BROKEN SEX DOLL
BROKEN SEX DOLL
“The Virtual Stage’s Broken Sex Doll is a
sexy, sci-fi musical comedy about a futuristic society where everyone is
addicted to super hi-tech porn. Think Blade Runner meets The Six Million Dollar
Man meets Glee meets Flesh Gordon. It’s a “feel good” musical that’s so wrong
its right!”
Recently AE spoke with Broken Sex Doll’s writer, director and
producer Andy Thompson about the production, which runs for the next five days (starting
tonight, June 20) as part of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Halifax.
When and why did you
first become interested in theatre?
AT: I was initially
traumatized by the theatre in grade four. In fact, it was a musical, which is interesting.
We did a school production of ‘Joseph’. I was one of the three Wise Men who gave
gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. I sang my line “…and myrrh”
with an endearingly horrible vocal performance the likes of which is commonly
seen in children in elementary school plays and the grown-ups got a kick out of
it. In the parking lot after the show, another parent yelled out, “Hey Andy!
Nice myrrh! Ha ha!” I vowed never to sing again.
I ventured into theatre again in grade nine,
perhaps because there was no singing in it. I played the lead in ‘Seven Wives
For Dracula’. I got my first taste of the acting bug after biting into a victim
and then letting out a massive belch that must have been seven seconds long. It
was so ridiculous it brought the house down.
These two school experiences in theatre were
rather fleeting. I was much more focused on science and math in my later high
school years. I planned to be an engineer or an architect. I was advised by my
mother to take a year of general arts in college, just to make sure I was a
balanced individual before committing to a career in the sciences. One of the courses
I took was a basic entry-level introduction to acting. I got a role and
performed, rather horribly once again, in a college production of ‘Twelfth
Night’. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Every time I got off stage the
cast and crew gave me words of encouragement as if I was some sort of sick dog
that needed a hug. Though I was really struggling with my two lines in that
production, once again it was incredibly fun.
I kept at it and over three years got bigger and
bigger roles. My skill set grew with each experience. At the end of the third
year I found myself playing the lead in ‘Hamlet’, with acceptance letters to
two acting conservatories: Studio 58 in Vancouver and the National Theatre
School in Montreal. After brief stints at both schools, I settled into Studio
58 and graduated with a Theatre Arts Diploma in 1993. Seven years later, I
decided to take my interest in science and start a theatre company mandated to
investigate emerging technologies in the arts. I guess I have found a way to take
a broad range of my personal interests and abilities and funnel them through a company
that is tasked with similar goals. Needless to say, there never seems to be a
dull moment!
What are the challenges
of the vocation?
AT: Well I do a lot of
different things. I’m an actor, a playwright, a director, a producer, a designer,
an editor and a filmmaker… I guess you could say the biggest challenge is
staying focused and following through on one of
these roles to a natural conclusion. Often I wear two or three hats at one time
on a project. Currently, I am the director, writer and producer of Broken
Sex Doll. I work in a very challenging industry. Theatre, film and
television are all very competitive arenas in which to work, but the challenges
usually melt away because I love working in the entertainment industry so much.
Being true to myself is the key.
 |
| Broken Sex Doll’s writer, director and producer Andy Thompson |
What are the rewards?
AT: I am very
creatively fulfilled, that’s for sure. I wanted to start The Virtual Stage so I
could have a vehicle through which I could be empowered as an artist, and not
at the mercy of others to cast or hire me. Being able to make creative
decisions, having a vision and the tools to follow them through and create a
tangible product at the end of a process is rewarding in ways that are
difficult to describe.
Is your creative process more 'inspirational' or 'perspirational'?
AT: Both. In equal
parts, having inspiration is one thing, (and I definitely feel inspired on a
daily basis) but I have realized that I need to work my butt off to get results
to actually do something about it—so that’s what I do.
What inspired Broken Sex Doll?
AT: The show started
with a fast-creation type of festival called ‘Theatre Under The Gun’. It was a
special edition on the theme of what Vancouver might look like 125 years into
the future. I had to write and perform a new play on this theme in five days.
So the science fiction and futuristic themes were already the obvious starting
point. I went into it knowing I wanted to do something sexy and funny. One of
my performers, Paula Burrows (who is the red headed, silver fembot in our
promotional material), had just injured her ankle and suggested she bow out. I
asked her to stay and used her injury as a key plot element. I guess you could
say that Paula was the original ‘Broken Sex Doll’. She did the show on crutches
and it worked perfectly.
From a creative process standpoint, I was
interested in a futuristic world that saw two themes having advanced for over a
century: technology and moral decay. I found the juxtaposition of these two
themes fascinating, as they seem relevant to us today. There’s always this question
lingering in my mind, “We are unquestionably advancing rapidly in the area of science,
but are we keeping up with this pace in terms of social and moral development
as a people? And if not, what are the potential ramifications of this?” I was
interested in exploring this idea. And so I let my mind run free, imagining a
world in the future where morality as we know it has essentially crumbled in a
totally hi-tech, selfish society. All people want to do is masturbate to super
hi-tech porn. Then I sprinkled comedic elements into the text and started
laughing—a lot.
What can audiences here
expect to experience?
AT: ‘Broken Sex Doll’ is a high-energy sci-fi
musical sex comedy that has a really crass libretto set to an incredibly
beautiful score composed by Anton Lipovetsky. It’s very theatrical, doesn’t
take itself too seriously, and yet has meaningful themes vibrating underneath
all the laughter. It’s entertaining. I don’t want to talk too much about what
people should expect, other than to have a good time. My hope is just that
people will come and have the experience for themselves, rather than have me go
into much length describing it here. The show speaks for itself. Just come and
see it and have some fun!
What are your thoughts
on the current state of theatre in Canada?
AT: Canada is a really
big country and theatre is generally region-specific, so I think it’s fair to say
that the state of theatre varies from province to province. I know Alberta is
doing a much better job than British Columbia in terms of supporting arts and
culture. It just seems to be given a higher priority. I have only worked in
Toronto a couple of times, so I cannot claim to be an aficionado of its theatre
scene, other than to say that it was refreshing to take in some of the vibrant
work by the amazing artists there.
From a national perspective, one could look at
the activity of the Canada Council for the Arts as a barometer of the national
theatre scene. The operating funding program seems a bit “locked” which is frustrating.
In order for Canadian theatre to grow and flourish, it should be easier for deserving
younger companies to get operating funding from the Canada Council—and not at
the expense of other deserving companies. So I’m not convinced we’re “there”
yet in terms of having a healthy, sustainable model of national operating
funding for the broad range of deserving theatre companies.
In London, England the general public attitude
about theatre seems different. It’s seen as having value. In the West End,
theatre tickets are hawked like tickets to the Stanley Cup. There’s a buzz.
Theatre is a commodity. And that makes sense to me. I think that in our
country, attitudes towards arts and culture may be slowly shifting more in this
direction. Perhaps if we continue to make generous, powerful and dynamic works
of theatre, we can help speed this process along.
What's next on your
creative agenda?
AT: The third year of
my site-specific, roving, smartphone-enabled theatrical adventure ‘The Zombie
Syndrome’ is taking place in Vancouver this fall. Then we take ‘Broken Sex
Doll’ to The Cultch’s newly renovated York Theatre in Vancouver, The Yukon Arts
Centre in Whitehorse, and The Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam.
Broken Sex Doll
June 20 8pm; June 21
8pm; June 22 9pm; June 23 7pm; June 24 9pm
Sir James Dunn Theatre
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BrokenSexDoll
Twitter: @The VirtualStage /#BrokenSexDoll
www.magneticnorthfestival.ca/2014festival/broken-sex-doll
