White Heat: Graham Isador takes on neo-Nazis

28 Jul 2019

SummerWorks is gearing up to further heat up the city and its theatre scene. One of the many artists involved is the always intriguing Graham Isador (Situational Anarchy) who is bringing some White Heat to the festival as part of the SummerWorks Lab programming ("a place for exploration, experimentation, and process"). Isador, as well as his theatrical and photographic endeavours, writes for Vice magazine and his columns are well worth seeking out. Receiving the press release -

- aroused my curiosity further and fortunately Isador, who is a very busy guy, was willing to answer a few email questions.

Drew Rowsome: How is creating a "narrative driven by actors" different from creating a solo show, like Situational Anarchy, for yourself?

Graham Isador: I do a certain thing very well on stage. I’ve got my bells and whistles and I can be charming if I need to. But Tim Walker [Bone Cage, Rock] and Makambe Simamba are immensely more talented than I am. Tim has stolen the show every time I’ve seen him perform. His work in Punch-Up is something I still think about. I saw Makambe in her show Our Fathers Sons Lovers and Little Brothers and was immediately blown away. I’m grateful to work with her now because I’m certain she will be booked solid with gigs for the foreseeable future after Toronto witnesses her on stage. White Heat - unlike a lot of my other work - is plot driven rather than meandering and naval gazy. It requires actors better than me to pull it off.

"Social-justice-cuck" is almost a compliment, and certainly humorous, until, as you say, "it isn’t'." When did online trolling, which I assume you've experienced a lot of, cross the line to inspire the play?

Graham Isador: White Heat is based on true events. While I experience a lot of blowback for the articles I write, it’s a fraction compared to a lot of my colleagues. Particularly any women, POC, and queer people I’ve worked with. For a long time trolling - the hate you would get from commenters - was something I brushed off. It was war stories you’d share over beers with friends. But then last year a far-right group came into the VICE Montreal offices to intimidate journalists. Soon after people came into the Capital Gazette newspaper and murdered journalists. And those things started to shift my perspective. Then earlier this year a writer I’ve looked up to for a long time - a twitter mutual - was put on a kill list because of the writing she’s done about the alt-right, among other things. Because she was doing her job people threatened her life. It was something I couldn’t stop thinking about. So I started to write about it.

How seriously does one have to take being on a neo-Nazi kill list?

Graham Isador: Have you ever been on someone’s kill list? I haven’t. I don’t think a lot of us have. But I think if you had the knowledge that you were on something like that . . . part of the goal of the thing is intimidation, I’m sure. But it’s all a fucking joke until of course it’s not and then somebody is dead. And there are enough instances of people ending up dead lately that I think it’s something to consider seriously.

Have you ever spiked, or wanted to spike, a story because of intimidation?

Graham Isador: No. But again, I write about culture. I’ve had some bands angry at me afterwards and some very pouty publicists but whatever.

You have a long relationship with SummerWorks, does that help in earning a slot? Did the project or the SummerWorks slot come first?

Graham Isador: Summerworks is the reason I have a career in theatre at all. It’s where most of my work has been produced. I think people are probably aware of that, but there is no guarantee on a slot and they switch up the deciding jury each time. I’ve pitched a show like everybody else pitches a show. This will be my fourth time at the fest in four years, but I’m hoping White Heat will move beyond festivals. I want to be programmed at a major theatre in Toronto.

What other SummerWorks shows are you looking forward to seeing?

Graham Isador: I’ve got some friends in the fest: Lester Trips [Mr Truth] put on some of the most strange and uncomfortable comedy I’ve ever seen. Their stuff makes me squirm and then giggle and then squirm some more. Their show Safe and Sorry should be a riot. I did the promo shots for CHILD-ISH by Sunny Drake [No Strings (Attached), X). It’s a show about what kids think of love and Sunny has been hustling hard for it. But I’m also really looking forward to the Summerworks Exchange workshops. Creating Sign Language Magic seems like something we could all learn a lot form.

All of the performances of White Heat are followed by variations on Q&As, which seems particularly nervy considering the subject matter. But Isador has also said that he is as curious as how the mind of a neo-Nazi works - how does one justify that point of view? - so it may well be a scheme to gather more material. And a fascinating opportunity for an audience to experience Isador's process as White Heat evolves.