Mainstage Production Indecent by Paula Vogel Directed by Ann-Marie Pereth and Joseph Kucan Location: SST Studio Theater, 4340 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89103 (This is NOT at the Ranch; it is near the intersection of Valley View and Harmon.) October 27-Nov 20, 2023 APF presents the first mainstage production of its 10th season! Ann-Marie Pereth and Joseph Kucan team up to direct Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Indecent, a provocative look at one of history’s most revered, most reviled plays. Inspired by true events, Indecent reveals the history of and the controversies surrounding the 1923 debut of Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance, a play seen as both a seminal work of Jewish Culture and an act of traitorous libel. Through mesmerizing storytelling, traditional music, and powerhouse performances, Indecent celebrates the resilience of art and those who risk everything to create it. Tickets may be purchased online until 1 hr prior to show time. The onsite box office opens at 6 pm. House opens at 6:30 pm.

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DRAMATURGY

A Word from the Dramaturg

Indecent is a smart, fast-paced play that has a little bit of everything. Take in the optimism of the Yiddish renaissance, a taste of the cocaine-and-jazz-fueled Weimar Berlin scene, and a look at the power of artists to resist the crushing foot of oppression. Conceived by Tony Award winning director Rebecca Taichman and written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, Indecent centers around the real life story of the 1907 Yiddish play The God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch. For 17 years Asch’s play was a roaring success all across Europe, but was subsequently put on trial for obscenity in the U.S. because it featured two women kissing. During World War II, it was still performed, although illegally, in the Nazi ghettos, and it continues to be performed today. What makes this such a compelling story is the notion that even in the depths of depravity, love can wash the muck from your soul like a sweet spring rain. Fervent love is truly pure, unlike purity sold in the forms of religious pietism or racial supremacy. Lemml loves The God of Vengeance as much as Rifkele loves Manke, and in both cases, that love gives them the strength to pull themselves out of their subjugation. I hope you are moved as much as you are entertained tonight and that the beauty of this story inspires you to cherish or find the kind of love in your life that gives you the strength to face that which feels impossible.

Leah Flowers, 27 October 2023