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Culture Stage

>>> SummerWorks review: SExT

SEXT by Shira Taylor. Factory Studio. Aug 10 at 7:45 pm, Aug 11 at 9:15 pm, Aug 12 at 6 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNN


Want to talk about sex? The 12 talented teens in Shira Taylor’s SExT (an acronym for Sex Education by Theatre) sure do. The show is a response to Ontario parents who have been fighting the province’s controversial sex-ed curriculum for nearly a year. It’s a protest of sorts set to song and dance.

The diverse ensemble is made up of students from Flemingdon and Thorncliffe Park, two communities where opposition to progressive sex-ed is strongest. They tackle tough topics like porn, abortion, relationships and consent with a frankness and fearlessness that’s unfiltered and fun. A sketch about the race to fertilization narrated as The Hunger Games elicits loud laughs. In another memorable sketch, a superhero-style character named “Captain Condom” wears a flesh-toned top hat and wrangles a band of STIs to talk about safe sex.

It’s all delivered through pop songs, sketches and poignant spoken-word poetry, and is likely more effective delivering a message than any current sex-ed class.

In this case, the kids are all right.

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