MCLA Mosaic to Present Tell Me What You Learned Tuesday
May 14, 2026
MOSAIC at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will present “Tell Me What You Learned
Tuesday,” written and performed by Tom Truss and co-created and directed by Amy Brentano,
on Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m. at 49 Main Street in North Adams.
“Tell Me What You Learned Tuesday” is an irreverent, reverential story that revisits
a young queer boy’s life through the lens of his adult self. Tom Truss dives into
family, hopes, sex, and the complexities of growing up queer as he brings to life
the Johnsons—a wacky, troubled family of eight. Through a potent mix of physical theater,
props, dance, and monologues, Truss plays all eight of the Johnsons while deftly unpacking
their treasures and tragedies around their dining room table.
“I got tired of creating performances about my own life, so I let my psyche run wild,”
says Truss. “What came out is a dark comedy that sheds light on a troubled suburban
family, and then gets even darker.” Born from four years of improvisational work,
pandemic casualties, and eight literal suitcases, “Tell Me What You Learned Tuesday”
is an odyssey of relationships and all their detritus. As the Johnson matriarch puts
it in her thick southern drawl: “Some people say you carry all that stuff with you—your
hate, your frustration, your baggage—until you unpack it. But I’m happy to say I am
not one of those people. I believe you can leave it all behind and turn yourself into
whatever you want!” Come see if that’s possible.
Admission is free and open to the public. Content of performance is appropriate for
those 18+. First Friday, June 5 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at MOSAIC EventSpace, located
at 49 Main St. in downtown North Adams.
Tom Truss is an award-winning actor, dancer, and choreographer who is a storyteller
at heart. For over 30 years, Truss has worked with all ages and abilities: children,
firefighters, inmates, teens, older adults, and professional actors and dancers. He
toured with the Liz Lerman/Dance Exchange for four years, had his own dance company
for 10 years, was a community artist at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival for five years,
and taught at American Dance Festival for six years. Truss graduated summa cum laude
with a master of fine arts degree in acting from the University of Texas, and holds
a master of fine arts degree in choreography from the University of Iowa and a bachelor
of music degree in piano performance from the College of Wooster. He is a Level 2
certified practitioner of Internal Family Systems and is an AmSAT certified teacher
of the Alexander Technique, both of which deeply inform his creating and performing.
He has been published in Dance Magazine, Contact Quarterly, and was a frequent contributor
to OutRightRadio, an award-winning show on Public Radio International. Truss has received
awards for Best Choreography from Austin Critics Table Awards (“HAIR”), Best Actor
from Austin Critics Table Awards (“The Idiot”), and was a Best Actor nominee at the
B. Iden Payne Awards (“The Idiot”). His work has been performed 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, as well as in parking lots, rivers, furniture
stores, and cars.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we're here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed
to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully empowered
to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 130-year commitment to
public education, we have fortified our dedication to equitable academic excellence.
MCLA has appeared on U.S. News & World Report's list of Top Ten Public Colleges for
11 consecutive years, earning the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts
Schools in the nation for 2026. The College's focus on affordable education and economic
prosperity is reflected in additional 2026 U.S. News rankings: No. 6 for Top Performer
on Social Mobility for liberal arts colleges in the state and No. 4 for Top Performer
on Social Mobility for public liberal arts colleges in the country. These rankings
measure how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants