The notorious theatrical bloodsport Shakesbeers Showdown returns for 2019 with "Revenge of the Fifth." Competitors representing the finest indie theatre groups in the universe, struggle to read and emote Shakespeare's First Folio while drinking copiously. Hilarity and questionable thespian activities ensue. This year Malcontent Theatre joins the battle and two of the troupe agreed to discuss their inevitable victory.
Drew Rowsome: Why will The Force be with (or not) Malcontent Theatre?
Megan Adam: The Force will definitely be with us. Here at Malcontent we all know how to handle a lightsaber.
Jake Fulton: Little known fact: homosexuality is actually a biproduct of abnormally high midi-chlorian counts in the blood stream. What we can deduce from this is that all Jedis are gay, and all gay people are, in fact, Jedis. Malcontent Theatre Company has a queerness at its core that brings with it an extreme level of strength in The Force. The community is going to be angry that I shared one of our best-kept secrets, but if there are any closed-minded types reading this, the next time you have an urge to make an offensive comment towards a queer person: remember that that person has powers you couldn’t even fathom.
Are you with the light (Amsterdam Brewery's Blonde) or the dark side (Amsterdam Brewery's Downtown Brown Nut Ale)?
Megan Adam: We plan to start on the light side . . . but anything can happen. Jake and I both have a preference for light beer, but we can also enjoy dark beer. Maybe we’ll be double fisting by the end of the night!
Jake Fulton: Light. But don’t let the fact that I’m drinking Amsterdam Blonde fool you. Sometimes the sweetest packages have the most dangerous contents. The other teams may see us as two sweet, cute unicorns, but they had best watch out; Shakespeare himself said it best, “Sharper than a serpent’s tooth is a unicorn’s horn.”
How fluent are you in Shakespeare's First Folio?
Megan Adam: I am a Shakespeare nerd and I grew up in Stratford, the bard’s Ontarian home. Read: I am going to crush it.
Jake Fulton: For six intense and trying years of late,
My dedication lay in studies great
O’th’poets past whose verse can not be read
By anyone, without a sense of dread.
As such my skills with text durst wholly show
I’ll read with ease the fear’d First Folio.
Why is Shakespeare's First Folio considered so difficult?
Megan Adam: When the first folio was published language and spelling were very different than they are now. It can be hard to read if you’re not familiar with old English spelling –and then when you take into account that we’re going to be reading it while inebriated . . . well it’s going to be an entertaining night, that’s for sure. The last time I was drinking I couldn’t remember how to spell horse.
Jake Fulton: Fhakefpeare’f firft folio if thovght to be fo difficvlt becavfe of the confvfing ufe of the fame letterf for f and f, and v and v. Add thif to the complicated verfe and ancient vocabvlary of the Bard, and yov’re left with a recipe for drinking beer.
Other than reading the First Folio, what Shakespearean role would you like to tackle and why would you excel at it?
Megan Adam: I would love to play Ophelia because I’m a sad bitch and I love swimming. In all honesty though, I find her journey super interesting and heart-breaking from a mental health standpoint. She is so much more than the hot mad girl trope.
Jake Fulton: Go big or go home, right? Hamlet. He’s such a puzzle, and I think that there are so many possibilities there. Plus, I can relate on so many levels. Troubled youth with some serious unresolved daddy issues and a flair for the dramatic? I’ve got it covered.
How well do you hold your liquor?
Megan Adam: My nickname was “one shot wonder” in high school.
Jake Fulton: In university, if I was running late to meet my friends at the club, I could toss back a bottle of wine in 30 seconds and have a great time. Last week I had two beers with dinner before a movie, and I couldn’t follow a single thing that was happening on screen. And I had a hangover the next day. So I think I’m in a pretty good place for this competition.
How does a queer perspective give you an advantage when it comes to Shakespeare? To cutthroat competition?
Megan Adam: I think changing up gender roles, or removing them entirely, in the play gives fresh eyes. There’s a reason it’s so zeitgeisty to cross-cast right now. We are bored of watching men and women have to embody the same roles again and again. As a society, we are realizing that anyone in any body can be a ruler, a servant, a princess, a queen, a jester . . . The queer perspective helps us display characters and relationships in new ways.
Jake Fulton: I once did a scene for a Commedia D’ell Arte instructor, and afterwards she said, “There was something very liberating in the homoeroticism you brought to that.” I think everything can be liberated with a little dash of homoeroticism, Shakespeare included! There’s the stereotype of the tortured artist, and I’m not advocating for that, but there is something in the challenges that every queer person overcomes that adds extra depth to their work. It’s similar to any person that has faced adversity in their life, but having a unique history brings you a unique perspective in the arts, and that can open up a lot of doors. I’m not saying that hetero people are any less able to create great art or whatever, I’m just saying that the ones in this competition are at a serious disadvantage. As for cutthroat competition? Well, a lot of queer people have had to (and still) fight like hell to get to where we are. We can be nice, but we know how to fight for what’s right, and in this case it's winning the competition. As for the competition, we have prepared to handle the competition by watching copious amounts RuPaul’s Drag Race. Trust me when I say, the first folio has been read, honey.
What opposing team offers the most threat to Malcontent's crushing dominance?
Megan Adam: The Spur-of-the-Moment team, not because they’re better than us, but because of their connections. This is a fundraiser for their event, Shakespeare in Hospitals. And I heard they chose the judge? Is that nepotism?
Jake Fulton: I’m not worried about any of the other teams if it’s a fair fight. Like, not at all. Honestly, there’s not a team that even comes close to bringing the star power and raw talent of Malcontent Theatre Company, and they should be scared. But there’s a rumour going around that Spur-of-the-Moment is leaking details on the competition to its own team. I find it very worrisome that their team has such close ties to the leaders. I don’t trust them, and I don’t think you should either.
What opposing team offers the least threat?
Megan Adam:I would have to say Shakespeare BASH’d. On the press day they were the only team with just one member present. Trouble in paradise, Shakespeare BASH’d? Where was your team mate?
Jake Fulton: It’s really hard to say because I don’t think any of the teams stand a chance. If had to choose one though, I’m not confident in the academics’ ability to perform. Years of sticking your nose in books does not a performer make. They may know the words, but after a few drinks and that goes out the window, what are they going to bring?
What triggered your personal love of Shakespeare? Of Star Wars?
Megan Adam: I saw my first Shakespeare production at Stratford Festival when I was seven years old. It was As You Like It and it was wonderful. But even more wonderful were the set of Shakespearian paper dolls I got at the gift shop. They had all these fancy paper outfits to change into. I don’t know why I thought it was so amazing, but I still think about those dolls. As for Star Wars . . I hope not to be blacklisted for this but I am not a big fan. The cool thing about doing a Star Wars-themed Shakespeare festival is Princess Leia’s hairstyles would fit perfectly in both worlds.
Jake Fulton: I’m probably going to offend a lot of people here, but I learned about Star Wars by seeing the new trilogy, and I was too young to care about the story. I just loved it for all the cool creatures they had. I’m a little nervous about going public with this, but my favourite character growing up was Jar Jar Binks, and he still holds a place in my heart. Shakespeare was a different story. In sixth grade we read a student version of Macbeth, and I thought it was so cool. I played a witch and did "Double double, toil and trouble," and then I made my mom buy me a complete works. I didn’t quite understand the plays at that point, but I would still sit in my room reading them obsessively. I’ve always been loved math and puzzles, and I felt like deciphering the meaning of the text was the same as solving a puzzle. When I would finally figure out the meaning of a complicated metaphor I felt so fulfilled and accomplished. Yeah, I was very cool as a child.
How does Shakespeare fit into Malcontent's stated aim of producing "original work that is reflective of our times and has the potential to incite change?"
Megan Adam: When Shakespeare was writing the whole purpose of his plays was to reflect the time –he was literally commissioned by the people in power to write the plays. And yet he still managed to tell resonate stories. Now we have so much more power as creators to use our art to promote our own messaging (unlike in Shakespeare’s day when he needed to impress kings and queens). I think telling Shakespeare’s stories now with a focus on what still resonates, and what seems totally horrific in today’s society (such as murky consent, violence, and gender politics) can be useful to incite change in the theatre community and beyond.
Jake Fulton: There’s always value in using the past to explore the present. If we don’t reflect on what has and hasn’t worked in the past, how can we learn from it? I don’t think that just applies to social issues and human rights, but to everything, even the arts. MTC just produced I new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Pericles. It’s one of his worst works, but we took it and reworked it into an adult comedy. Sometimes while exploring older texts, you can find some scary parallels. In Pericles, a character is kidnapped and sold into the sex trade; that’s horrifying enough on its own, but when you realize the play was written 400 years ago, and that this is still happening, it can really ignite your thinking on the topic. I think presenting these works to audiences will get their thoughts going, and hopefully will change the way some people think.
Will contestants lose or gain points for using a Darth Vader voice? Pretending they are using a Yoda voice instead of just being drunk?
Megan Adam: It’s all going to depend on how confident we are when doing it.
Jake Fulton: You can never go wrong with a Darth Vader voice. Or a Yoda voice. Or being drunk. The key is to be entertaining, but not annoying. If your Darth Vader-style monologue runs on for six minutes because of your laboured breathing, don’t be surprised if you get booed of the stage. By me.
(Here is your chance to butter up the boss) What is Victoria Urquhart's greatest strength as a referee?
Megan Adam: Victoria is a smart, level-headed, witty, and looks great in stripes.
Jake Fulton: I realize I claimed earlier that her company has been involved in some shady dealings around the competition, but I know that Victoria has nothing to do with it. In fact, I’m confident she would be the first to condemn the act. Victoria brings so much grace, dignity, and respectability to every event she’s involved with.
Did learning to pole dance for Malcontent Theatre's production of XXXposed help get you in shape for kicking ass at #Revengeofthe5th?
Megan Adam: I actually didn’t appear in XXXposed, but rest assured I am ready to kick ass in this competition. If there are going to be poles involved that is an asset for us!
Jake Fulton: Learning to pole dance got me in shape for kicking ass at everything. When in doubt, take off your clothes and spin around a pole. But seriously, if we were down on points and I whipped out a pole dancing routine, there’s no way the audience would let us lose the game.
What is next for Malcontent?
Megan Adam: A new site specific show, The Bartender! More info on our socials @MalcontentTheatre.
Jake Fulton: The next project for Malcontent Theatre is Duncan Gibson-Lockhart’s new play, The Bartender, an absurd, queer love story, and a mediation on love, life, death and beauty. You can catch the show running from September 9th to the 22nd at The Lodge, above O’Grady’s on Church.
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