Chukwudi Blessing
Professor Ladd
THE 120
16 March 2015
Stop Kiss Reflection
Stop Kiss is a theatrical play that was written in 1988 that takes place in New York containing many themes and central messages that could be easily grasped. With Callie being a college student in New York she struggles with revealing and coping with her true identity and inner self. With Sara being a teacher she moves to the Bronx to explore her teaching career and passion for kids. Occasionally, the two meet and settle into a friendship of mixed feelings that intensifies when their friendship turns into something that can be described as more than just a friendship. The two main characters display what goes on in today’s society, the harassment of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals being victimized because of who they choose to be in public. The play takes a dramatic turn when the story unfolds and Sarah is meaninglessly attacked by a bystander watching them explore their inner selves as their first kiss took place. The actors delivered great acting and stuck to their main character never losing sight of their role in the play. With the setting taking place in Callie’s apartment and hospital the audience was often drawn in by the cool lighting techniques that occasionally set the mood and vibe along with the music connecting to much of what was occurring in the play creating an emotional connection between the audience and cast members. For example, the hospital scene with the sound of the machine beeping was excellent when creating a sense of reality for the audience. The machine Sarah relied on took a toll on the audience by making the audience feel as if they were actually in the hospital room only by listening to the reoccurring sound of the machine Sarah’s life depended on. “Stop Kiss” expressed human emotion, compassion, and confused feelings when debuting on the feelings the two