I have been writing about the upcoming Disrobed virtual event for over a week now, and wow, it’s been quite a ride!
It all started when Tim Chizmar, of Naturist Living Show fame, offered me a sneak peek at the production. This was a review version - not the final cut, missing some small elements (like the opening theme and credits), and with some potential reshoots yet to be inserted. But it was essentially a finished version of the movie. I could have access if I’d consider writing a review.
I watched the show late on Christmas Day. I knew the source material already; I had listened to a full audio production of the original play on a Naturist Living Show podcast some years ago. But this was something new, and something exciting. Putting any work in a modern - which means distanced, online, webcam-enabled - setting is weird and difficult, but this director had pulled it off. Even if I hadn’t liked the play, I would have been impressed by the way it was brought to life for the COVID age.
But I had an idea: maybe a few of the cast members would be willing to do a brief interview. I could send them the questions and have them send back their answers at their convenience. The originator of the play would get a few extra questions, too. The cast has been busy promoting the event, with appearances on Clothes Free International ] and the Our Naked Story Podcast.
I hoped to get two or three responses at best - it was short notice, after all.
Instead, almost every cast member enthusiastically and generously gave of their time, and had some fascinating background and perspective to share. Karen Lasater and Dave McClain, who play Sierra and George, the parents, both gave me lots of background about themselves and their part in the play.
Eloise Gordon revealed an affinity for non-sexual social nudity that had long been a part of her life, even though she had never labelled herself a nudist. And Ian Hayes is known to some friends as “Nakie Boi” for his own preference for being nude - though he had never been in a nudist setting. Clearly, though, the entire cast was ideal for this production, not only because of their acting capabilities, but also because of their attitudes, backgrounds, and fresh, positive takes on nudity.
Troy Peterson, the driving force for the whole production, is himself a naturist and definitely sees the film as a way to promote the naturist philosophy. He and everyone involved, both cast and crew, deserve much credit for making this show a reality.
It’s been a highly rewarding and interesting couple of weeks for everyone involved with Disrobed - the Online Event, and for me as well, even though I’ve been on the sidelines. I’m really excited to see it in its final form myself. For anyone who is a naturist or nudist, or even who just agrees that non-sexual nudity is a positive and appropriate choice for everyone, this is essential viewing.
We need more naturist media, more naturist voices, more stories, more art. We don’t need any more works that exploit nudists for a cheap laugh or naughty thrill. We don’t need any more works that stridently declaring the benefits of naturism. We need works like this, that take on different sides to the naturist question, that show naturists as they really are, and - most of all - that reach out and try to make connections between people.
Whether naturist or not, that’s where art, and life, truly lie.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappear immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
Dave is both a naturist and a very experienced actor, and he brings aspects of both to his role as George in Disrobed. He lives in Katy, Texas, not far from fellow castmate Karen Lasater, and the two have performed as husband and wife in other stage productions - though this is their first time appearing nude together.
You can find out more about Dave’s career at https://www.davepro.info/.
What made you want to be a part of this play? Was it daunting to play the part of a nudist on screen?
I'm a working actor and long-time naturist, so I was very excited for the opportunity to combine both of those passions with Disrobed. When I saw the casting call, I almost jumped out of my chair! I wrote a very enthusiastic cover letter for my submission, talking about how my personality and my professional background (former teacher) lined up very well with the character description for George, and about my experiences as a naturist. I guess it worked: I got cast.
Now, having completed the project, out of the 100+ screen acting jobs I've done since I became a professional actor in 2016, this is one of my favorites - for how much fun it was to do the film, for the wonderfully talented actors I got to work with, and for the pride I feel in how well it all came together. I really feel that people are going to like Disrobed a lot - both naturists, and people who know nothing about naturism. I can hardly wait for everyone to have the chance to see it!
Also, as a historian, I really appreciate how long this story has been around, and how it has evolved into what it is today. The story is appropriately described as "Meet the Parents with a twist", but it was great to learn that this play was written long before that movie came out. It's a timeless and very relatable story.
I have done nudity for two previous films, but this was the first time that my character would be nude 100% of the time that he's on screen. Still, it wasn't a problem for me. The director and the rest of the cast were all very open and easy to work with, and I've always been comfortable with social nudity.
It also helped that the story is completely non-sexual. It's just about a family being free, having fun, enjoying each other's company and loving each other. Everyone wants to be in that kind of family - and if people have half as much fun watching Disrobed as we had making it, they're really going to enjoy themselves.
What is your previous experience with public or social nudity, whether on stage or in your personal life?
I joined the ASA in the late 1980s as a young nudist, and I became a member of White Tail Park (now, White Tail Resort) in southeastern Virginia. Since settling in Texas in 2015 after retiring from the Army, I have visited Bluebonnet Nudist Park and Wildwood's Naturist Resort, both near Dallas and, near Austin, Star Ranch Nudist Club and Hippie Hollow, Texas' only official clothing-optional park, where I am a frequent visitor.
I also participated in Bare to Breakers in San Francisco and in the World Naked Bike Ride in Washington, D.C. and in Houston, and attended several social nudist events in the Houston area. I have worked as a life model for art students in college at Edinboro University in northwestern Pennsylvania and, much more recently, at the Art Institute of Houston.
I have always enjoyed the freedom of being nude outdoors and the camaraderie of social nudism. I have so much fun at the places I mentioned and I am so relaxed when I'm there that I always go into a minor depression when I have to put my clothes back on when it's time to leave. But all that just means that I'm going to be back again as soon as I can.
Do you feel that this experience has changed your attitude towards nudity?
No. I've always loved social nudity and will continue to practice the lifestyle as much as possible. The only difference now is that, if people enjoy this film as much as I think they will and enough people see it, someday I might get recognized at a nudist resort as the dad from Disrobed. That would be pretty cool.
What do you hope audience members will take away from this play? What message, if any, do you take from it?
The main reason we made the movie was to entertain people, especially during this pandemic, but I think there's a lot people can learn from this film as well.
I think that naturists will see the quality that is possible in naturist entertainment and will be inspired to seek out other naturist films - or to create naturist content of their own.
But I hope that a lot of people will see Disrobed who are unfamiliar with social nudism and will learn what it is really all about. I hope they can separate it from any inaccurate preconceived notions about the lifestyle and any assumptions that social nudity equals sex and learn to appreciate it as a valid, enjoyable and healthy lifestyle, and one they might even want to try themselves some day.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappears immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
Eloise is a highly experienced actress from Manhattan, NY. With multiple theatre and screen credits, she brings a fascinating perspective and background to the key role of Skye in Disrobed. You can check out Eloise’s YouTube channel or follow her on Instagram.
What made you want to be a part of this play? Was it daunting to play the part of a nudist on screen?
A little backstory: last summer I was in Berlin studying cabaret theater with my school. In addition to our classes we were going to see at least two shows a week sometimes even more. I kept noticing in the majority of the performances, there would be some form of nudity whether it was someone changing on stage or giving a long monologue fully nude and covered in paint. What struck me was how normal it was. In America if a man is completely naked on stage it's a big deal but in Berlin it seemed like the norm.
The more I learned and explored the city I found this sense of openness and trust with the people there. There seemed to be this very human understanding that I still don't exactly know how to put into words but I told myself then that all the work I do moving forward should have that same freedom.
Then I stumbled upon Disrobed on backstage.com! It seemed to fit exactly what I was looking for and after (virtually) meeting Troy I knew he was on the same page which made the whole experience that much greater.
...nudism seemed like this very secretive thing that not many people could access but through this process I learned just how wrong I was. I have never seen a community that is so open and accepting of everyone that wants to be a part of it.
I was a little nervous at first to tell my parents I was even auditioning because I wasn't exactly sure how they would respond to me being naked on screen but my Dad was actually the one to read with me and helped film the audition! He thought the script was really funny and that it was a great idea. Once I had that approval there was no doubt in my mind this was the right project to be a part of.
What is your previous experience with public or social nudity, whether on stage or in your personal life?
This is my first time performing nude but I am no stranger to nudity in my life. In my family it is very normal to see someone walking around the house naked. My Dad is Hungarian and my Mom was a dancer so there never seemed to be any shyness when it came to our bodies. We traveled a lot when I was a kid too and were often at nude or topless beaches.
The first time I really remember being at a nude beach was in Spain when I was 8. We were on a family vacation with a couple of other families that had young children. I remember some of the adults making some jokes at first because they didn't realize we were going to a nude beach but no one seemed to mind and we stayed for the whole day.
Do you feel that this experience has changed your attitude towards nudity?
I don't feel my attitude has changed as much as been reaffirmed. I have always believed in the power of nonsexualized nudity but I will say I have a new perspective on the nudist community. Nudism has always been something that interested me but I knew so little about the culture.
In my mind nudism seemed like this very secretive thing that not many people could access but through this process I learned just how wrong I was. I have never seen a community that is so open and accepting of everyone that wants to be a part of it. I also had no idea how widespread it is! I always figured there were one or two nude resorts in America and that were very secluded but nudism is everywhere if you just look for it.
What do you hope audience members will take away from this play? What message, if any, do you take from it?
I hope people feel inspired to disrobe themselves! There is nothing more liberating and empowering than existing in one's own skin. I hope this piece gives anyone who is still a bit timid towards the idea the confidence to try it.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappears immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
Ian Hayes plays Axel, one of the siblings from the naturist family in Disrobed. He is an actor and musician from Massachusetts, and wrote and performed the music for the show in addition to playing a memorable role as the first character to appear nude on-screen. Ian was eager to discuss his perspective as part of the cast of the play.
What made you want to be a part of this play? Was it daunting to play the part of a nudist on screen?
Two things truly attracted me to Disrobed. One was that it was a story that brought light to the absurdity that nakedness and sexuality are synonymous with each other. It was exciting to possibly be a part of the conversation by being in a show that is explicitly nude and consciously not sexual in any way.
The second reason was that there was potential for me to write, produce, and record an original song. I have been a musician and songwriter since the early 2000s and am always eager to create music in collaboration with others. It wasn't daunting for me to be naked on screen, especially since Troy and the whole production team were 100% transparent and sensitive to everyone's comfort level from the original casting notice to even these interviews we are undergoing now. Troy, Bella, and Steven created a sincerely safe space for us to step into these characters confidently and with great ease.
What is your previous experience with public or social nudity, whether on stage or in your personal life?
In my family and friend circle, I am notorious for having my shirt off as often as possible. My roommate calls me "Nakie Boi", because I am always naked (or just in underwear) at home. Publicly though, besides a few times getting naked in exercises whilst training at the Maggie Flanigan Studio here in NY, I had no experience until this past August.
...the core message of this story is that when you reveal your true self, the risk is great, but the reward is always greater.
I was in Florida with my partner and had just been cast in this production, so as a part of my research I sought the nearest nude beach to us and we ended up going to one on Cape Canaveral. We had an incredible experience. The freedom and equality we felt was thrilling, and there's nothing better than to swim naked in the sun! I can't wait to do it again.
Do you feel that this experience has changed your attitude towards nudity?
It hasn't changed it much other than further reinforce my love for being naked. It is a positive experience I can draw from as support in future conversations I may have about the subject of naturism.
What do you hope audience members will take away from this play? What message, if any, do you take from it?
I certainly hope that the audience walks away allowing themselves more nakie-time in their day-to-day lives outside of the shower and sex. That being said, my true hope is that the audience walks away asking themselves how they hide their true selves in their personal lives. Whether it has to do with their point of view on naturism and public nudity or not, the core message of this story is that when you reveal your true self, the risk is great, but the reward is always greater. We are all freaks in our own way, and owning your inner freak and showing it to the world is one of the most liberating experiences a human can have.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappears immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
Karen Lasater plays Sierra, the matriarch of the naturist family, in Disrobed. She is an experienced actress of stage and screen who hails from Katy, Texas. Karen has worked in the past with fellow cast member David McClain on multiple projects - in fact, David was the one who suggested that she audition for Disrobed. Karen graciously took some time to discuss her experience as part of the cast of this unique play.
What made you want to be a part of this play? Was it daunting to play the part of a nudist on screen?
My acting friend Dave McClain, who's been my on-screen husband many times before, asked me to audition with him. Of course, he was so nervous to ask me that he waited to call the night before his Zoom audition with writers Troy and Steve! After he told me about the nudity part, he said, “Well, you haven't hung up on me yet.”
I do work well under pressure and memorize quickly, and since I totally trust his judgement (he vetted the process intently and it seemed in his opinion to be real). We knew our chances were way better if we could read together in the same house. And we only live five minutes apart in Katy (outside of Houston) and had been quarantined from the outside world for the most part during that time.
After he told me about the project, the characters, story, and pay structure, it seemed like I would be perfect for the part too. I liked the idea of taking a bold plunge into acting nude on screen without it being sexualized or gratuitous as usually is the case. At first it was daunting and awkward; Dave and I had never seen each other nude before. His wife was on board for the project, which helped.
Prior to the nude audition, which came when we got a call-back request, he suggested I come over and we casually run lines both clothed and then naked, have lunch, and just "get in the nude zone" about an hour before. That really helped ease the both of us into it and I think made our audition seamless. But indeed my armpits were sweaty from nerves!
What is your previous experience with public or social nudity, whether on stage or in your personal life?
This is my first nude appearance on TV or stage. A long time ago, in my early career as an actor, I was asked to be in a nude scene as a prostitute for an indy film. I declined on advice from my acting coach, who said it would potentially typecast me for that kind of part. I was a mother of young children at the time and she didn't think it was worth the risk.
We judge ourselves plenty all the time. But when we come from a place of love, genuine interest and care in others, and the barriers of class come down when the clothes come off, we can really just “open up and accept our true nature.”
Fast forward to this film. Because the message is wholesome and we are naturists, it seemed only a problem perhaps for others in my family who may not want to see mom naked on the screen.
However, in real life my husband and I have been to nudist resorts in Jamaica and Cancun. So the experience of being nude in public wasn't totally foreign to me. In fact by the end of the trip we both got a bit depressed that we had to put clothes on again to go back to the “real world”!
Do you feel that this experience has changed your attitude towards nudity?
Not really. My attitude had been pretty okay with nudity in general. In the right setting I'm okay with it. And to each his own how you want to live your life. But I am not a nudist or naturist and no one in my family is either. I think they are some of the nicest, kindest, most genuine people I've ever met. I still have some body image hangups, especially as I get older. I’m still critical of my extra weight here or there on my belly or butt, but I feel pretty good about how I look at my age!
What do you hope audience members will take away from this play? What message, if any, do you take from it?
For me my character Sierra who came into nudism later through her husband George summed it up at the end of the show.
“This is all about acceptance, body positivity, and feeling liberated. And if we're all made in God's image, depending on what you believe, then who are we to judge?”
We judge ourselves plenty all the time. But when we come from a place of love, genuine interest and care in others, and the barriers of class come down when the clothes come off, we can really just “open up and accept our true nature.” I like that idea.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappears immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
Following my review of Disrobed - The Virtual Event, I chatted with some of the creators and cast from the play, to try to understand their motivations, experiences, and relationship to nudity and naturism as part of this production. In this first interview, I talked with Troy Peterson, the man who conceived of the Disrobed online event, co-wrote the adaptation (with Disrobed playwright Steven Vlasak), and directed and starred. Troy is a playwright and actor, and can be found on twitter at @TroyMP94.
What compelled you to take on this project? Do you consider yourself a nudist, or what is your experience with social nudity?
As a writer/director/actor, I was compelled to do a virtual version of Disrobed after seeing it in its first run because it checked a lot of boxes I was looking for creatively. It seemed ready made for a virtual production: it was obscure and new to people, had very few budgetary prerequisites (being a contemporary story with no costume or setting requirements), and it struck the uplifting tone I was looking to put out in my quarantine art. As a long-time subscriber to naturist ideals, I also saw it as a chance to spread its fun, positive message about nudity being natural, and social nudity being more fun and normal than people often think.
Also, on a purely selfish note, I had never gotten a chance to play a lead before and I felt the histrionic, nervous, overly clever role of Eric was the perfect vehicle for the Wallace Shawn-esque talents I often deploy in my acting.
What special challenges did this play present, both with its online-only presentation, and with the unusual level of nudity for cast members?
Just by virtue of its cast being spread out across four time zones, it was a challenging production to pull off. Working on the comedic timing of a screwball comedy when the person you're talking to is three states away is near-impossible. It took a really strong commitment from everyone to learn their lines in just six rehearsals across two weeks and keep their excitement levels up for a play where everyone could be seen, but aren't necessarily called upon to interact with the scene at hand. That we were able to do that despite our busy schedules and the personal loss of friends, family, and pets during production is a great testament to everyone's skill.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the nudity. We were completely transparent from the beginning and put all the control in the actors' hands. The complete script and the requirement for full nudity were listed on the initial breakdown. We communicated with every actor about what was required, and they signed waivers attesting to their agreement at every step of the way.
It may seem counterintuitive, but giving the camera to the actor in a virtual space returned a lot of power to them. On a set or stage, you are depending on your trust with the director and cinematographer that you will be filmed in a way you're okay with. In a virtual setting, the actor is their own cameraperson and has complete control over how they are shot and what is seen. It thankfully never came to this in Disrobed, but actors could have even left the virtual room if they felt disrespected or uncomfortable, simply by logging off. That’s much easier than trying to leave a toxic situation on-set.
While there were a few required poses in the script we had to clear with the actors, there was never an emphasis at any point of the process where we demanded to "see" the cast fully nude or put certain body parts on camera. That the final product has as much nudity as it does speaks to the comfort and commitment of the actors in our production and how fully they believe in our message.
We had many strong female voices in the room at every step of the way, which reinforced our ethos of respect and boundaries and went a long way to help everyone involved stay comfortable.
The play, in its many iterations, has a strong pro-nudism position. Do you share this attitude towards nudism? Do you see yourself as evangelizing nudism in this production?
I certainly share a pro-nudism attitude. While I'm more clothed than not for practical reasons in quarantine, I think it's one of the most honest, most wholesome ethos a person could have.
I don’t really think the original play was totally pro-nudism. Tom Cushing made the nudists in his original play pretty unreasonable and even mean. The family even talks about drowning Eric when they find out he's a textile in the original! I have to give all the credit to playwright Steven Vlasak and the play's stage director Brian Knudson for adapting the play to make the characters sweeter, funnier, modern, and more distinct.
While there have been some good naturist stories and movies, I think it's safe to say most of them fall into the trap of making all the naturist characters too similar, well-adjusted, and only focused on saying the party line on nudism at the drop of a hat. What this play does better than anything else I had seen in the genre is establish its nudist characters with their own independent interests, emotions, and complicated dynamics. In adapting it, my main contribution was to pump those distinctions even more and make each character stand out as unique, fully rounded people.
I think this offers the best method to "evangelize" about nudism. It's too easy to dismiss nudists as people who just want to be naked and that's all they want out of life. But by allowing them to spend an hour with funny, charming, memorable people who just happen to be naked, they can see a bit of themselves in the characters and maybe find it more palatable. Scientists, artists, accountants, professors...no matter who you are, we all have the power to reconnect with our humanity and be comfortable in our skin around others.
How do you avoid sexualizing nudity with a production that puts multiple people fully nude on camera? What ensures that this production is not sexualized?
Our commitment from the very beginning was to make this as wholesome a production as possible. When I saw the show, I realized its strength was how it felt like a cheesy 1980s sitcom episode or a 1970s Disney movie. These are the kind of earnest, sweet stories that just don't get told anymore and while some might scoff at such storytelling, I think people today could benefit from more earnestness and sweetness.
To reinforce that wholesome end, we even edited out a lot of the sex jokes from the original version with only one or two mild double entrendres remaining. While the nudity alone unfortunately means we have a more adult audience, our aim was to make something that a whole family audience could enjoy if the characters were dressed.
However, if nudism becomes more focused on being welcoming to all, listening to diverse perspectives especially from women, POC, and the LGBT+ community, and is able to portray itself as a complementary aspect to people's daily lives instead of a radical change, then it could prosper.
Of course in our society, nudity is a Rorschach test. Some people will automatically sexualize it. We can't control that kind of obsessive behavior, but it's hard to think of a less sexual pose than someone sitting with just their upper chest and face visible in a corner of a screen on a Zoom call. Our focus was always on people understanding our emotions and performance, so the blocking we use was always in favor of the story and never in service of objectifying any of us. Even during one sequence where Axel is oblivious about what his camera image looks like, no one can argue his appearance in that sequence would be sexual if he was wearing pants. Again, it all came down to our attitudes and none of us viewed ourselves or our other cast members as inherently sexual.
The source material, Barely Proper, was subtitled "An Unplayable Play". In our relatively liberal age, it has been a hit at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and now in your online production - no longer unplayable! Does this bode well for mainstream culture's acceptance of nudism, or will nudism always be relegated to the fringe of society?
Despite its success, some people might still consider it unplayable. It's tough to gauge in my American perspective, especially when our society has a tendency to swing from very liberal to conservative to back again.
On one hand, I think nudity is unfortunately an easy thing to ban for large corporations who don't want liabilities, our cinema is having a very body-negative moment due in part to the excesses and abuses of previous eras, and no one wants to make waves on social media by being too out there.
On the other hand, the naturist rhetoric is seeping into the mainstream. More and more young people are realizing how toxic a negative attitude to our body is and I would not be surprised to see topfreedom for women in America de-stigmatized in a few decades. And if movies are becoming more prudish, you can't say the same about Game Of Thrones which commanded a huge audience every week. So it's possible nudity may very well become as accepted in North America as it is in the United Kingdom, if not Scandinavia.
The acceptance of nudism is a different question I think and it depends a lot on the image that naturists present. If the focus of nudism is an insular one, one focused on little-promoted resorts, constantly ignoring broader discussions in the textile world, and focused only on being nude and nothing else, then I feel it will always be a fringe philosophy attracting only true believers.
However, if nudism becomes more focused on being welcoming to all, listening to diverse perspectives especially from women, POC, and the LGBT+ community, and is able to portray itself as a complementary aspect to people's daily lives instead of a radical change, then it could prosper.
I should also add that in the United States, the major divide between the urban and the rural might hurt nudism. People who might be interested in nudist events are moving towards urban centers, while the current nudist model centered on beaches, resorts, and nature retreats are far away from cities, making them cost-prohibitive for those people to attend. As a gig-working 20-something who lives in Los Angeles and doesn't have a car at present, it would be very expensive and time-consuming for me to go to any of the SoCal nudist resorts for even a day trip, much less become a member!
What future projects are you planning? Where will you go from here as a playwright and director?
This project has taken up so much of my time that I genuinely have no idea what I'm doing next. To be honest, I've found that my comedic acting is my most marketable skill so I'd like to work on that further through my class in the Groundlings and through comedy sketches percolating in my head. Locking down my first agent or manager would be helpful, I imagine.
However, I have some film ideas I'd like to work on and there's been an idea for a play about Abraham Lincoln meeting George Washington in Heaven bouncing around in my head. But let's not forget, there's a sequel hook at the end of Disrobed! If the play is well-received and everyone in the cast is down to return, I would definitely love to revisit these characters with our wonderful cast and crew.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappears immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
It's been a hard year. Social nudity is not possible now, and will not be for the foreseeable future. Nude parties, gatherings, swims, and bowling nights have all been cancelled. Attending movies and plays is right out as well. The pandemic put on hold a very successful revival of a nudist play - Disrobed: Why So Clothes Minded?, originally produced for the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
But adversity can inspire us to try new, better things. Many people have used the pandemic lockdowns to try home nudism for the first time, and nudist organizations (particularly BN, which has organized many online events) have reported a surge in new memberships. Nudism is certainly on the rise.
And the nudist play Disrobed has arisen again as well.
The story of this work stretches back to 1931 when playwright Tom Cushing published Barely Proper, subtitled "An Unplayable Play". In this work, a young man meets his German fiancée’s family, who are naturists, and who have been led to believe that he is a naturist as well. It was an experiment in theatre; no one would produce a play, surely, with every single cast member fully nude on stage.
Indeed, Barely Proper was not produced until a 1970 Broadway run - which found only witheringly negative reviews. It would lie dormant again for decades more, although nudist clubs would occasionally produce the play (including my local club Bare Oaks, which produced it in 2011.
The play finally hit the mainstream in 2019, when an adaptation written by Steven Vlasak and directed by Brian Knudson, Disrobed: Why So Clothes-Minded?, was performed at the Hollywood Fringe. The play received positive reviews and the Fringe festival’s Producers Encore Award, and established a monthly run for the rest of the year.
And then, 2020. With stages all over the world shuttered, it would be difficult for this play to see the curtain again.
Enter director Troy Peterson. Working with Vlasak, Peterson gave the play a very 2020 twist, changing it from a stage play to an online production. And the results are a remarkable success.
In this adaptation, Skye’s family is distributed about the globe - Skye in Iceland on a research project, brother Axel in southern California, sister Kat in New York, and parents George and Sierra in northern California. Unable to be together at Christmas, the family gathers together on Zoom, eager to meet Skye’s new boyfriend Eric, who is at home in Boston.
However, Skye has not found the nerve to tell her uptight boyfriend that her family are naturists, and they all participate in these group calls naked. Skye has also led her family to believe that Eric is also a naturist, forcing Eric to play along with a lie that is far, far outside his comfort zone.
In essence, it is a fish out of water comedy. Conventions are turned on their head, and the main character needs to work out whether they are insane, or he is; Eric and Skye are forced to choose whether their love can survive the confrontation of their very different ethics.
Each character brings a completely different energy to the production - these are not paper-thin nudist stereotypes. Eric (Peterson) is nervous and shrill as he works through the terror of being nude with this family. Skye (Eloise Gordon) has a difficult role, protecting both her family's naturist tendencies and her fiancé's extreme reaction. Axel (Ian Hayes) and Kat (Shayley Gunther) are utterly convincing as young, artistic-minded, completely comfortable naturists. And Sierra (Karen Lasater) and George (Dave McClain) are great as picture-perfect parents-of-the-girlfriend types, complete with dad jokes and hopes for grandchildren - except that they're nude. The comfort and chemistry that the cast have built comes through beautifully, even though they are in separate parts of the country, communicating only on-screen.
Successfully transplanting a stage play to Zoom seems like a daunting task, but Peterson delivers the play extremely effectively in the new medium. Instead of walking on and off stage, characters enter and leave the call. The framing of each character - sometimes to obscure nudity, and other times to present it in screen-filling detail - is used to great comedic effect. The entire narrative plays out convincingly and entertainingly throughout the play’s fifty-minute run time.
The work shows a deep understanding of the nudist perspective as well. Skye’s family is not only unconcerned about whether they are visibly nude on camera; they revel in it, knowing that they are among others who accept and appreciate being naked together.
And yes, there are nudity puns and some silly sight gags as well. The characters try to hang a lantern on some of these, but they provoke rolling eyes rather than sincere laughs.
At other times, characters - particularly Skye’s father - also fall into some tropes that always seem to choke up nudist narratives. Absurdly academic speeches don’t feel like authentic characters responding to the others around them. (Vestiges of the original play's context come out when he refers to naturism as "the movement".) Naturists don’t typically talk that way in real life.
But this is theatre, not real life, and these speeches could all be a calculated way to reach non-nudist audience members, to explain naturist ideas to them. For a naturist audience, though, this sometimes weakens the spell of the narrative.
These minor quibbles take nothing away from the marvellous effectiveness of the play, or the many very funny moments that resonate long after the virtual curtain falls. Disrobed is remarkably successful where it digs into real truths about personal integrity and expression, and modern attitudes towards nudity (which haven’t changed all that much since 1931).
The production clearly shows the influence of real naturist thinking. Some vignettes, like one’s first time undressing with a group of nudists, or the often contradictory thoughts and emotions we cling to about nude bodies, ring so true that they must surely come from some real nudist experience.
There is a distinct lack of naturist-inspired and naturist-friendly media in the world; for so many reasons, non-sexualized nudity remains a nearly impossible line to cross in our society. Disrobed should be celebrated by naturists everywhere, and supported as a positive naturist work that elevates all of our voices.
Disrobed: the Virtual Event will stream for three shows only, on January 15, 16, and 17. The performance will stream live, and disappears immediately thereafter. For information, and to purchase tickets, see https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6996.
