Forbidden!

Forbidden! is the first play ever written to put an openly gay lead character center stage declaring that homosexuality is normal and should not be criminalized. Forbidden! is the first gay play in the history of the world where a lead character comes out as gay to his family. This landmark play should be well established in the history of gay theater as the first openly gay play, but it is completely unknown and hasn't been produced since 1922 and in fact it has never been seen in America. Plays Of Wilton is so proud to be presenting the American Premiere of Forbidden! with the incredibly generous support of the Warten Foundation.

Written by a German woman named Jo M Van Ijssel de Schepper-Becker, Forbidden premiered in Germany in 1922 under the title, Wat Niet Mag.

It played two performances and then was banned for being too progressive. Laurence Senelick has brilliantly translated it to English.

Forbidden is a remarkable and surprisingly modern drama from 1922 that explores love, identity, and the suffocating expectations of family and society. Set within the seemingly respectable home of an upper-middle-class family, long-buried truths begin to surface as one son's hidden life forces those around him to confront their own prejudices, fears, and capacity for acceptance. Banned and forgotten for decades because of its groundbreaking portrayal of homosexuality, Forbidden! is a moving, courageous, and historically significant work that speaks to audiences today with extraordinary relevance, reminding us that the struggle to live honestly is timeless.

The Warten Foundation agrees that this play should be seen by as many people as possible, so they are underwriting the entire production which allows us to charge only a nominal fee of 10 dollars.

Presenting the American premiere of the world's first openly gay play is a once in a lifetime experience and we cannot wait to bring this play to a wider audience.