"A silent revolution? A SILENT revolution? Honey, silence means consent. It means we play by THEIR rules. You’re in the closet? So am I… We have to tell people that we are in their midst—whether they like it or not."
—Clement, in Mardi Gras
“ABUSE SUXXX!!! ends with the actors in a straight line, eyes filled with yearning, arms outstretched and beckoning. Beckoning perhaps, for us to enter their minds and consider the cavernous possibilities of a world, topsy-turvy through their eyes. No doubt it is a shocking reality.”
—The Flying Inkpot, on ABUSE SUXXX!!!
Featuring five plays by Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma, created over a span of two decades, Abuse Suxxx! and Other Plays is an audacious collection that casts a spotlight on LGBT lives and issues explored in The Necessary Stage’s productions. Yet these plays go beyond being simply out, loud and proud. Rather, they deal with a range of topics—from dealing with death in Top or Bottom, to fissures within the community in Mardi Gras, to examining the limits of liberal ideals in ________ Can Change—and advocate tolerance and acceptance of difference in our midst.
The collection also includes a foreword by Artistic Director Alvin Tan and an introduction by researcher Shawn Chua.