‘Calamus’ explores how far we’re willing to go in our search for identity, love, and acceptance when faced with seemingly insurmountable criticism. Do we stay true to who we are or adjust to society’s view on gender and sexuality?

‘Calamus’ brings Anton Chekhov’s classic ‘The Seagull’ (1896) together with the beauty of Walter Whitman’s ‘Calamus’ poems, which appeared in his famous collection ‘Leaves of Grass’ (1855). The ‘Calamus’ poems celebrated male companionship in its many forms and presented us with a loving, erotic Utopia of comrades and lovers, free from oppression.