The Deep Dish Theater will be serving a thought-provoking piece of drama exploring adolescent sexuality and identity starting Friday at the University Mall.
Written by Joel Drake Johnson and aptly named “A Queer Kiss,” the play begins with a simple scenario: what happens after two teenage boys share an innocent kiss? The ensuing chaos is examined as the boys seek to discover themselves and their parents strive to understand their children.
“As a playwright I try to get people to see how gay teenagers still live in a very hostile world, despite the recent changes made legally,” Johnson said. “It’s still really hard for a gay kid in high school to not feel as if they’re ostracized.”
Johnson’s years as a high school teacher led him to witness incidences of his students being bullied because of their sexual orientation. The harassment and fear that they faced daily is what he hopes to present to the audience to incite change and acceptance.
“Nobody should have to worry about telling their parents that they’re gay,” Johnson said. “They should just be able to bring their boyfriends home to their parents and not have to go through all the drama of seeing psychiatrists. It’s a burden to put onto kids.”
Paul Frellick, Deep Dish’s artistic director, echoes Johnson’s thoughts.
“This piece is in part about young people trying to come to terms with their own sexual feelings. That’s the conversation that’s going on in our community, our nation and globally,” he said. “That’s what we want to do — we want to further those conversations and engage with them.”
The play also addresses the theme of parent and child relationships — something lead actor Matthew Hager said resonates with him. Hager is a UNC graduate. He plays the role of Scott, one of the two teenage boys.
“Another message of the play is what the role of a family is in times of crisis and how our relationships with our family get us through it or make it worse,” Hager said. “The dialogue that Joel wrote sounds just like the ones I have with my parents. There’s such a ring of truth to it.”
