy" mean to you?

A: It's having queer friends. Having a partner. Seeing more queer representation. And rebuilding relationships that were once strained by that religious upbringing.

Q: What do you think is the value of the intensive, multi-year workshop process and support that Trademark offers?

A: It's life changing. This show would not exist without Tyler's belief in the idea and commitment to work. It is so rare to have theater provide that kind of support, and I will never be thankful enough.

Q: What pieces of art are inspiring you, right now?

A: My friend's Leslie Vincent's booming jazz career. She is writing her own jazz songs now and I am in awe of her drive, creativity, and the way she's built a community with other musicians. Also, I love discovering new, inventive companies like Melancholics Anonymous and Third Space as they burst onto the scene. New work fuels my soul.

Q: What is your personal creative process like?

A: Messy. Ha. I walk a lot. I talk to myself a lot. I bang on my keyboard and belt the same phrase over and over a lot. I write 50 scenes and then throw away 40 of them. But my favorite part is being able to get in a room with other people and play. Collaboration is why I do theater.

THE OSTENTATIOUS OUTLAWS OF NEEHAI VALLEY is presented by Trademark Theater in partnership with Park Square Theatre. Our 2026 staged reading will be performed at Park Square on February 23, 2026. Click here to purchase your tickets.

Keith Hovis on Queer Joy, The Messy Process, & New Works