Celebrating Men Saint John's 4th Annual Men's Lives Series1998-1999

Crimes Against Nature

A Comic Performance on Growing Up Male
"often hilarious, occasionally touching, and always entertaining"

April 11, 1999 (Sunday)
Br. Willie's Pub, SJU
7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the SJU Senate

Chris Kilmartin is the author of The Masculine Self (1994) and co-author with John Lynch of the forthcoming book (March 1999) The Pain Behind the Mask: The Origins, Consequences, and Remedies of Masculine Depression. Kilmartin is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA. He has been a professional stand-up comedian since 1985, having performed as opening act for Richard Lewis, Paula Poundstone, George Miller, and Norm MacDonald.

Kilmartin will be meeting with interested students, staff, and faculty on April 10th, 11th, and 12th to discuss men's issues, men's health, and men's depression.

"Crimes Against Nature," to be performed at 7:30 p.m. on April 11th at Brother Willie's Pub, is an original solo piece written and performed by Kilmartin. The product of a year-long collaboration between him and Gregg Stull, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Theatre Department at Mary Washington College, "Crimes Against Nature" is a humorous, compelling, and very personal look at the pressures of masculinity.

"Crimes Against Nature" cleverly points out the absurdities and contradictions of masculinity. The piece promotes an awareness of the demands of masculinity and also provides a sense that one can choose whether or not to acquiesce to these demands. Never preachy, Kilmartin pokes fun at the experiences of his adolescence and young manhood.

Witty humor punctuates Kilmartin's heartfelt stories: the Hallowe'en day that his mother dressed him as a girl and sent him to kindergarten, the day that he discovered pornographic magazines in his neighbor's garage, the day that he tried out for the junior high baseball team. Kilmartin recalls how he was taught the idea of masculinity. Sports, puberty, communication, homophobia, girlfriends, sex education, drag queens "Crimes Against Nature" uses touching personal accounts to weave an important statement about the pressures of masculinity.

Kilmartin and Stull's collaboration was supported by a Jepson Funds for Excellence Grant, a program that supports collaborative interdisciplinary faculty projects. Director Stull's recent directing credits include Six Characters in Search of an Author, Cloud 9 and Inspecting Carol. He consults with arts organizations throughout the country on program planning and resource development.