“Awake, Gay and Writing a Play”

Personal, immersive, and a little too close to home.

“Awake, Gay and Writing a Play,” is a one-man play by an Ex- Jehovah’s Witness. I have been eagerly anticipating this show since February when I caught wind of it during his last visit to Tallinn. With Tallinn Fringe in full swing, I knew I had to go once I read the synopsis.

Religious organizations have intrigued me from an early age, as I have a few family members caught up in an evangelical pyramid scheme, and this play tells the tale of one man’s early life spent as a Jehovah’s Witness—preaching to thousands in stadiums, going undercover in China, and, eventually, coming to terms with his sexuality.

I nabbed a seat and the staging intrigued me—the chairs strung about the floor were hard to ignore. Once the play began, the purpose of the chairs became clear—I won’t give it away, only encourage you to say “yes” when the opportunity appears.

When I saw this performer last February, I loved his comedic timing. He brought it with him again and made the crowd laugh, grin, and chuckle. But he also rendered the audience mute out of sympathy and shock. Spending so many years in an environment where criticism was forbidden and curiosity shunned seems difficult enough. But to be ostracized and shamed by peers, friends, and family for the most basic, natural urges is nothing short of criminal.

The play’s themes were intimate—memories of childhood, family, puberty and the challenges that came with it—and I found myself thinking about what it would have felt like to have been in his place.  Would I have rebelled if it meant losing my friends and being shunned by family? To have to start anew, isolated, and forced to muster up the courage to speak to people I once regarded as unworthy and beyond saving?

Compressing 30 years of experience into an hour-long play must have been hard. There were certain things I would have loved to hear more about; thankfully, there was a brief Q&A at the end, which many audience members, myself included, took advantage of.

If you’re looking to be entertained, to have something thought-provoking to occupy you and your friends, for a few hours, “Awake, Gay and Writing a Play” is certain to deliver. Luckily, there are two more shows during Fringe, on the 6th and 7th of September at Heldeke!

Author: Martins