Heart's Desire

Esterya Ensemble & HaSimta Theater present:

The play takes place in a church-owned venue in Britain and depicts a series of meetings between a young student named Jude (the name alludes to Judas Iscariot) and a priest. The purpose of the meetings is to change Jude’s sexual orientation. The reason is that Jude was caught by his father watching pornography, and his father sent him for “treatment” through the church.

Jude, a religious young man, does everything he can to please his father and be “loved” by God. While undergoing “treatment,” he imagines his youth-group counselor, Joshua (the name alludes to Jesus), with whom he is in love. Joshua knows nothing about this. Jude dreams of living with his beloved as a couple and raising a child together.

The performance examines the impact of conversion therapy on the minds of young people with different sexual orientations, and its social implications.