Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Body Politic is a sweeping historical drama that re-imagines the events and personalities surrounding one of the most potent journalistic forces in our country, and the legacy it has left behind.
The story unfolds as a founding member of the paper’s collective recounts a series of memories during an intimate encounter with a younger man. As an unexpected relationship develops between, the generational differences between them shine a light on the massive shifts in queer identity and politics in the last 50 years. An ensemble cast recreates seminal moments from the history of The Body Politic and queer activism in Toronto, while intimate scenes set in the present explore the disappearance of queer history and the loss of a unifying struggle.
The show has been in development at Buddies since 2013 as part of the Buddies Residency Program, where lemonTree creations are artists in residence.
Body Politic is written by Nick Green and directed by one of Canada’s leading theatre makers, Alisa Palmer. The cast for this world premiere production includes Buddies mainstay Diane Flacks (Bear With Me, Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week), Geordie Johnson (I am Yours – Dora Award, Jitters), Craig Pike (FishSkin Trousers), past lemonTree collaborator Aldrin Bundoc (MSM [men seeking men]), and company members Cole Alvis and Jonathan Seinen (The Normal Heart). Rounding out the creative team are designers Scott Penner (set), Joanna Yu (costumes), Michelle Ramsay (lighting), and Richard Feren (sound), along with multidisciplinary theatre maker Gein Wong who joins the Body Politic team as an installation artist.
DOCUMENTING AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN QUEER CANADIAN HISTORY
As Toronto’s queer media landscape shifts again with the end of the printed editions of Xtra, Body Politic looks back at the very beginning of it all and the story of Canada’s first gay newspaper. After years spent interviewing people involved in the making of the newspaper, playwright Nick Green brings to life the legal, political, and personal struggles surrounding one of Canada’s most important queer publications.
The Body Politic, published from 1971-1987, remains one of the most historically significant drivers of queer politics and history in Canada. Collectively owned and operated, this newspaper featured the work of over one hundred of Canada’s foremost queer activists, artists, poets, and writers. With 16 years of archives available, The Body Politic survives as a record of Canadian queer history at some of it’s most seminal moments: censorship battles, police raids, historic rallies, the onset of HIV/AIDS, and many of the important debates that still resonate in today’s queer politic.
LOCAL LGBT GROUPS AND LEADERS COME TOGETHER TO PRESENT A SPECIAL SERIES OF COMMUNITY EVENTS CONNECTED TO PRODUCTION
To celebrate this artistic milestone for Toronto’s queer community, Buddies will partner with such organizations as Pink Triangle Press, the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, the University of Toronto, and more to present a series of extracurricular activities that further explore Canada’s history of queer journalism and celebrate the artists and activists carrying the legacy of the Body Politic into the future. Events include an academic symposium May 27-28, a queer zine fair, a post-show speaker series, and there will be a special Body Politic Tea Dance (an official Pride Toronto event) after the final performance on the afternoon of June 12. More details on these events to be announced in May.
PRODUCTION MARKS PLAYWRIGHT NICK GREEN’S PROFESSIONAL TORONTO DEBUT
The product of over five years of research and interviews with the surviving members of The Body Politic collective, Nick Green’s script will be his first professionally produced on a Toronto stage. Originally from Vancouver and trained in Edmonton, Green has focused much of his writing career on the lived experiences of queer people in Canada, including the groundbreaking work Uncovered, which chronicled the bathhouse raids in Alberta. His writing has been nominated for two Sterling Awards, winning one win for Coffee Dad, Chicken Mom, and the Fabulous Buddha Boi. Also an accomplished actor, Green has performed in many plays on the Buddies stage, notably in Dancing Queen (2012) and Hackerlove (2014).
The script for Body Politic was commissioned by co-producer lemonTree creations where Green is a playwright in residence, and was presented as part of a research workshop at The Rhubarb Festival in 2014. The company and its core members Cole Alvis, Indrit Kasapi and Jonathan Seinen has been the driving force behind such notable productions as Dutchman (Summerworks 2012), Unknown Soldier (Summerworks 2014) and MSM [men seeking men] (World Pride 2014).
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and lemonTree creations present
Body Politic
by Nick Green
directed by Alisa Palmer
starring Geordie Johnson, Diane Flacks, Jonathan Seinen, Aldrin Bundoc, Craig Pike and Cole Avis
set design Scott Penner
costumes Joanna Yu
lighting Michelle Ramsay
sound and composition Richard Feren
associate artist Gein Wong
Previews: May 21, 22, 24, 25
Opening Night: May 26 | Closes June 12
Media Night: May 26
Runs Weds-Sat 8pm, Sun 2:30pm, Sat 2:30 on June 4 & 11.
Tickets: $25 until May 20 | Regular Price PWYC - $37
Box Office 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto ON
Photo: Indrit Kasapi, Nick Green, and Jonathan Seinen. ©2015 Tanja-Tiziana.
2016-04-05
Toronto: New play about "The Body Politic" plays Buddies in Bad Times Theatre May 21-June 12