About

We’re a group of students from Muhlenberg College studying theatre who share a passion for the play Indecent.

Read our Directors’ Note:

Inspired by Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance and the controversy surrounding the content of the play, Paula Vogel wrote the play Indecent in 2015 to encourage conversation and motivate change. When discussing God of Vengeance, Vogel expresses that the play “did exactly what plays should do – it provoked people into talking” (Vogel, para 3). She also took inspiration from Asch’s bravery. Vogel elaborates in an interview with Vineyard Theatre saying that Asch was remarkably courageous, especially in times of heavy anti-semitism, writing a piece about how Jews are “no different than… people of any religion, in terms of having people in the tribe who may sell religion for a profit, or who are hypocrites” (Vogel, para 1). Additionally, he was brave to write a play during this time, which shows a compassionate understanding of lesbianism, documenting the love story between two women. 

When creating Indecent, Vogel sought to put Asch – the young Yiddish writer – in an empathetic state with audiences. She believes that Asch’s play, when performed, was severely misinterpreted and should be recognized more as a “love story in terrible time” (Vogel, para 11). In the 1920s – when God of Vengeance was first played on the American stage – Asch was concerned that Americans were not ready to accept the play. This fear became a reality when the entire cast of God of Vengeance was arrested in 1923 on obscenity charges. While modern society and values have evolved over the past century, Vogel still makes it very clear that antisemitism and anti-LGBTQ views are still present in our society. To her, Indecent serves as a way of addressing the audience with both of these topics, encouraging acceptance and understanding.

The story of Indecent is a “play within a play”, timelining a production that broke the traditional norms of Jewish theatre. Through this concise timeline, Paula Vogel allows the audience to witness the impact of Sholem Asch’s play worldwide and the discriminative social barriers unique to America. One of which was a language barrier. Many characters in the play lost power and opportunity when traveling to America due to their inability to speak English. One of these examples is Reina: who prefers to stay true to her faith and background in favor of industrial success in America’s capitalist society. As God of Vengeance was translated into English for American audiences, Reina – who was originally in the cast – was relieved of her duties due to her struggles to learn English. Furthermore, this English translation doesn’t fully resemble Asch’s original story, due to his inability to learn English. Additionally, we see the “rain scene” – where Dorothee and Virginia fall in love – get cut from the play, before opening in the Apollo Theater in February 1923. This moment in the timeline is significant because it takes away a core piece of the lesbianism of the show. 

Through documenting this entire story, Paula Vogel allows audiences to reflect on these events and focus in-depth on the people involved. This show certainly has modern relevance as well. Vogel, in writing Indecent, strives to address and inform audiences of artistic and queer censorship. These topics of discrimination against certain ethnicities, religions, and sexualities are pertinent in today’s society, and Indecent is valuable in evaluating these subjects. Additionally, Indecent was prohibited from being performed at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville this year for its “closer review of mature content”. This decision, to many students, was seen as the school abiding by the “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed in July 2022 in Florida. While Paula Vogel, among many students, was outraged by this decision, it also shows why this production is so vital to be told in today’s society. Indecent is relevant in its prominent presentation of Judaism and lesbianism and how it beautifully addresses the state of our society.