Crimes Against Nature: A solo performance piece by Christopher Kilmartin & directed by Gregg Stull | November 2, 2015 at  8pm | Helms Theatre | Short discussion to follow

Co-sponsored by the Women, Gender and Sexuality Program, Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center at UVA, the UVA Department of Drama, the Office of the Provost and the Vice Provost of the Arts, the Office of the Dean of Students, UVA Lambda Law Alliance and the Sexual Assault Resource Agency.

Crimes Against Nature is an 60-minute solo performance piece that takes a humorous and compelling look at what it means to be a man—and not merely a guy— in today’s world. Using a wealth of autobiographical material to illustrate universal gender themes,  Crimes Against Naturepoints out the absurdities and contradictions of masculinity. The audience travels with author and actor Christopher Kilmartin on a very personal journey through his childhood, adolescence and young manhood that reveals in amusing detail the many demands society unknowingly places on men. More interesting,  Crimes Against Nature reveals the very consequences we all face when we accede to those very demands.

Witty humor punctuates Kilmartin’s heartfelt stories: the day that his mother dressed him as a girl and sent him to kindergarten, the day that he discovered pornographic magazines in his neighbor’s garage, the day that he tried out for the junior high baseball team. Sports, puberty, communication, homophobia, girlfriends, sex education, drag queens—  Crimes Against Nature uses touching personal accounts to weave an important statement about the pressures of masculinity.

As contemporary theatre,  Crimes Against Nature is an expertly crafted play with many characters played by a single actor. As gender education, it delivers a strong point of view without preaching its message.  Crimes Against Nature has a universal appeal that speaks to a wide variety of audiences.