Stop Hitting Yourself

Since 1995, Rude Mechs has created a mercurial slate of 24 theatrical productions that represent a genre-defying cocktail of big ideas, cheap laughs, and dizzying spectacle. What these works hold in common is the use of play to make performance, the use of theaters as meeting places for audiences and artists, and the use of humor as tool for intellectual investigation.

With Stop Hitting Yourself, Rude Mechs is embracing the fundamental beliefs underlying late-stage capitalism and indulging in our version of 1930’s Hollywood glamour. Part Pygmalion, part Busby Berkley, part self-help lexicon — all while dancing around a queso fountain. Rude Mechs borrows from the plots of 1930’s musicals to dig into the contemporary conservative dilemma: how to honor steely individualism without disavowing the virtue of charity. Tap dancing, fine dining, and the missionary position will be employed in order to help all Americans to stop hitting yourself.

Contains adult content, nudity and language