Slipping takes on bullying and teen angst at Studio 620

Drew Smith doesn't understand why so many people think the play Slipping, in which he stars as a bullied and abused gay teen, is controversial. The 22-year-old, handsome actor plays the lead character in the Studio@ 620 production, running now through Feb. 19.

â┚¬Å”Why is it controversial?â┚¬Â Smith wonders during an interview at the studio in downtown St. Petersburg. â┚¬Å”I don't feel like it is. I'm open-minded and I don't see a problem with representing a certain sexual orientation. To me, that's not controversial.â┚¬Â

Smith is straight and says he has known gay people all of his life and has never understood why someone would be so opposed to another person's sexuality. The former Eckerd College soccer star adds that his only apprehension in taking on the role of â┚¬Å”Eliâ┚¬Â were the nude scenes in the intimate theater.

â┚¬Å”It was different playing gay at first, but I got used to it and lost myself in the character,â┚¬Â Smith says. â┚¬Å”I think it helps that the cast is all straight and that their characters pretend to be straight, while my character is out. The hardest part was getting naked on stage.â┚¬Â

The studio's artistic director, Bob Devin Jones, says he had Smith in mind for the lead role from the beginningâ┚¬â€shortly after he saw the production of Slipping nearly two years ago.

â┚¬Å”I had seen Drew do a monologue at Eckerd and I thought, â┚¬ËœHere's an athlete with sensitivity,'â┚¬Â Jones says. â┚¬Å”I wanted to give him an opportunity.â┚¬Â

After Smith read the script, he was interested in the role, but told his director he didn't want to kiss or â┚¬Å”show any wedding tackle.â┚¬Â

â┚¬Å”Now he's doing both,â┚¬Â Jones laughs. â┚¬Å”He's immersed himself in the story and in the character.â┚¬Â

This production is the Florida premiere of Daniel Talbott's drama, which surprised audiences in New York.

The story follows Eli, who is alone and friendless after the death of his father and being dumped by his abusive boyfriend. The high school senior moves with his mom from San Francisco to Iowa and his possible relationship with a closeted boy in his new school.

â┚¬Å”I really related to Eli,â┚¬Â Smith says. â┚¬Å”He's picked on a lot and I was tooâ┚¬â€although not for the same reasons. I know how he masks it and knows why he puts up a front.â┚¬Â

Smith says that when he was in school he was emotional, especially when it came to athletics. He adds that when those emotions got the best of him, other students and athletes would taunt him.

The cast of Slipping is smallâ┚¬â€three men and one woman take the stage. The small group has bonded, Smith says, and that has helped create a more powerful presence on the stage, be believes.

â┚¬Å”We all interact so muchâ┚¬â€I'm in every sceneâ┚¬â€that we've become very comfortable with each other,â┚¬Â Smith says. â┚¬Å”When you reach that point you can truly lose yourself in your character and portray what that character feels. Being so close to my cast mates has actually helped us portray violence.â┚¬Â

Jones adds that the skills of his actors are impressive, and that it shows on stage.

â┚¬Å”Drew, like all good actors, is intense and willing to explore,â┚¬Â Jones says. â┚¬Å”I knew the cast would interact well and handle the different sets of circumstances of their characters. This is not a gay play, it's a play about people.â┚¬Â

Smith agrees. Everyone has dealt with self-loathing at some point in their lives, he says, and the characters of Slipping portray that throughout the play. Jones adds that the revelations in the script are relatable by anyone.

â┚¬Å”There's a universal humanity in it,â┚¬Â Jones says. â┚¬Å”It's a difficult subject matter but you make the characters specific and they become universal. It's just a beautifully written piece.â┚¬Â

The Advocate named Slipping as one of the Ten Best gay plays of the year and playwright Larry Kramer (Faggots, The Normal Heart) calls it a play about love and how it it is so hard for so many of us to face it and know what to with it.

It's a true depiction of life, according to Smith, and sometimes that depiction isn't always flattering.

â┚¬Å”People are peopleâ┚¬â€straight or gay,â┚¬Â Smith says. â┚¬Å”And a lot of them are mean. To me, that's more controversial than telling a story of an abused, gay teen. How we choose to portray ourselves is what is controversial.â┚¬Â

For more information or tickets to Slipping, visit Studio620.org.