Leave of Absence

Vulnerable to collectivized hatred, she remains unprotected by the adults who guard her freedom – her mother, the school principal, the local priest
– all respond in different ways, some liberally supporting her emerging sexuality; others quite conservatively vilifying her as a deviant, outside
the church and outside the community. Ultimately, they do not act to protect her, and in their inaction, they are absent, truly unable to help. The
audience is left with the question: Like these characters, what have we left undone? What ethics surround the absence of acting in response to
another’s need?

At the centre of this searing drama of bigotry and transcendence is the brutal dehumanization of the other – of both the bully and the victim. The
outcome challenges the Roman Catholic church’s response to the same-sex marriage rulings in Canada. Leave of Absence won the ACTivist
theatre Amnesty International Playwright contest in 2011.

Cast of 3 women and 2 men.