First hand experience with negative misconceptions

Or as Marc likes to call this entry: If Your Play Is About Sex Then You Must Be A Perv

From the desk of Marc Adam Smith:

As we close another successful run of Hurt So Good, I now feel free to relay to you an incident that happened on our opening Saturday night. I was accused by a gaggle of what I will call “soccer moms” of trying to sneak into the men's room to look at a young boy!

The incident begins with the call of nature. I go to the john and find it to be locked. Now, our theatre was in a shared space with a public restroom that should never be locked, so I was surprised to find it so. I knocked on the door and tried to get in, at which time four of the aforementioned soccer moms (who it turns out have children doing a dance recital in one of the other spaces) come over to me.

Here is a recap of our conversation:

The Moms: "What are you doing? There is a child in there!"

Me: “Okay, but it is a public restroom and I need to use it.”

The Moms: "He is part of that sex show!"

What I didn’t know at the time was that the Moms where upset that Hurt So Good was in the space and they did not want to their young ones to see our actors in their "sex costumes." Not that these folks had seen our costumes at all...

At this point, one of the Alpha Moms comes up to me and says, "What are you trying to do, get in the bathroom to look at the boy?" To which I replied, "No, I need to take shit." Well, needless to say, my salty language set her off and she started to make threats and told me how she could "take me out." As I struggled to hold back the laughter, I suggested she back off and I went into the bathroom.

The incident seemed to be over, but about 20 minutes later a cop comes into the theatre space looking for a bald guy. That would be me. So, the Moms went out and got the fuzz to get the “perv.”

The cast seemed worried, so I asked the officer if we could go outside and talk. I told him what happened and he said he had to talk to the other witnesses. He does so and proceeds to tell me, "I spoke to seven people and they all had different stories and you are the only one who is calm, so it appears to me that this is nothing.” He called it in as a 91 which is the code for a non call. Nice guy and not the first time I have ever been questioned by cops in my life, so even though I was upset and angry I held myself in check.

So the moral of the story is: If you need to use the bathroom and are cast in or working behind the scenes of a play that has to do with sex, use your home toilet or the Moral Soccer Moms of America will get you.

Editor’s Note: It is very interesting how reactionary people can be over perceived perversion. Our show was a romantic comedy, it just had a kinky backdrop. The fact that our advertising used sexy imagery, just made it all the more volatile. This was our little experience. I myself witnessed parents swatting our postcards out of the hands of children, but I also experienced others positively intrigued by our show and its marketing campaign. And interestingly enough, TV and film can get away with much racier stuff… heck, even print advertising! One look at any Calvin Klein billboard will make my point clear.

This was all an incident of misunderstandings and over-protectiveness on the part of the parents. I certainly can’t fault them for wishing to shield their kids from subject matter deemed inappropriate, but the fact that they jumped to upsetting conclusions that our director was a pedophile… that’s just too much. As Mistress Lyla says in our show, “BDSM is lumped together with bestiality, pedophilia and other unloving acts.”

This was just a small taste of what many in the community - or in any other alternative lifestyle for that matter - have to deal with every day. Protect your children, but don’t promote prejudice. Promote tolerance. I hope that our show, in some small way, did just that.

"... a good time was had by all."

And we are finished.

Our revival of Hurt So Good was a success - it's nice to know the production's success the first time around wasn't just a cosmic aligment or some other fluke. People genuinely enjoyed the story. Everyone left the theatre charged with laughter and excitement and hopefully, a few left a little enlightened.

Now that the show is over, I thought I'd inlcude a few snippets from the run:

THE SHOW WHERE EVERYTHING BROKE

Okay, I exaggerate, but we did have one show where everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my contact lense in the middle of a scene, Johnny's watch broke apart mid-spank and his earring flew out of his ear at some point in act two. I wouldn't be surprised if the lamp gag malfunctioned during this show, too!

THE SHOW WITH THE HECKLERS

I know this can be a taboo subject and cause people discomfort, but the audience we had one night included several people who were vocally bothered by what they were watching. They were inebriated and felt the need to make fun of the production throughout... snickering at moments, talking back and calling out to each other at other moments. We knew this night would be interesting when the show opened and a woman in the front row took a call and proceeded to tell the person on the other end, "I can't talk, I'm at a show! I'm at a SHOW!" No stage whispering there, no actually getting off the phone. It was truly a night to remember and for many members of our cast, their first experience with a heckling crowd!

THE SHOW WITH THE LAUGHERS

We had a couple of shows during the run that had some wonderfully enthusiastic audience members, so much so that we had to do some serious pausing to accomodate for all the laughter. Not a bad problem to have! Trouble was, the first show with such an audience threw us for a loop because we weren't used to such a boisterous response... I admit the audience probalby lost half of what I was saying during my first scene because I wasn't prepared to pause for their extended laughter.

THE SHOW WITH THE STANDING O

Our final Friday show was treated to a standing ovation from two audience members who happened to be pro-dommes. One was even dressed exactly like Mistress Lyla... or I suppose I should say that our character of Mistress Lyla was dressed just like HER! Hats off to the costume designer for authenticity! It was so touching to have people in the scene appreciate the show.

THE SHOW WITH THE AMAZING CAST

This was every show. I just wanted to note how special it was to work with such a great group of people who were professional and genuinely enjoyed working with each other. With a cast of twenty, this is no small feat! Great job everyone. I, for one, had an amazing time working on Hurt So Good! Thank you for a great experience!

Check our website in the coming weeks as we post pictures from the production.

The Review is In!!

Ian Marshall of United Stages reviews our latest production Hurt So Good. See below:

Spellbound and Gagged

The Point of You production of Hurt So Good has been relaunched by popular demand. Why? Is it back because it’s a sweet romance, “an honest look at love?”, as the show’s marketing proclaims, or because it’s a kinky, sexy-hot show with lots of leather? Umm…you choose.

The love story concerns main character Tom, played sincerely by Johnny Blaze Leavitt (also the show’s playwright), who meets the girl of his dreams over the internet. When they finally meet in person, alone, Cecily cautiously tells him, “You can hurt me.” He takes it to be a warning. It’s an invitation.

The audience is also invited, although figuratively, into the world of BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Domination and Submission, Sadomasochism). The BDSM community is greatly misunderstood, often purposefully. Hurt So Good confronts the bias, misconception, animosity and dismissal through Tom’s friends. His sitcom-quirky roommate, played spot-on by Chris Keating, tends to stand back and comment bitterly. His friend Rebecca, played by Melanie Kuchinski Rodriguez, tends to get angry at the social irresponsibility of even mock servitude. The show may not change your opinion, whatever it is, but you won’t have the option of simply declaring the entire community just a bunch of perverts.

They’re people, of course. But specifically, they’re honest people, both with themselves and with their playmates. In the show, Tom must learn that real communication is the key to keeping his lovely Cecily, played with a wonderful innocence by Alyssa Mann.

But it’s easy for Tom to get carried away when the supporting cast is clad in leather and steel. His submersion in BDSM is guided by some wonderful characters, lead by the slightly creepy, but ultimately lovable Gerard J. Savoy as Master Anthony and the professionally intimidating Marlise Garde as Mistress Lyla. The menagerie of doms and subs, tops and bottoms, fulfills the conversion of a fourth-floor theater into a basement dungeon. Each character has a moment to shine, but especially engaging is Simply Because (Melodye Brant) who is so excited by her lifestyle, well, simply because “it’s fun!”

If fun is on your lifestyle agenda this weekend, simply because, Hurt So Good might just be what the mistress ordered.

Click below to read the actual article - with pictures! Thank you Ian for taking the time to see our show.

http://www.unitedstages.com/displayProject.php?ID=383&show=U

Hurt So Good is enjoying a great run

So far, so good. We are getting large crowds and putting on a good show. Last night was our best show yet with the crowd hooting and hollering at every plot twist. As a performer, it is so great to audibly hear the audience engaged in the production and we had that in spades last night. If you were a member of the audience last night, we thank you!

Here's a quote from Mr. Shaw who attended the show last night:

"Great show, laugh out loud funny, handled difficult subject matter with great sensitivity and playfulness!"

So, what are you waiting for? Tickets are selling fast, so don't miss out on this great production!!

Reserve tickets here.

Another Paddles Adventure

The cast embarked on a second fact-finding mission to Paddles and boy did we get an education. I don’t need to tell you about the layout as Lizzie already described it so beautifully… it can be a bit of a sensory overload, but it really is fascinating.

I admit, I was quite nervous to go. I didn’t know what to expect, all I knew was that this club was nothing like the fetish party I went to prior to the last run of Hurt So Good. This wasn’t a stand and be seen venue… I stuck close to my little group for much of the evening and noticed we had a small group of “vultures” hovering at the edges of our group. They were quite curious about us to be sure.

Our Leather Liaison and the playwright gave a guided tour of the venue where we ran into Sir Guy, one of our voice over guest artists dressed in a fabulous military uniform. We walked from room to room where the various bits of furniture and implements were explained to us. One by one, we were all chained to a large St. Andrew’s Cross (just to see what it felt like of course).

We watched a Mistress top a man using nothing more than cellophane and a couple of nipple clamps! She also had two slaves assisting her. We girls felt it would be nice to have a slave boy for a night…. Little did we know, I would get my chance later!

We met with quite a few different people there and they were all happy to chat with us and tell us about their experiences and answer our silly questions. One woman in particular was so sweet and open. Her name was Helen and she gave us a fire demonstration (thanks to the lovely Luna for providing her back for this experience!).

Helen was so great with her demo – she made it totally accessible. She explained that the torches used were soaked through with 70% isopropanol alcohol, so when it is lit, it is the alcohol that burns, not the torch or the person’s skin. In fact, we all got to hold fire in our hands. It felt warm for a moment and then a tingling afterward – almost like after spending a day in the sun.

The demo on Luna’s back was super sexy. Helen trailed the torches across and down, making shapes, drawing LL for Lovely Luna. She also told us how to make our own fire kits at home. I could tell all the girls were really enthralled by this, so watch out!!

Next we met Glenn who gave us a demonstration on Melodye of his Vampire Gloves. These are leather gloves with small spikes in them. Sounds a lot more painful than it is. It felt to me like a massage with a bristly brush…. Really good!

Glenn enlisted the help of Theresa to show me all the other toys in his bag. He used all sorts of instruments on her and teld me about each one and what it does. When Theresa had had enough, he made sure sooth her because she had gone into another realm mentally (called subspace) and she needed to come down gently from the endorphin high.

After that demonstration, I found the ladies all huddled by the bar excitedly beckoning me over. Luna turned to me and said “close your eyes and trust me.” Well, okay… and I was given a quick jolt of electricity to my back! It was at a very low level and actually felt pretty cool. It really wakes you up, thanks for sure!

Toward the end of the evening, I was approached by a Master who told me there was a man who would very much like for me to spank him. At this point, I was feeling brave, so I told him I would, but he’d have to coach me through it, as I’ve never done something like that before.

The man in question was this little slip of a thing in his 70’s. You can’t get much more non-threatening than that, so I felt pretty comfortable. We went to this massage table type thing that was CLEARLY not used for massages and I proceeded to spank and spank. My coach gave me pointers now and then (start slow, vary your pattern so the slap is unexpected, etc). I think I did a pretty good job. I had accumulated quite a crowd and they all clapped for me at the end as my coach announced it was my first time.

An interesting experience to say the least!

Lizzie discovers her inner kink at Paddles

Hurt So Good castmember Lizzie Czerner, as well as several other members of the HSG crew, went with our Leather Liaison Luna to a NYC BDSM club called Paddles to do a little "character research." Lizzie was kind enough to tell us all about it...

Hi! ‘Servant’ here… Ok, so I’m in the cast of Hurt So Good, a comedy about S&M. What could be more fun than that? I mean I get to parade around in a French maid’s outfit with a bunch of other actors who are scantily dressed. It’s good times, people! I confess though, I really didn’t know anything about S&M before joining the cast besides the fact that it involves leather and whips. By that description though, Cat Woman was the only person I had ever seen who was in the scene. (By the way, I have always considered her something of a fashion icon …hmmm…)

When the Director announced that we were going to take a field trip to an S&M club called Paddles as a form of research, I was intrigued. If nothing else, it was an opportunity to wear my fishnets someplace besides rehearsal. (Well, hey…you have to ‘don the traditional garb’, right?) However, having visited the Paddles website, I was a bit nervous. Was there going to be blood? Were people going to be crying out in torturous pain?? Some of the other cast members and I decided to meet for drinks beforehand for some liquid courage, and to talk about how we felt about the prospect of possibly being initiated into a deviant sub-culture. We all felt excited for the new experience but nervous that we might be approached by someone for a game of nipple twisting. Or maybe we were just worried that we would discover we were secretly kinky and then we’d have to come out to our friends and partners. That could be…umm…awkward.

When we got there (“there” being the same block where I go for coffee after acting class…Who knew?) I noticed a few things right away. First of all, Paddles is a ‘dungeon club’ so you go downstairs and they really do a good job of making it look like one - with grey walls, black ceilings, various medieval looking chairs and benches, wall mounts for tying people up, and even a small cage. Although I understand the joint is usually jumping, the night we went it was mostly empty (we were told this was due to the High Holidays, which tells you something about the clientele right there). Once inside, I came upon a counter full of paddles and floggers of various sizes and shapes. But as I looked around and got more acclimated, I realized that it was not really much different from any other NYC club –Oh, except that there was no bar. That’s right. These people were sober….Sober!! There was good music playing…Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Jefferson Airplane. And the people were friendly! I got into some conversations with interesting people – a teacher, a receptionist – people just like me. (I’m actually starting to think that being into S&M is about as deviant as a henna tattoo). I learned that most people there had taken classes on safety so that great care is taken to ensure that all the rope tying and paddle swatting is done with concern for the person’s well-being.

I started to feel brave and asked if I could get a personal demonstration of one of the paddles. ("When in… Sodom?") So I asked Delia, the receptionist, if she’d give me a little swat on the tush. Her swats grew in intensity, but I was given complete control over the situation and was constantly asked how I felt and if I wanted to stop. In other words, I felt safe. Was it hot? Hells yeah! And so was Delia!!

By the end of the evening, my cast-members and I all felt that we had experienced something fun and new, and it didn’t automatically make us ‘kinky’ just ‘cause we liked certain aspects of the evening…Ok, maybe a liiiitle kinky. ;)

HURT SO GOOD interview on United Stages website!

Hurt So Good producers Melanie Kuchinski Rodriguez and Johnny Blaze Leavitt were interviewed by Jon Reuning of UNITED STAGES - an excerpt has been included below. To access the original article (pictures included!), click here.

Ouch. Johnny Blaze Leavitt's comedy Hurt So Good is back by popular demand. This time around both playwright and producer take their cuffs off to reveal how laughter and discipline can make an audience beg for more.

Melanie Kuchinski Rodriguez, producer of the first and now second run of Hurt So Good, what possessed Point of You Productions to bring the show back?

Melanie: The audience inspired us. We received such great feedback and enthusiasm from everyone who saw the show—from those in the scene and those who never heard of BDSM. In fact, during the last week of the first run, we had several people lament that the show was not running longer as they wanted to bring their friends to see it. The audience was really encouraging and thorough in their feedback. Hurt So Good is an original play and the last run was the first time it was presented to the public. We received a lot of feedback and as such, we have tweaked the script accordingly.

And you're reopening in the middle of Times Square.

Melanie: We are thrilled to be producing the show in Times Square. The subject matter is something you'd think would be more appropriate for an East Village venue, but our production is accessible to all walks of life. The story of love and communication transcends any sexual preference. Hey, maybe we'll get a couple of tourists to attend, dispel their preconceived notions and they'll pass that feeling of tolerance on when they return home.

Johnny Blaze Leavitt, what inspired you to write this play—Wait: first, can you tell me what BDSM stands for?

Johnny: BDSM stands for Bondage/Discipline, Dominance/submission, Sadomasochism. It's an umbrella term that covers a lot of ground, an evolution from the more simple/popular S&M. As to what inspired me, a lot of things. The current state of sexual education over the past decade or so seems to be slipping back to "Don't ask. You'll just magically know when you get married." And the entertainment industry seems to be fighting back with movies like Kinsey to Broadway shows like Spring Awakening. So I just took it a step further.

Sex is everywhere (without it, none of us would be here) but all the sexual comedies we're seeing all seem to be the same. Until you see something like The Secretary or 9 1/2 Weeks. With all of the S&M shops and clubs and bars in this city (which people usually pass by, afraid that someone will see them looking in the direction of those tinted windows…) I figured there had to be more to the story than what we see in sitcoms or Law & Order episodes. And is there ever!

Hmm. Okay, Johnny, now this is interesting: why this play, why you, why now?

Johnny: Why this play? I think it's an honest look at the subculture, touching on a number of relationships, styles and fetishes in the BDSM community. Why me? I've done the research, held the interviews, heard the stories and gotten the perspectives. My writing has been described as having bittersweet warmth and I think that's what this sort of topic needs: there's a lot to care about, to laugh at, and a lot of emotional intimacies involved. I just try to offer it all from several perspectives. Why now? BDSM is becoming more mainstream, more so than the general populace realize. But it's still not talked about any more now than it was in the days of Bettie Page and Irving Klaw. In an age of disinformation and suppression, it's important that there be people out there providing the answers to questions people are afraid to ask (or don't know who to ask).

Melanie, what is a nice person like you doing producing this sort of fringe subject matter? Do you invite relatives to your plays?

Melanie: Ha! I know! When Johnny first mentioned his idea for this play, I admit I was very skeptical. A play about S&M? Really? How can we do that and not be sensational and gratuitous? Do we even want to go there? But then Johnny showed me the script and all my fears were dispelled. It is an honest love story about communication and understanding—it just so happens to have a BDSM backdrop. When you strip that away, it's still a solid story of a boy and a girl trying to make their relationship work and making good decisions and bad decisions along the way. And you bet I invite my entire family!

Really, if you have to break it down to one or two elements, what's so funny about BDSM?

Johnny: Let's be honest: sex is funny. And so is anyone who takes anything too seriously. But most importantly, people love to laugh when they are nervous or uncomfortable. And our lead characters are certainly uncomfortable on their journey. Some are afraid of what they'll find out there, others afraid of what they'll find out about themselves. If the key question to this piece is "What are you willing to do for love?" then some are afraid that they'll find they can't go as far as they need to. We're not making fun of the subculture so much as we're making fun of people's fear of new information. The key to any healthy relationship is communication.

Melanie: There is a lot of humor in the whole fish-out-of-water story. BDSM just so happens to be a fish pond filled with really colorful costumes, props and even some larger than life characters.

Did people come to your last incarnation in leather?

Johnny: This is New York. The majority wore leather: coats, shoes, belts, etc. But in the spirit of what you're asking, we do offer discount admission to those belonging to certain organizations in the subculture and they dressed for the occasion. And why not? Have you seen the audiences at Rocky Horror? Great fun! I dare everyone to wear fishnets and leather when they come to see Hurt So Good.

Melanie: Here, here! Dressing up adds to the whole atmosphere of fun to our show.

What's the best thing an audience member said to you after seeing it last season?

Johnny: I think the most popular thing I heard afterwards was "When are you doing this again? I want to bring some friends!" The happiest "pay off" as a writer was when someone talked to me about the final fates of one of my characters (I'm trying to be vague so as not to spoil anything). One of my characters doesn't make it through the play and their fate was a little Hollywood ending-esque. But someone thanked me because that exact scenario happened to someone he knew and he was pleased to see it represented with heart and dignity.

Melanie: I think one of the best comments I heard was, "This wasn't scary at all!" Seriously though, I did get a great comment about how our show is a "must see" for anyone curious about the scene.

...In the producing and writing of this play, did either of you have an "aha!" moment when you understood something about love that you hadn't before...?

Johnny: I didn't have a discovery more so much as a confirmation that everyone is kinky on some level. Be it just playing with a blindfold, playful spankings or using silk scarves on a four post bed with your lover once or twice, or whether you're a card-carrying member to four or five S&M groups, everyone likes to have a little fun with sex. And why not? Correct me if I'm wrong but it is supposed to be fun.

Melanie: Yup, there's a kink in all of us! My "aha!" moment was discovering that this "alternative lifestyle" is not just about sex—it's about real people experiencing real emotions. Love comes in all shapes and sizes.

Thanks so very much, Melanie Kuchinski Rodriguez and Johnny Blaze Leavitt. We'll see you at the show!

Melanie: We look forward to seeing you there…fetish attire optional, but encouraged!

Something new has been added! Meet Hurt So Good’s Leather Liaison!

Dawne Garrett (known also by her nickname Luna in the leather community) has graciously volunteered to help promote and raise funds for our current production of Hurt So Good, reaching out specifically to the various organizations in the BDSM scene.

Dawne, how did you come to be involved with Hurt So Good? What are you doing for this upcoming production?

I was told about Hurt So Good at a leather event last year. I have heard of shows in the past that had touched on the subject of BDSM, but this one seemed different. More human. I was asked to sit in on a few rehearsals to help out with explaining what it was really like in the leather community and to help break some of the standard stereotypes. I stayed on to work tech for the show and even got to perform! (My New York debut!)

This year I have been working hard in the fundraising department. The goal is $5000 and we're well on our way. I have been speaking to several leather organizations about helping this show reach its full potential. Showing them what this show can do for the community and help in areas of outreach. I’m also helping on such tasks such as finding specialty “scene based” set pieces and I’m even looking to audition for the show this time around. For me, I just love the whole process… from beginning to end.

What are your experiences in the subculture (in a nutshell)?

I’ve been in the lifestyle for 15 years now. It’s definitely been an interesting journey. I have served on organization boards, have helped form groups, run events, I have taught classes for organizations on the east coast. It’s not just all about outreach and education for me. I play, I have fun. I go to parties, events, leather camps, classes, and sometimes just bar nights. I have met some amazingly wonderful people in this community. Some I call friends and some I even call family. The best thing is that I am still learning. 15 years in the scene and I am just starting to become in touch with certain sides of me that I chose to ignore. It’s really a wonderful thing.

What are your feelings about Hurt So Good? Having seen the original and read the revised script, what are your thoughts?

Now I’m not biased….really I’m not! I would have never taken part in this show if I didn’t believe in it. This show has what it takes to show people what this is all about. It shows BDSM in its human form. Not a bunch of dungeon romping freaks, but people. I have always loved that about this show. The happy times and the drama filled times. I think this show keeps getting better and better with each re-working.

I’ve always found the situations to ring very true for me. I myself remember what it felt like to realize I was into this and having to work through all of my own and societies concepts of what it was - the fantasy vs. the reality. I also love the NY humor of it all… I don’t want to give away plot points though. I want people to come and check this out and see for themselves!

As someone reaching out to the kink community – why should they see the show? Why do you think those who know nothing of the world of BDSM should see the show?

The community as a whole is usually rather skittish about shows that portray them. They sometimes worry that they will show them in a negative light or that they will portray us as mentally damaged, sick or unhinged. I say to them that this show gives us the positive light that we have been looking for. Explaining that what we do is Safe, Sane and Consensual. That we love, honor and respect.

This is also a great show for educating not just those who are not in the know but also those who are curious and want to know more. It’s like a mini springboard if you will. Be you kinky or vanilla, you will learn something about not just the scene but I think about how similar we both love. We just have more toys. *laughs*

What's it like working with Point of You?

I love working with Point of You. I have since I started working with them a year ago on the first run of HSG. They are talented, driven, and are all round fun to be around. This isn’t just another theater company, this is a family. They support each others’ talents, they help each other branch out and try something new, and they are there for each other well after the curtain falls on another production. I’ve worked with other theater companies in the past but never one as tightly knit as this one. I’m really honored that they invited me to work on this production!

If you could say one thing about the show to potential audience members out there, what would it be?

Go! *laughs* Seriously….run don’t walk! This show is what theater is supposed to be about. It makes you laugh, it makes you think, it starts discussions, it raises questions and it’s real. It takes a topic that usually raises eyebrows and shows it in a light that doesn’t make you uncomfortable. You will not be disappointed and you will be happy that you went.

Point of You Productions would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dawne for her amazing help and support!