It was an unusual double bill  this past Wednesday at Buddies in Bad Times, the queer theatre HQ in downtown Toronto, on the edge of the gay village.  But here's the challenge: how to merge a panel discussion about 3MV, the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP)’s flagship program for engaging young black men – and theatre? But not just any theatre – theatre featuring the testimonies of some of the program’s graduates. Did it work, you ask? It sure did. In fact the whole evening was quite wonderful.

The panel discussion, by the way, was broadcast live on the world-wide web as part of the CIHR-SRC Café Scientifique series. 

But first you need to understand what 3MV is.  The name stands for Many Men, Many Voices. It’s an intervention that’s been going three years here under Toronto Black CAP’s auspices.  Groups of fifteen or so young black men, ages 16-29, meet for three days and two nights.  The intensive work they do is designed to build community and enhance self esteem related to racial and sexual identity. In doing so, the program aims to address factors that may contribute to HIV and STI risk. So it looks at sexual health issues but from within a very broad social framework.

For the first part of evening, notable panellists included Black CAP’s David Lewis-Peart, whom I worked with on Ontario’s HIV Stigma campaign way back when. David’s description of the intervention – he has been instrumental in it from the beginning - included tidbits like how participants visit Toronto’s Hassle Free Clinic to observe a live point-of-care HIV test. Also notable was well known researcher Barry Adam who positioned this project in the context of an as-yet small group of interventions building on the resilience factor present in the gay, bi and trans men’s community, and the increasing realization that we have to support each other in order to thrive. Adam Benn and Lali Mohammed were good too, and Dr. Lance McCready was both knowledgeable and funny.

All this really served as a tasty appetizer for the main course.  Four young black men, four microphones, four music stands and a creation called Picasso’s Black Canvas.  That it is still in development - a two month old evolving script created by young playwright Antonio Cayonne and directed by Andrew Kushner – mattered not one bit.  It made for riveting, pro-quality theatre.

The  origins of the piece are intriguing.  The script of Picasso’s Black Canvas (it’s a working title, by the way) is drawn from transcripts of interviews with 3MV participants – young black men talking frankly, often humorously, about their lives. It’s a 40 minute piece right now, using a technique called “verbatim theatre”.  In other words, the spoken words, are real men’s words. As now staged – this was technically a reading, but delivered with considerable passion – the part-poetry part-prose piece is recited by the four young men on stage, sometimes in unison, sometimes individually. It’s both unique and riveting. What was remarkable about this performance though was the strength - in all senses of the word – of the four on stage.  Their rendition was confident, poised and together – all characteristics , I suspect, of the young men that emerge from the 3MV experience.

The four had been chosen from auditions.  Only one is a graduate of 3MV though; he was joined by a second young man with no previous acting experience plus two young men, experienced actors both.  Their names?  Watch these four – Samson Brown, Daniel Ellis, Tawiah M’Carthy, Thomas Olajide.

The play also is important in that it represents an unusual intersection of HIV prevention, research and drama. The drama piece reflects the partnership formed with Project Humanity, a not-for-profit that raises awareness about social issues through the arts. What am amazing extension of the work of the 3MV facilitators they have produced!

It was a memorable evening.  Huge kudos to 3MV Coordinator Sebastiao Dinguana-Sivuilu and his Black CAP fellow staffers for pulling off an almost impossible challenge, and doing it with so much class.

It’s here folks! It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was preparing for last year’s Pride. How things have changed in a space of year.

I’m Jewish. I’m a comic. Gone are the activist days, and I’m so fucking happy. If I hear one more person seriously try to tell my why I have to say all the letters in LGBT…….

I will barf. This happened about two weeks ago.

People, wake up! I don’t give a shit. I don’t even want to give a shit. I just want to have fun. I now shun people who think that social justice and action means spending hours analyzing the semantic nuances of acronyms.

I’ve discovered that I’m actually quite allergic to people who wrap themselves up in oppression to live out their lives. It’s a violent allergy in fact. I’ve been told to keep my Epi Pen with me at all times, especially during Pride.

Coming up this week I have a set at the Laugh at Slacks Music Bar & Lounge Open Mic on Wednesday (June 27^th).  I’m really looking forward to it, as it’s a stellar line up. So much so I’m a little intimidated by it. But I’m intimidated by everything, that’s the problem being really neurotic. I’m not really happy until I have something about which to worry.

The main even for me is July 4^th. I’ll be hosting the Laugh at Slacks show. Not only is it the American Independence Day, it’s also my Chihuahua’s fourth birthday. I’m hoping the weather is nice, but not too hot. Slacks front opens up completely to allow some of the street life in. On the first night of Laughs at Slacks, I could see pedestrians stopping to check out the action going on inside.

The next day I heard about people who had been walking by and recognizing my voice bellowing over the PA system. We really haven’t had a venue open up onto Church St. like this since the days of Bar 501’s Window Show.

I’m really hoping that this can be cultivated, providing it doesn’t get so hot that the A/C forces the windows to be closed up.

In any event, come out and support the only open mic gear for specifically women and the “gays” (fill in the letters accordingly – I’m calling July 4^th a BYOL even “bring your own letters, or in this case lesbians too). 

I love the women comics. The energy is very different. I find them to be more supportive, and I get to hang out with them in ways that the straight comics don’t always get to. It feels less competitive. During my first set at Slacks, I could see the comics attentively listening and engaged. It was really nice.

Now that my Jewish conversion is done, I’ll be announcing far and wide that I have the freshest kosher virgin cock in all of Pride 2012. I think it will make for a great ad on Craig’s List or Kijiji.

Being on stage is great. Instead of shelling out money for a Manhut profile (btw someone still has a profile using my photos. I’m very flattered that he says I’m only 37) I just announce on stage that I’m single & looking for cute Jewish guys. And if it’s the kind of date that only lasts under 60 mins, then I don’t care what the guy’s background is. Just bring the right body parts for the occasion and we’ll be great 

Happy Pride Everyone and remember to come out to Slacks June 27^th & July 7^th. Come to July 4^th if you have to choose! 

Let’s face it, some shows will never please everybody. Some shows can be downright divisive, in fact, and Einstein on the Beach, currently playing at Toronto`s Sony Centre as part of the Luminato Festival’s always stellar line-up of both challenging and highly accessible  work, is a prime example.  Look at the reviews this same production garnered in previous stops on this world tour – from The Barbican  in London, for instance, where it touched down last month – and you`ll see critics gave it everything from five stars down to one.

A lot depends on whether you like Philip Glass.

I need to put my prejudices right here on the line.  I LOVE the guy and his music. He has orchestrated some of the more memorable moments in the soundtrack of my life. Some pieces have just gelled  magically with  moments in time.  Taking off in a plane on the way to Rio to the music of The Photographer (1983) for instance, played on headphones though my Walkman (remember them?).  Turning my doubting partner on to the incredible staging of 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof (1988) which, incidentally, was also performed at the Sony Centre back then.  Being incredibly moved by the Glass soundtracks to the eye-blowing  movies Koyaaisquati  (1982) and Powaqqatsi (1998) and then seeing them performed live by The Phillip Glass Ensemble. So I have history.

Not that there haven’t been issues about the music.  "Repetitive" my partner says.  “Boring!"  “No, minimalist" I say. Although in truth it's not, and Glass himself rejects that minimalist label except as applied to his earlier works.  And here`s the thing.  Minimalism is a bit subjective. Glass may sound merely repetitive, but listen closely and it's anything but.  Glass today is all about variations, gradiated changes that take time to develop in highly rhythmic progressions and which warrant close listening rather than casual  attention. I find all Glass music a fascinating listening experience, in fact, which is why the prospect of a marathon abstract opera like Einstein on the Beach – with no plot, no less – not the least bit intimidating.

I say marathon because this one clocks in at four hours and twenty minutes, with no intermission. You are free to come and go as you please. In the dark bowels of the Sony Centre auditorium, this provides some diversion in itself, as patrons struggle to re-find their seats in the dark. There was also a flurry of audience exits about thirty minutes in to the show, as some, likely horrified, decided Glass was not for them.  But those who stayed were positively rapt – in fact I have seldom been in such a clearly focussed audience.

What do you see on stage? It’s really hard for me to describe, given its abstract nature combined with my lack of knowledge of Einstein’s life. So one struggles to understand what is happening, but no matter.  Musically one sometimes wishes Glass would get from A to B more – well – efficiently, but again, no matter.  The show actually goes fast.  There are four scenes wrapped by five “knee plays” – connecting interludes. There is a train scene, a trial, a bus, a spaceship, a  chorus of twenty or so, three principal actors, eight dancers. To say the piece is heavily choreographed is an understatement. The cast’s moves are as repetitive as the music, reflecting the same approach to variations and transitions as the music also.  The train comes on three times for instance, slowly.  The judge announces  “order in the court” repeatedly. Once one learns the language of the piece, musically and visually, it’s an extraordinary pleasure to watch just how it is executed.

There are some truly stunning moments  throughout. The extended dance sequences, for example, from the Lucinda Childs Dance company are sublime – each a tour de force and a miracle of training and endurance. So is the work of onstage violinist Jennifer Koh, and saxophonist Andrew Streman.  And then there is the barrage of sound and light as we near the end, complete with a flying sequence. Overall, within the confines of an often minimalist set - yes, it applies here – the show is a visual feast.

Did the audience like it? You bet. A wildly cheering crowd  was quickly on its feet to greet collaborators Philip Glass, now 75 years old,  looking sheepish  and Robert Wilson, looking confident, and what must undoubtedly have been an exhausted cast.  If this show is a challenge to perform and to stage, it is no challenge to watch.  Whether it’s opera or not,  and that’s a debate in itself, theatre of this scope and grandeur comes along only rarely.

Five stars.

Einstein on the Beach is playing from June 8 to 10 at the Sony Centre,Toronto. For tickets, information etc., go here.  

Left - Cover picture for John’s portfolio of writings about performing in The Laramie Project – Ten Years Later, a play written by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project.

We’re now at the end, but it’s only another beginning

This incredible theatrical masterpiece has drawn to an end here, but only with respect to the performances that had been scheduled.  Both Wednesday and Friday nights performances achieved standing ovations. 

Thursday’s matinee unfortunately had some audience members pulled from attending.  This performance in particular was set aside for GSA (gay/straight alliance) students and their teachers, but I guess their concern was the dialogue was not suitable for students to hear.  In my mind this has proven not only to show a lack of trust from members of our community, but also sheer disrespect to this young man’s legacy.  All of us as a society should never deny others from experiencing a record pf historical events, especially those which have changed our laws. 

I’m taking the liberty, having portrayed Matthew’s father in this production, to say to the world “Yes, my son was and would have been an inspiring and wonderful extension to our human race” had he only been given the chance.

I want to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read my personal thoughts on this story. I’ve only wanted to shed a little light on such a horrible event that took place in our history. 

Bye for now………………..The Dreamer

The bottom line first: a surprisingly conventional drama cloaked in unconventional garb, this is a love story that’s both intensely familiar and, thanks to the use of dance segments which illustrate the action, unique and exciting.  Combine this formula with highly disciplined and skillful acting of the first order and you have a show that tries hard to please – and does, in spades.

What’s it about? Simple really – and all highly accessible. Fresh-faced young Alan is new in town from Espanola, Ontario exploring the bar/club scene.  One night at the bar he meets the attractive and experienced Bart who beds him and rejects him.  Trouble is young Alan likes older Bart – a lot, and won’t give up that easily. Meanwhile Bart’s partner, scholarly Calder, falls in love with Alan, but his love is not returned.  As they say, complications ensue.

This is a story of modern sexual manners – how men meet, mate (or not) and deal with the consequences. It’s zippy lines are clever and often funny, but also ring true with a keen sense of language and gritty realism that writer Sky Gilbert wields expertly.

The oddity here is the use of dance segments to illustrate the action, choreographed by Sky Gilbert and Keith Cole. Each scene here, which takes place in modern day Toronto, is followed by a stylized dance/movement piece with a highly different feel and look to the dramatic action preceding it. They are for the most part romantically orchestrated throwbacks to yesteryear, with the protagonists dancing out what the audience has just witnessed. 

The production positively sizzles with stellar performances on the part of all three leads. Newcomer Nick Green (above) as young Alan is a revelation, clearly someone to watch in both senses, with his very finely nuanced performance full of depth and maturity.  But impressive too, as one might expect, is seasoned favourite Ryan Kelly, of The Normal Heart and Living with Henry.  We also liked David Benjamin-Tomlinson  who rounded out the trio.

If one has issues with this show it is inevitably how the two main elements of this production – drama and dance – meld.  At times, the transitions seem a bit ungainly, and the juxtaposition of such disparate elements may not work for everybody.  Personally I liked the idea – I thought it added freshness and intrigue and charm.

All in all, though, this quirky production is a success. Buddies tends to be a reliable source of contemporary queer theatre, and this production, mounted by Sky Gilbert's own The Cabaret Company, is no exception.  Go see it.

Dancing Queen is at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto until April 29.

Tickets via the Box Office at 416-975-8555 or T.O.Tix/Ticketweb 

It’s starting to snow……go figure. On the day of Matthew’s funeral, it snowed more than it had ever snowed before in Laramie, Wyoming.

We had about a 7-hour rehearsal yesterday. The excitement of rehearsing with lights and music greatly notched it to another level.  For all those who have performed on stage, you know exactly what I’m talking about here.  Yes, I’m back at Queen Street Commons Café, whic as you know, tended to be from where I have done most of my writing for this blog. 

My next project to take on for myself is to hopefully create a full-length production of the “NUTCRACKER”.  I have always wanted to create a work of my own and utilize our local talents.  This will, however, be an unusual version of this magnificent and magical masterpiece. I wish to name this version the “Drag Queen Nutcracker”, which I hope will create its own magic and sincerity.  We have a wonderful individual who represents our community, and has for many years showcased his/her talents in creating diversity and charisma.  Brad, or Miss Drew as she is known in the drag community, provides strength and courage to so many believers.  Although I still have to approach him for confirmation of commitment on this, he is certainly the most appropriate person to be asked initially, as he has shown and proven time and time again his commitment to our community.

Just the other day one of the clients of The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (ACCKWA) came in with her newborn, bouncing baby boy – 6lbs, 2 ozs.  His name is Adrian - so cute, and yes I held him like he was my own.  In case you’ve forgotten, we were all this tiny at one time - so innocent, full of life, with dreams that were still unfolding in our heads as we slept, easily made to giggle and smile, material objects that made us curious and emotions that grasped our integrity.  These are all continuous features as we grow older, until someone steals it all away from us.

 I’m so sad to see this show coming to a close soon, both for the commitment I’ve made to do this for myself and the connections I’m making with others in the production.  We’re all a continuous development, persuaded by one another.

When an opportunity like this knocks at your door, you either accept the offer or not.  I’m very glad I did, and I will always remember the graciousness I feel within to have been chosen for the role of Matthew’s father.  The loyalty in his words, the conviction and strength he has portrayed to his family and loved ones, has undoubtedly had a significant impact on whom I have become out of all this.  So Dennis……………I am truly sorry this horrific event had to take place, and I wish my portfolio will provide you with some honour and reassurance of whom your loving son Matthew certainly would have become himself, had his own life not been stripped away from him.

IN SUMMARY

We all have been granted life by the powers to be, or however one wishes to look at it.  What we do with our lives is our choice. But it’s not our rightful choice to decide a person’s destiny through simply eradicating them from the face of the earth.

There cannot be enough good things to say about Matthew Wayne Shepard with respect to the wonderful son that he was, and the person he would have continued to be through his own internal desire to live.  I have to say  “Mr McKinney, you had no right to take it upon yourself to make such a decision of power.” 

And as Matthew’s Father said again: “May you have a long life, and may you thank Matthew everyday for it”.  Your remaining days in prison will undoubtedly provide your own loss with not bringing up  or spending your life with your own son.  I’m certain you could have been a decent civilized human-being had you not been so arrogant and  foolish.  I do however, wish all the best for your own son, as your actions will have an impact on who he becomes, unfortunately.  (It’s a generation thing I guess?)  If I may say: “You felt Matthew was not fit to live on this planet – quite the contrary, you’re not fit to live on this planet. “  

Matthew, your legacy is HUGE…………….and memories of the person that you were will live on generation after generation.  Remember, in 1998, it was called The Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In 2007, it was re-named The Matthew Shepard Act.

Please Note:  I am on a deadline to get these blogs put together and sent off to the Shepard Family, so I will blog in the near future on the outcome of the performances, which begin in only a couple of days from now…………..hope to see you there.

Bye for now…………The Dreamer 

Tickets for the “Laramie Project – 10 years later”  are only $5.  Speak to Deardra or Karen at  519-496-5383  for show details .

Performances run April 25-27  at Sizzle, 135 George Street North, Cambridge. Ontario

Tickets can be purchased at SIZZLE -- open Wednesday to Saturday evenings, or by email -- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.