There are several people out there who are dealing with some sort of eating disorder, which is having a significant impact on their health and their day to day lives. Chances are, even if you don’t have an eating disorder yourself, there’s a strong chance that you know someone who does. It’s just like any other mental illness, and deserves far more attention and discussion than it is currently getting from society. Thankfully, The Ugly Kids – one of several outings at this year’s Fresh Fruit Festival – is here to try and shine some light on the effect this issue is having on young people.

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It’s easy to forget that it was only recently – toward the beginning of this decade – that openly gay and lesbian soldiers were allowed to serve in the U.S. military, not to mention how the overall cultural shift in favor of LGBTQ rights is a relatively recent shift that largely began in the 21st century. So when looking back on World War II, when homosexuality was still largely seen by the broader public as if it were some sort of sickness, it’s worth wondering what it must have been like to be a gay, closeted soldier during that pivotal moment in history, and that’s exactly what the new play All My Love, Kate – written and directed by Joe Breen – explores at this year’s Fresh Fruit Festival.

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Deciding whether or not you and your partner do or do not want kids is a big factor, in terms of deciding whether or not you not only love someone, but whether or not you want to actually spend the rest of your life with that particular person. Particularly when it’s a gay or lesbian couple, who have been planning with medical assistance to have a baby for awhile, then it can come as being hurtful, when one half of the couple suddenly decides – after months, if not years of planning – that they no longer want a child, even if the other passionately does. This is exactly the dynamic that is explored beautifully in Half Me, Half You, the new drama by Liane Grant that recently played at the Fresh Fruit Festival, and at this point, easily ranks as one of my favorite plays of the year.

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