From the press release:

I SAID “I’M NOT QUEER, GIVE ME A YELLOW STAR,” AND THEY SAID, “SURE MAKE HIM A JEW, HE’S NOT BENT.” AND THEY LAUGHED.

BUT I GOT MY STAR.

When one finds their life in immediate peril – the survival instinct kicks in. People can uproot their lives, give up relationships, make unimaginable sacrifices just to live another day. But what happens when the very thing threatening one’s life is their life itself? How much can one deny their own identity for survival – and how long can that denial last?

In Theatre Engine’s upcoming production of Bent by Martin Sherman, a young man faces such a dilemma in 1930’s Berlin. Max’s life of drinking, dancing, and frivolity turns to one of fear and paranoia when he brings the wrong boy home for a one-night-stand. Now the SS are after “fluffs,” and it isn’t long until Max realizes it’s even more dangerous to bear a pink triangle than a yellow star on a labour camp uniform. Max’s own survival instinct is quick and sharp, but eventually he learns that even in the direst circumstances, some things cannot remain buried.

This is a story of self-acceptance, sexuality, love, and bravery set against a backdrop of Nazi Germany and the Dachau concentration camp. Theatre Engine aims to educate its audiences on an aspect of the Holocaust that has gone relatively unexamined – the persecution of homosexuals during Hitler’s reign – while exploring Max’s personal journey to come to terms with his own sexual identity. With the success of Theatre Engine’s latest smash-hit Gameshow: The Musical (NOW Magazine’s “Best of Fest” in 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival) and a young, talented cast and crew of current and past students of Ryerson University’s prestigious Theatre School, Bent is sure to inform, move, and inspire all those who witness it.  

Bent by Martin Sherman will be performed this June 26-30 at 8:00 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday, June 27 at the Abrams Studio Theatre (44 Gerrard St. East).

A preview will take place at 8:00 p.m. on June 25. Tickets are $15 regular admission, and $12 for students and arts workers, and can be reserved by emailing theatreengine@yahoo.ca.

For more information, please visit www.theatreengine.com or visit our Facebook Event Theatre Engine presents “Bent.”

Warning: Mature language and themes.