Leave of Absence

On February 15 Kevin and I went to Leave of Absence, it was a reasonably dark play that dealt with religion, sexuality and love. I want to start off by saying how amazing it was to see a two hour play that was set entirely on one set. There was no set changes, nothing. It was all about lighting and the words they used that set the scene. It was really remarkable. I've never experienced something like it.
The play though, filled me with so many emotions! Anger and sadness and pride and it made me laugh at times too. I will admit, being very very unreligious, there were a few references to biblical stories that I didn't quite understand. They start off by drilling it to you how religious this town is and the different ways that each character interprets the bible and God. Then, the main character, Blake, who is 14? 15?, basically comes out as being a lesbian. This tiny town gets turned upside down by this. She starts getting bullied, isolated, so on and so forth and everyone in her school and church freak out. Also, she finds out that this super aggressive, "old country" Russian man that has lived in the same town as her and has gone to the same church as her since forever is her father, too much? Not to mention he's recently widowed and entered the stage without a shirt, grunting and boxing... The play ends with Blake getting brutally sexually assaulted by some boys from her school. Just thinking about it right now turns my stomach upside down and I can feel my anger starting to boil. She's founded by the local priest, who her mother is actually in love with (too much?), and dies in his arm while bleeding by the river. I hated it. I hated it so much. I feel angry thinking about it. Not the play, or anything but just that something like that could happen. This isn't a true story but the playwright witnessed something very similar to the assault when she was in junior high. The playwright, by the way, also acts as the mother of the main character. The anti-climax happens when the priest leaves for a spiritual journey (this goes about when he says, "I am taking a leave of absence because I have been absent." Too much?), the mother tries to commit suicide and then leaves with the priest and Leap, her father, breaks the legs of the boys that killed his new daughter and then goes to leave shoes around Europe because his dead wife, "would have wanted it."
Don't get me wrong, I did really like the play but at times, I feel like it could have been more simple. Possibly less overall drama with the mother. It makes me wonder it maybe the playwright wrote that role for herself and created all of this drama to perhaps, make her feel more important or to give herself more of a role, more lines.
I did like that it gave me the feeling of wanting to punch bullies in the face. You know? It made me angry and it made me motivated to move forth with the anti-bullying movement at my school.
I also really liked the whole hey, there are more important things than the bible theme. It's very true on so many levels. There are more important things than not eating meat on a Wednesday or thinking that homosexuality is wrong. I used to think that religion was a way for people to have a connection with something that represented hope. Like, an imaginary friend or someone you can confide in who won't judge you. I thought religion was for you to have your very own, very individualized relationship with God or whoever it is. I feel like so many people take it as more than that. As a way to live your life, like a set of rules and something that you should exploit to make friends, to give yourself a right or reason to judge people, for political gain, there are so many reasons that I feel people have made religion out of. In Leave of Absence Leap makes a really good point that in some places, there was a time where verses of the bible were sprawled on pieces of paper and people had to pray in their basements in have religious ceremonies in secret because they were afraid of the government knowing. Now people are afraid of God and religion is something people abuse.