SAFEWORD the Play Brings Deep Dark Secrets to the Raw Surface
By Steve V. Rodriguez
Fresh off of last year’s Off-Broadway hit play, AFTERGLOW, Writer and Director Asher Gelman is back with a provocative and sexy new play, SAFEWORD that will get your juices flowing and keep the conversation flowing. Gelman has shown that he has a knack for creating stories about our gay community that are fresh, relevant and keep audiences conversing well after they leave the theater.
With SAFEWORD, we’re introduced to a couple, Lauren (Traci Elaine Lee) and Micah (Joe Chisholm) who live next door to Chris (Maybe Burke) and Xavier (Jimmy Brooks). Lauren and Chris strike up a neighborly friendship that becomes closer when Lauren learns more about Chris’s relationship with Xavier particularly his profession as a BDSM master. As she becomes more and more intrigued the audience becomes enlightened about an underlying intersection of both couples that threatens to come to the surface and change all of their lives.
Much acknowledgement should go to Scenic Designer, Ann Beyersdorfer, Lighting Designer, Jamie Roderick and Violence Designer, Matt Franta for utilizing the upper tiers of the side stage, realistic sounds of the BDSM world, deep red shadow lighting and music that not only sets an underground mood but provides cool interludes in between scenes for audiences to digest while increasing the drama as it unfolds.
Watch Asher below talk about his acute research for SAFEWORD and why he wanted to get it right with the BDSM community and why labels regarding gender aren’t necessary to address in 2019. Gelman joined TALK ABOUT GAY SEX (TAGSPODCAST) for it’s 100th episode earlier this Spring during previews of the play.
SAFEWORD is currently playing at the American Theatre of Actors in New York. Visit: https://www.safewordtheplay.com/
