Private Lies: 2 Plays About Prostitution and Johns June 13, 2010

Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation presents two new one-act plays, written by two Chicago playwrights, examining one problem--prostitution--from a new angle. Caleb Probst's 'The Strings Attached' and James Frizzell's 'The Johns' explore the underlying causes of the demand for prostitution through their portrayals of four men who buy sex. Raw with emotion, these plays delve into a psychological terrain that still remains largely ignored. The audience is taken to revelatory heights as the dark secrets of those individuals driving the demand for the sex trade are unearthed to reveal their true motivations, encompassing both the horror and banality of exploitation, lust, and power. The production is presented by End Demand Illinois, a coalition of 20 organizations working to end sexual exploitation by directly addressing the culture, institutions and individuals that perpetrate, profit from or tacitly support sexually exploitive acts against people. The audience will be invited to stay for talk-backs with prostitution survivors, experts in the field, and the plays' artists following the Thursday and Sunday performances.