←Recommendations of Appetizers, or "On an Island Somewhere"

Forced change is not change. It is deceptive and insidious, even if we try to convince ourselves it is accepted willingly. Our nature does not change, and suppression only forces it to go in another, perhaps more damaging direction.

The lighthearted way that Scott Sickles tells the story of these four people makes it even more harrowing. These people are struggling against their true selves to comply with the society and the faith they claim to profess... or so they'd like us to believe. A cautionary tale that packs a velvet-gloved punch.

The society of fear and the power structure at play to control is well captured here. A play about oppression and forced conversion. Well done.

Scott does a great job of portraying the heartbreaking futility of conversion efforts. If only I could prop Pence's eyes open with toothpicks and make him watch this.

Read this play now. What this play does in ten-minutes with the topic of gay conversion therapy is outstanding. And honest. And disturbing because this cruel conversion from gay to "straight" is still happening all across the country. It made me wonder about the possible rise of conversion therapy alongside the rise of Christian dominionism under the Trump administration. If you don't choose this play for your festival on LGBTQI themes, you're making a big mistake!