Sensitive Guys

by MJ Kaufman

Will is a freshman at Watson college. Jordan is a senior film major. Tyler is writing a novel for his thesis. They are all members of the Men’s Peer Education group. At meetings they spend hours unpacking questions like: “what is male privilege? And what can we do about it?” They love each other and the group. Until some accusatory posters start appearing around campus suggesting that a member of the group...

Will is a freshman at Watson college. Jordan is a senior film major. Tyler is writing a novel for his thesis. They are all members of the Men’s Peer Education group. At meetings they spend hours unpacking questions like: “what is male privilege? And what can we do about it?” They love each other and the group. Until some accusatory posters start appearing around campus suggesting that a member of the group committed sexual assault. Could it be that even sensitive guys, guys working on their privilege sometimes turn violent or aggressive? In this play women and gender non-conforming people play men trying to understand the intricacies of masculinity and violence.

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Sensitive Guys

Recommended by

  • Mark-Eugene Garcia: Sensitive Guys

    Exciting and haunting all at once. This show teaches that awareness is never enough. Once we are made aware of a situation we must react, and this show reminds us to do so. Coming in to this show, I had certain values regarding respect, consent, and intent and thought that was enough. Sensitive Guys challenges me to not stop there, but to push harder, fight harder, not just nod along. Ultimately this show is teaching me how to be a better man.

    Exciting and haunting all at once. This show teaches that awareness is never enough. Once we are made aware of a situation we must react, and this show reminds us to do so. Coming in to this show, I had certain values regarding respect, consent, and intent and thought that was enough. Sensitive Guys challenges me to not stop there, but to push harder, fight harder, not just nod along. Ultimately this show is teaching me how to be a better man.

  • Megan Ann Jacobs: Sensitive Guys

    A clever and eye-opening view on toxic masculinity and how talk can be cheap, but actions are what is needed to change the future. This is a fast-based comedy with a lot of heart that poses the questions we need to hear and shows us that sometimes the best actions are simply letting those affected have the chance to have the floor. A great piece.

    A clever and eye-opening view on toxic masculinity and how talk can be cheap, but actions are what is needed to change the future. This is a fast-based comedy with a lot of heart that poses the questions we need to hear and shows us that sometimes the best actions are simply letting those affected have the chance to have the floor. A great piece.

  • Nick Malakhow: Sensitive Guys

    Absolutely brilliant piece that explores rape culture, masculinity and male privilege, patriarchy, and fracturing and dissent within affinity groups. Kaufman's use of women and GNC folks double-cast to play people of various genders is a brilliant and potent device here. I loved how sharp humor was used to illuminate the frequent hypocrisy and danger of a certain brand of male wokeness, to identify its roots in firmly entrenched patriarchy, as well as illustrations of how to begin to dismantle and disrupt that dangerous status quo.

    Absolutely brilliant piece that explores rape culture, masculinity and male privilege, patriarchy, and fracturing and dissent within affinity groups. Kaufman's use of women and GNC folks double-cast to play people of various genders is a brilliant and potent device here. I loved how sharp humor was used to illuminate the frequent hypocrisy and danger of a certain brand of male wokeness, to identify its roots in firmly entrenched patriarchy, as well as illustrations of how to begin to dismantle and disrupt that dangerous status quo.

View all 11 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization InterAct Theatre, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization PlayPenn, Year 2016

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization InterAct Theatre, Year 2018