Bent

"Bent" -- Acclaimed Drama About Gay Persecution in Nazi Germany

In 1934 Berlin, two men are thrown on a train to Dachau as part of the Gestapo's plan to cleanse the city of "perverts." One vehemently denies his lover to the guards, but at the camp, he learns that true dignity lies in acknowledging who he is. "Bent" is an award-winning WWII drama written by Martin Sherman that tracks the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany. The play is historically significant because, before "Bent"'s first staging in London in 1979, there was little awareness of Nazi treatment of homosexuals. With its potent statement, the play has helped increase historical research of and education about their abuse. Compelling, heartbreaking and witty, "Bent" can now be seen in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum.