The boy who lives

Actor Martin Moran draws upon his experiences of being sexually abused as a child into award-winning plays The Tricky Part and All The Rage

Martin Moran

Good boys don’t talk about sex and Martin Moran (pictured) was a darling of churchgoers in Denver, USA. He was 12, had floppy blonde hair, a bright face and the sunshine in his smile. Even when he became quiet, there were no clues to his terrible secret — at a summer camp that year he had been sexually abused by his counselor, a man his parents trusted. It happened again and again, and again. “It carried on until I was 15 and it was something unspeakable. We boys have the sense of shame and I felt that I was not man enough,” says Moran. Now in his 50s, based in New York, Moran is travelling across India with two plays that have drawn upon the years of sexual abuse. Titled The Tricky Part and All The Rage, these will be staged at India Habitat Centre on November 15 and 16.
The Tricky Part was born years after Moran stifled his shame in sorrow and silence. “In my 30s, I felt the need to answer an urgent question, ‘What happened when you were a child, Martin?’ I got to the bottom of this and, in the end, the play became a deep exploration and contemplation of forgiveness,” he says over phone, where the first part of the tour was recently held. Seated alone on a stage with a photograph of himself as a 12 year old as the only prop, Moran addresses the audience: “Do you know what happened?”
The narrative pitches from Moran’s childhood and years of abuse and its aftermath to his search for the predator. “When I found and confronted him, I was 42 and he was in his 50s and living as a patient in a veteran’s hospital,” he says.
Moran’s life in Broadway, the culture district of New York, includes a slew of musicals, and he sprinkles his accounts in The Tricky Part with American humour. “I got into theatre because I was crazy,” he says, “and also because we can learn from stories, they carry ideas, messages and lessons.” He rattles off statistics: “One in every six men is abused and I am a board member of a website called http://www.oneinsix.org, a quiet and safe place for men to seek help. Poorna Jagannathan (actor of Delhi Belly who has brought Moran’s plays to India) tells me that the figures in this country could be one in two men. Men have a particular problem in not being able to speak about their trauma. With my plays, I want to start a dialogue about male abuse,” he says.
The Tricky Part premiered in New York in 2004, won an Obie Award (a prestigious award for non-mainstream theatre), and was published by the same name. All along, however, the second part of the actor’s bildungsroman was churning. “After the tricky questions were over, people would ask me, ‘Martin, why aren’t you more angry about the abuse?’ I wondered if I was burying my anger in denial. Have I not dealt with my anger? Is it buried inside me?” he says. The personal riddles grew into curiosity about human anger and forgiveness and Moran began to walk down the path where “anger and compassion collide in human life”.
All the Rage, which documents this journey in forgiveness, recounts encounters with an African immigrant who is seeking asylum in the US and “my stepmother whom I did not like” among others. It was staged in 2013 and won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show. The play, despite its spiritual tones, isn’t a sermon. Moran describes it as physical comedy in which “I run and jump around the stage and even sing a bit because the stage is where people can connect and magical things are possible”.

dipanita.nath@expressindia.com

Dipanita Nath

Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life. Professional Background Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint. Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series). Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season: 1. Climate & Environment "Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week. "How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site. "Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner. 2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage "Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle. "Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport. "The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle. 3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc" "Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema. "Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups. "How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor. Signature Style Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune. X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

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