SICK Premieres At 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival

The new docu-dramedy SICK, premiering June 9th at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival, tells the story of the early 1970s struggle to remove homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association's Manual of Mental Disorders. With humor and poignancy, 70s music, and the ghost of Freud himself, the play affirms the power of the individual to reach toward equality and human rights. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic declassification.

SICK follows the story of real-life journalist Ron Gold, an aversion therapy survivor who played a pivotal role in the declassification. Other historical figures featured in the play include Barbara Gittings, John E. Fryer, Robert Spitzer, Evelyn Hooker, and Charles Socarides. In light of recent, nation-wide anti-LGBTQ laws, SICK is a timely reminder of the importance of resistance.

SICK won the West Hollywood Pride Art Festival Playwriting Competition (in association with the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights) in 2020 and received a virtual reading. The play's June run is its world premiere as a full production.

Critical Acclaim: Michael Lamb, Editor in chief of Echelon Magazine calls SICK “an important piece, both timely and timeless,” and Anthony D'Augelli, author of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identities says, “The play is truly excellent....very useful history presented in a compelling way.”

SICK is being produced during Pride Month, at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival, June 8-25, 2023. It is written and directed by award-winning playwright Dahn Hiuni. Grammy-nominated composer Larry Williams provides an original score.