Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde

Raven Theatre
6157 N. Clark St Chicago

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde tells the true story of famed author Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest), who in 1895 was accused of posing as a “sodomite” by the father of his young companion, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. Wilde fought the scandalous charge in court, but the tables were quickly turned and he found himself, in two subsequent trials, defending his art, career, morality, life, and love. Playwright Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project) weaves together period news articles, biographies of Wilde's friends and enemies, as well as interviews with contemporary scholars, to shed new light on the often misunderstood life of one of the world's first global celebrities; and to recreate the harsh reality of Victorian England, where the act of love between men was a crime.

Presented by Black Elephant Theatre

Thru - Nov 14, 2010