Program Note
Today, the word homosexual rolls off the tongue. More specifically, so do the words gay, lesbian, pansexual, aesexual, transgender, and queer. Scores of celebrities have come out in support of equal rights for all through the No H8 and HRC’s Marriage Equality campaigns. As of 2013, 11 nations recognize same-sex marriage. In the United States, same-sex marriage is legalized in nine states. Sitcoms like Modern Family and Will & Grace serve to validate same-sex families and relationships. For the growing majority of people living in our age, the last words to come to mind when describing any aspect of the LGBT community would be “gross” or “indecent”. The same was not true in Oscar Wilde’s time. In fact, in the 1890s, the words “gross indecency” made up not only the social reference for homosexuality, but the legal terminology used when charging same-sex couples.
Throughout the course of this play, we see the struggle of a man, now beloved for his eccentric personality and flamboyant behavior, for the validation millions enjoy today. In his life, Wilde was celebrated for the art he created for art’s sake, and yet condemned for the pleasure he engaged in for pleasure’s sake. Wilde regarded this a gross contradiction, and he fought the criminal justice system, the morals of his society, his friends, family and admirers alike, to defend his way of living. The world, as it stands in 2013, is torn between millions of men and women who are free to love and live as Wilde lived and loved, and millions more who suffer just as Wilde did for the same. Oscar Wilde may have lost his fight, but it was because he dared to fight, to defend, to challenge, that we are one step closer to a world where we no longer have to.
Throughout the course of this play, we see the struggle of a man, now beloved for his eccentric personality and flamboyant behavior, for the validation millions enjoy today. In his life, Wilde was celebrated for the art he created for art’s sake, and yet condemned for the pleasure he engaged in for pleasure’s sake. Wilde regarded this a gross contradiction, and he fought the criminal justice system, the morals of his society, his friends, family and admirers alike, to defend his way of living. The world, as it stands in 2013, is torn between millions of men and women who are free to love and live as Wilde lived and loved, and millions more who suffer just as Wilde did for the same. Oscar Wilde may have lost his fight, but it was because he dared to fight, to defend, to challenge, that we are one step closer to a world where we no longer have to.
Written and Organized By:
Cynthia Nesbit
Cynthia Nesbit