FRINGE 2019: 3 Plays About Men Speaking Their Truth
The need for men to talk about their experiences and feelings honestly and directly is something often discussed as a way to counter the toxic masculinity transmitted when boys are taught to suppress their feelings. These three one-person plays at the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival feature men (in one case, a male-presenting gender-fluid person) speaking their truth about very different life scenarios.
Didn’t Hurt
Stage 7 (Chianti Yardbird Suite)
Rodney Decroo’s play is an intense self-portrait of the Vancouver-based singer-songwriter and his journey with PTSD. Decroo speaks in character at different stages in his life, from childhood to teen to adult, though often referring back to childhood which held the roots of his later experiences with drugs, alcohol, and violence.
The son of a Vietnam War veteran, Decroo very candidly portrays how those who are wounded end up wounding others, while exemplifying the intersections between poverty, abuse, and addiction. He is very blunt in describing his trauma, and one wonders if writing and performing this play is a form of therapy for him. This isn’t light entertainment, but it is compelling and riveting, delivered with honesty and emotion. Didn’t Hurt is very well-written and offers insight into living with PTSD, dealing with the demons of the past, and, ultimately, finding a path towards peace.
5 out of 5
