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He Asked For It
"Patterson has accomplished quite a feat in writing a play that tackles tough issues around HIV while getting his audience to intermittently roar with laughter. Even though this play is nothing like Angels in America, I daresay that Mr. Kushner would be proud."
– The Advocate It’s the early 2000s, before PrEP. Ted is new to Los Angeles, and newly out of the closet. He goes on a journey through Hollywood back rooms, nightclub bathrooms, and Internet chat rooms—where he meets and falls in love with Henry. But Henry doesn’t yet know how to navigate the dating landscape with his new HIV diagnosis, so he breaks things off with Ted...who then makes a desperate decision to win Henry back. He Asked For It asks how far are you willing to go for love? And how much will you forgive?
NOMINEE , Outstanding Los Angeles Theater, GLAAD Media Awards
NOMINEE , World Premiere Playwriting, Ovation Awards
Play Details
He Asked For It is a full-length play in two acts, with one intermission. This edition of He Asked For It includes a BONUS third act that further expands the story. The play can be performed with or without Act 3.
1 female, 6 male
Drama, Dark Comedy, Edgy, New Plays, Subversive, Gay Theater, Queer Theater, Provocative, Epic
LGBTQ, gay, romance, HIV, Hollywood, tragedy, forgiveness, radical, bold, love story, suicide, coming out, hate, hate crimes, gay life, dysfunction, redemption, loss, remorse, intimacy, intimacy coordinator, sex, nudity, cancer, loneliness, West Hollywood, WeHo, nightlife, chat rooms, family, love, Grindr, AOL, graphic content, acting, representation
Character
TED, an actor from Wyoming (20s)
NEAL, a buff, gym dude (20s to 30s)
RIGBY, gaffer from Encino (30s to 40s)
MARCUS, Ted’s agent (30s to 50s)
SOPHIE, Ted’s sister (16)
HENRY, not an actor, a romantic (20s to 30s)
STEVE, an athletic stud (20s to 30s)
"This is a brave, worthy take on a difficult topic."
– The Los Angeles Times
About the Author
Erik Patterson 's plays include He Asked For It , Sick , One of the Nice Ones , Handjob , and I Wanna Hold Your Hand . His theater work has been produced or developed by Playwrights’ Arena, the Los Angeles Theatre Centre, Theatre of NOTE, the Evidence Room, The Actors’ Gang, the Echo Theater Company, the Lark Play Development Center, Moving Arts, Black Dahlia, Naked Angels, the Mark Taper Forum, and New Group. His plays have been nominated for the Ovation Award, the Stage Raw Award, the LA Weekly Award, and the GLAAD Media Award. His writing for TV has been recognized with the Humanitas Prize and the Writer's Guild Award, as well as two Emmy nominations. Along with his writing partner, Jessica Scott, Erik has written films for Warner Bros., Universal, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Freeform, MTV, Paramount, Hallmark, and Syfy, among others. Film and TV credits Abandoned (starring Emma Roberts and Michael Shannon), R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour , Another Cinderella Story (starring Selena Gomez and Jane Lynch), Deep Blue Sea 2 , Radio Rebel , and many more. Erik is a graduate of Occidental College and the British American Drama Academy. He hosts a gently-guided writing sprint online called “Sunday Sprints” that attracts writers seeking community and inspiration to do their best work.
– The Advocate It’s the early 2000s, before PrEP. Ted is new to Los Angeles, and newly out of the closet. He goes on a journey through Hollywood back rooms, nightclub bathrooms, and Internet chat rooms—where he meets and falls in love with Henry. But Henry doesn’t yet know how to navigate the dating landscape with his new HIV diagnosis, so he breaks things off with Ted...who then makes a desperate decision to win Henry back. He Asked For It asks how far are you willing to go for love? And how much will you forgive?
NOMINEE , Outstanding Los Angeles Theater, GLAAD Media Awards
NOMINEE , World Premiere Playwriting, Ovation Awards
Play Details
He Asked For It is a full-length play in two acts, with one intermission. This edition of He Asked For It includes a BONUS third act that further expands the story. The play can be performed with or without Act 3.
1 female, 6 male
Drama, Dark Comedy, Edgy, New Plays, Subversive, Gay Theater, Queer Theater, Provocative, Epic
LGBTQ, gay, romance, HIV, Hollywood, tragedy, forgiveness, radical, bold, love story, suicide, coming out, hate, hate crimes, gay life, dysfunction, redemption, loss, remorse, intimacy, intimacy coordinator, sex, nudity, cancer, loneliness, West Hollywood, WeHo, nightlife, chat rooms, family, love, Grindr, AOL, graphic content, acting, representation
Character
TED, an actor from Wyoming (20s)
NEAL, a buff, gym dude (20s to 30s)
RIGBY, gaffer from Encino (30s to 40s)
MARCUS, Ted’s agent (30s to 50s)
SOPHIE, Ted’s sister (16)
HENRY, not an actor, a romantic (20s to 30s)
STEVE, an athletic stud (20s to 30s)
"This is a brave, worthy take on a difficult topic."
– The Los Angeles Times
About the Author
Erik Patterson 's plays include He Asked For It , Sick , One of the Nice Ones , Handjob , and I Wanna Hold Your Hand . His theater work has been produced or developed by Playwrights’ Arena, the Los Angeles Theatre Centre, Theatre of NOTE, the Evidence Room, The Actors’ Gang, the Echo Theater Company, the Lark Play Development Center, Moving Arts, Black Dahlia, Naked Angels, the Mark Taper Forum, and New Group. His plays have been nominated for the Ovation Award, the Stage Raw Award, the LA Weekly Award, and the GLAAD Media Award. His writing for TV has been recognized with the Humanitas Prize and the Writer's Guild Award, as well as two Emmy nominations. Along with his writing partner, Jessica Scott, Erik has written films for Warner Bros., Universal, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Freeform, MTV, Paramount, Hallmark, and Syfy, among others. Film and TV credits Abandoned (starring Emma Roberts and Michael Shannon), R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour , Another Cinderella Story (starring Selena Gomez and Jane Lynch), Deep Blue Sea 2 , Radio Rebel , and many more. Erik is a graduate of Occidental College and the British American Drama Academy. He hosts a gently-guided writing sprint online called “Sunday Sprints” that attracts writers seeking community and inspiration to do their best work.
173 pages, Paperback
Published March 5, 2023
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 5, 2024
Good. Thought provoking. But incredibly familiar. I know this story from somewhere. It could be that the characters all fit into their very stereotypical roles. It seems a bit unsatisfying in the end as the "bad guy" gets the good ending with resolution and hope while none was given to the "good guy" and the other "bad guy" just has no consequences. A bit too much like real life for me. It is a play, not a fictional novel, to be fair, so i shouldn't always expect that happy ending. But i do find them so satisfying. It does definitely fit the bill for emotional and thought provoking. Watching the right actors perform this play could take it that extra step to 5 star for me.
January 21, 2024
Has left me speechless. An incredible, vulnerable, powerful read. The kind of story that paints tragedy beautifully and you find yourself sitting in awe of it all. Shattered my heart into so many pieces, and I absolutely love it.
September 12, 2025
Unlike anything I've read before. A beautiful and terrifying study of the human brain.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews