Bundle of Sticks

Gay men from across the globe go deep into the outback of Australia for a secret gay conversion therapy retreat. When they arrive, they are not only challenged by Otto, their toxically masculine group leader, but also by an underground Rainbow Serpent responsible for the protection of water and erections.
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

Bundle of Sticks

Recommended by

  • Chris Gacinski:
    22 Apr. 2020
    What a ride. J. Julian Christopher creates a brave, poignant and introspective story involving a gay conversion camp in Australia. “Bundle of Sticks” creates a sweeping indictment of these archaic ideals that shouldn’t exist to begin with. On top of being raw and powerful, this play will win you over with its wit, and with a hopeful ending. A journey into darkness, than back into the light.
  • Eytan Deray:
    14 Apr. 2020
    J. Julian Christopher, in my eyes, is one of the most fearless playwrights I've ever read. He's never afraid to explore deeper themes other plays have touched upon and very rarely gone beneath the surface. "Bundle of Sticks" is unshakable and indelible LGBT theatre: intense, super-theatrical, sad, shocking, graphic, funny, and in the end, hopeful. A perfectly written condemnation of conversion therapy, an embrace of individuality, and a wake-up call. Sits right up there with the likes of Larry Kramer, Mart Crowley, and Tony Kushner. One of the best things I've read in a loooong time!
  • Dave Osmundsen:
    14 Mar. 2020
    This fantastically theatrical, unabashedly queer, and epic play is bold in every sense of the word. In this condemnation of gay conversion therapy, J. Julian Christopher takes elements from classical queer theatre such as Mart Crowley's "The Boys in the Band" and updates/subverts the types found in plays such as that to explore gender identity, masculinity, mythology, colonialism, and homophobia, among other themes. He executes this in a way that may be shocking, but is also thought-provoking and magical. This is a play that gives us hope for a better world, where self-love will rule all. Read this play!

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    INTAR Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • Residency
    ,
    Pipeline Theatre Company's PlayLab
    ,
    2018

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    INTAR Theatre
    ,
    2020