Fat Pig

written by: neil labute   directed by: susie gidseg

Produced through special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc.

Directors Note

Weight is the last acceptable social prejudice in the United States. It isthe one "flaw" still deemed OK to ridicule in public. People are discriminated against on the job, in the marketplace, and in relationships due to their weight. And let's face it, the majority of them are women. Some women have given up on the idea of ever finding someone who will accept their bodies, love their bodies, and love them. Are they right to? It seems society thinks being thin means being beautiful, being successful,and having a wonderful boyfriend. But often, if you delve deeper into the psyches of the "thin girls" you don't find this. I was in a sorority, and hell, I even used to be one of the "skinny girls." I know- for many, beneath the thinly veiled facade of perfection- lies self-hatred, low self-esteem,and an obsessive desire to continue to be better, to be thinner. Eating disorders are running rampant but they are often ignored because losing weight is a "good" thing. The "best" thing. The "ideal" thing.

In the foreword to this play, the author, Neil Labute, discusses the experience he had while losing weight. It took over his life and invaded his dreams, until many other things, including his writing, fell to the backburner. Eventually, as is often the case, Labute "relapsed." What came outof this loss and gain cycle was a play filled with characters so real and vulnerable you feel like you have known them forever. You can hate all of these characters, and yet you can't. Because inside all of them is a part of yourself.

When I began the third major weight loss of my life a few months ago, I knew exactly what would happen. All of a sudden men would appear at my side, relationships once seen as impossible would become possible,and new people would suddenly want to be my friends All due to the shrinking of my body.

Behind the controversial, and shocking title, is an issue begging to be discussed,debated, and even shouted out from the rooftops. It is no longer a time to be silent about weight. It is an obsession that has seeped its way into almost every aspect of American culture. Magazines, movies, TVshows, and even the theatre has become a showplace for the "pretty." It is time, for once, to learn how to accept people for who they are inside.And just maybe, it is time to love ourselves, to actually accept our bodies andnot fight a continual war against ourselves daily. This is one war we can't afford to lose.

But who am I to talk. Here I am-on my soapbox- still dieting.

I believe in this play, in the truth that it portrays. I believe in the painful mirror it forces us to look in. I hope you can see the reflection. And I hope you remember what you see.

Enjoy the Show.
Susie Gidseg
Director