DISROBED - THE VIRTUAL EVENT to Return for a Virtual Run

After five years, the irreverent nudist comedy Disrobed - The Virtual Event, has returned for a new virtual run from January 8th to February 1st. A love story that spoke to an isolated time, audience members will once again have a chance to tune into a filmed performance of a hilarious quarantine love story unlike anything you'll see on Netflix or Disney+.

"Disrobed" tells the story of Eric (Troy Peterson), a bashful, buttoned-up accountant who's joining the family of his socially distanced fiancée Skye (Eloise Gordon) in their Zoom happy hour for the first time. He thinks their engagement will be the big reveal of the day, only to discover Skye's family are all nudists and she's told them he's "one of us!" Audience members will discover that though the clothes come off, the humor, heart, and humanity of this lockdown parable on love and family remain in full view.

Originating as a 2019 stage play by Steven Vlasak based on the naturist classic "Barely Proper" by Tom Cushing, director/actor Troy Peterson remembered the show during the midst of the COVID pandemic and reasoned "If people don't need to put on pants to work from home in 2020, then why put on pants to put on a show?" Peterson and Vlasak updated the play to reflect the reality of quarantine life and recruited talented actors from all over the country to play the role of the lovable nudist family. Working across all four time zones, this can-do cast honed their comedic chemistry together. One even wrote an original song for the show's big musical number!

This run was presented in conjunction with the Hollywood Fringe Festival, which presented the original stage version in 2019. While the stage show is famous for requiring an all-nude audience, this virtual production can be enjoyed in the privacy of your own home through a Vimeo link to the filmed performance. This allowed the short opening run to attract a global audience of over 500 naturists, nudists, and prudish "textiles" alike from four continents.

Audience members responded rapturously with Matthew McDermott of writenude.com writing that "The comfort and chemistry that the cast have built comes through beautifully" and screenwriter Daniel Moya (18 ½, KillerKate) opining that it is "the most effective use of pandemic-centric Zoom filmmaking I've seen thus far." One woman found it "so empowering" while theater critics Ricky Young and Dana Howze declared it "quite funny, touching, and tastefully done" and nominated it as one of the Best Long-Form Zoom Plays of the Year.

The show went on to play multiple Fringe Festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won multiple online awards. It was nominated for three Worldwide Comedy Awards including Best Direction, Best Writing, and Best Performance (Eloise Gordon). Peterson and Vlasak revived the show for a live audience at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2023 and once again won the Encore Award and was nominated for Best Immersive Show. In 2026, Peterson will be directing an expanded feature film version with the original zoom cast and many alumni of the stage show returning to reprise their roles.

Presented by Troy Matthew Peterson Productions and the Southern California Naturist Association, this unique film/theatre hybrid humorously challenges preconceived notions of body image, modesty, and personal acceptance, while delivering a contemporary and humorous pun-laden plot. Stay tuned for a special message about the feature after the screening.

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