The reason why I chose "Cloud Nine" by Caryl Churchill as a theatrical monument is that I think the subjects that the play touches are still present today 'very sensitive today. When this play was written, sexual repression was still a big thing when people didn't have as much freedom as they do today to express and be accepted for their sexuality. Gay marriages are now legal, which is a big step forward since those days. Even though there are still countries today where homosexuality is illegal or looked down upon. “Cloud Nine” also talks about femininity which is still a big subject we talk about today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essay 'Cloud Nine' is a play written by Caryl Churchill in the 1970s and was first performed at Darlington College of Arts on February 14, 1979. Caryl Churchill began writing in the 1960s and some of her key early pieces were "Owners" in 1972, "Vinegar Tom" in 1976, "Top Girls" in 1982. "Cloud Nine" n was not strictly written with a feminist approach, she. started writing it with the concept of sexual repression and how it can affect a person on how they live and/or feel. The first act takes place in Africa circa the 1800s, during the British Victorian era; Churchill completely avoids giving precise dates. This generalizes the play in such a way that although the general era is given, specific moments are not, the act is, in a roundabout way, timeless. This also reinforces the idea that this play is fiction as there is no exact time stamp to refer to and the characters are played by the opposite sex which adds to the idea that this play is fiction, this idea also breaks the fourth wall which is a Brechtian technique. Act 2 takes place in London around 1979 where all British colonialism no longer existed but some repressions remained intact. “Cloud Nine” begins with a song paying homage to England; the action begins immediately after the song ends. Everyone except Clive and Betty leave the stage. This presents them as significant characters. Churchill presents his first gender mismatch where men play women and women play men, this is explained by the comedic aspect of the play where the audience cannot help but laugh. Churchill complicates things by confusing genders and their sexual orientation. Characters who are not played by the opposite sex have abnormal sexual orientations. One of the characters in the play, for example Harry, has sex with a little boy. "…I want to do it again. I think about it all the time. I try to make it happen but it's not as good. Don't you want it anymore?" (Act 1, page 25, Edward) Then Harry replies: "Yes, but it is a sin and a crime and it is also wrong." (Act 1, page 25, Harry) Which shows that Harry knows it is wrong and a sin but he will not stop because it feeds his sexual desires. You really have to think outside the box with the work of Caryl Churchill. “Cloud Nine” offers a theatrical approach to making connections between sex, gender, colonialism, and politics, which we see repeatedly throughout the play. In the play, sex and politics are somewhat intertwined and the characters believe that you cannot separate the two, the idea that you cannot have one without the other. “We cannot separate fucking and the economy” (Act 2, page 75, Victoria). Harry and Betty show their attraction to each other by flirting and later Harry asks the servant Joshua to sleep with.