by Rob Salerno
RAW is a darkly comic drama about sexual ethics and HIV in the 21st century. Two men become bound by sex and violence after a sexual encounter where Stephen doesn’t tell James that he is HIV-positive. As criminal proceedings weigh over them, they come to navigate their new reality together.
Production History and Rights:
RAW was developed with the help of Ontario Arts Council Theatre Creators Reserve grants awarded on the recommendation of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and the Cabaret Company. An early draft of the show was workshopped at the 2012 Toronto Fringe, with cast Jason Stroud and Rob Salerno. In 2014, Rob Salerno was invited to develop the script in residency at the Banff Playwrights Colony. The final draft received a public reading as part of the 2015 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival and was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2020 Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition.
An excerpt from RAW was included in Refractions: Scenes an anthology of scenes from Canadian plays edited by Yvette Nolan and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, published by Playwrights Canada Press. It’s available for order from Playwrights Canada Press, or can be purchased through Amazon.ca.
Ten Foot Pole Theatre is currently looking for opportunities to develop or produce RAW. Please contact rob@tenfootpole.ca if you are interested.
Is a french translation available?
A French translation is not currently available, but I welcome anyone who would like to read the English draft and work on a translation.