The staging of a provocative play will help a Surrey-based charity help Jamaican people in need.
The non-profit organization Canadian Jamaican Medical Assistance Society, or CJMAS, presents Cock Tales: Shame on Me at CBC Studio 700 in Vancouver, with two shows on Saturday, July 14.
The one-woman play stars Debra Ehrhardt in a story that has her “opens the door to her boudoir to reveal a fresh perspective on desire, sexual empowerment, and letting go of guilt.”
Ehrhardt, a Jamaican-born writer and performer, had her play Jamaica, Farewell directed on Broadway by Joel Zwick, who directed the hit comedy movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Zwick has also directed previous stage productions of Cock Tales.
Established in 1992, CJMAS works “to help better the lives of needy individuals and groups in Jamaica, through health and educational initiatives.”
As a fundraiser for the group, Cock Tales will be staged twice on July 14, at 5 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 via the website cjmas.ca/cock-tales, or call 604-619-6642.
The play involves “a bumpy ride over a funny, sexy and emotionally rocky road,” according to Ehrhardt.
“When my husband heard the name of my new show (Cock Tales), he about lost his mind,” she says in a post on the show’s website, cocktalestheplay.com. “I gently explained that his penis was not the first I’d encountered in my life, and that Cock Tales, the play, and all my one-woman shows have come from my own life experiences.
“When I began writing this piece,” Ehrhardt continued, “I thought I was writing about sex. But, I came to realize that sex is an entirely different subject. There is nothing new in Cock Tales about sex. I can’t shed any light on human sexuality. I am no expert on that subject. But, when it comes to overcoming guilt, that is an area where I am an expert. Guilt is something that we have all experienced. It is something that many of us have taught our children.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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