Gay theatre

Gay and lesbian drama is generally regarded as a contemporary phenomenon, denoting those plays specifically written or performed by homosexuals for a largely homosexual audience and therefore concerned with the social, political, and personal ramifications of being a member of the sexual minority; as such, it is deemed to have come into fruition as a specific genre in the late s as a result of the increasing freedom derived from the gay liberation movement. However, if one counts those plays and characterizations depicting any aspect of homosexual life, one needs to look back as far as the late s. Once the concept itself developed through the work of early psychologists such as Richard Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis, and Sigmund Freud and became part of public consciousness, homosexuality began appearing onstage, albeit usually covertly. Initial depictions necessarily considered homosexuality an exotic and somewhat frightening mental illness, whose cause was unknown, but whose effect was shameful and destructive.

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Certainly, as a young man treading the boards, such reactions to my artistic pursuits were fairly common. Some guys would make comments purely for the amusement of their friends, but others would use them almost as an excuse. Despite the fact that there are, as we all know, plenty of straight actors involved in theatre and the arts, this stereotype seems to persist relentlessly. Particularly for young people, the image of theatre and performance is often one of campiness and lacking masculinity.