Pearl-clutchers unite: NSFW comedy ‘Bocking’ kicks off Baltimore Center Stage’s new season

This week, Baltimore Center Stage launches its new season — one artistic director Stevie Walker-Webb described as the state theater of Maryland’s “riskiest and most risqué” yet.

“Bocking,” which debuts Friday, is proof this isn’t lip service: It has to be the only new American play to include a so-called gay exorcism, a chicken named Danalana Parmesana and some parents’ NSFW trip to the principal’s office that would make your mother blush.

“If you’re someone who likes to clutch your pearls, you’re going to love this play because there’s a lot of pearl clutching,” Walker-Webb said with a chuckle.

Written by 32-year-old Preston Crowder, “Bocking” is an irreverent comedy about sex, kinks, parenting and how we choose to present ourselves publicly. The ensemble cast includes Kalen Allen, the actor and social media personality with more than 2 million TikTok followers.

Those behind-the-scenes are largely keeping the plot under wraps, so your guess is as good as ours with the chicken. But the gist is simple: Two kids repeat something they overheard at home, landing both sets of parents — one conservative, one liberal and both privileged — in hot water at their school, Walker-Webb said.

The explicit satire, which runs through Sept. 6, is about more than behind-closed-doors taboos, he said. It illuminates America in 2026 and asks whether the far left and far right can find some common ground for the sake of the next generation, according to Walker-Webb.

It’s going to be a “social experiment” seeing audiences react to “Bocking,” he said.

“The things that are happening in the privacy of people’s bedrooms are suddenly going to be on stage,” Walker-Webb said.

Crowder connected with Walker-Webb through the New School of Drama, the New York university they both attended. Walker-Webb agreed to help a fellow Black playwright without reading a word on a page.

“He just was so smart and really funny. He had a really dark sense of humor,” the Center Stage artistic director said. “Then I read ‘Bocking,’ and I was like, ‘Oh holy hell, what did I say yes to?’”

Crowder, who grew up in Nashville, considers himself a provocateur. “I really want to push the boundaries of how we normalize sex on stage,” he said.

A recent rehearsal at Center Stage, located at 700 N. Calvert St. in Mount Vernon, backed up the playwright’s claim.

In one scene, an argument between the parents reached a fever pitch before Tiana Wing (played by Columbia native Rebecca Hargrove) revealed her pastor husband’s fetish to the shock of everyone on stage. A wig may have been snatched during the commotion. Most lines were unprintable in a family publication.

Hargrove said later that Crowder’s script explores the idea that we often wear masks to present our most virtuous versions of our selves to the world.

“I’m hoping people come open, ready to laugh and ready to identify with people maybe they never thought they could identify with,” she said.

The cast’s comedic delivery and rhythm will likely remind audiences of ’90s sitcoms that inspired Crowder growing up, like “The Wayans Bros.” and “Martin,” Hargrove said.

The camaraderie among the cast — which also features Sis thee Doll, Adrienne Moore, Blake Morris and Christopher Sears, along with Baltimore School for the Arts alums Hargrove and Lance Coadie Williams — has grown in recent months.

The cast and crew, who live in Center Stage-provided housing across the street from the theater, recently enjoyed crabs together at Locust Point Steamers, Hargove said.

The opportunity to work with Walker-Webb, a 2023 Tony Award nominee for best director, drew Allen to the role. Walker-Webb is “on the cusp of being one of the most prolific playwright directors,” Allen said.

Allen said “Bocking” is a response to a growing fear “in society from telling the stories of humans.”

“Theater and art aren’t supposed to necessarily make you comfortable all the time,” said Allen, who plays guidance counselor Erickson Lewis. “It’s supposed to challenge you.”

“Bocking” will see Center Stage host post-performance conversations between Crowder, cast members and celebrities such as Karrueche Tran (Aug. 19), Carla Hall (Aug. 27), LaLa Anthony (Sept. 2.) and more.

After her play “trinity” debuted here in February, Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe has returned to Center Stage as a “Bocking” producer and will also join the talks on Aug. 14 and Aug. 22.

“Bocking” is a bold introduction to Center Stage’s new 10-show season, which wraps in June with the new ballroom musical “XTRAVAGANZA,” also directed by Walker-Webb. Along the way, there will be children’s performances, August Wilson’s “King Hedley II” and a Motown-inspired Christmas production called “CHARMZ: The Other Reindeer.”

In other words, there are other options in case “Bocking” isn’t your thing, Walker-Webb said.

“Bocking” is “an opportunity just to be a little silly about s--- that we don’t always talk about,” he said. “And then if you’re very prudish, like, it’s OK. Just come catch the next one.”