The Next Stage Theatre Festival as seen by its stellar artists

26 Nov 2019

The joyful chaos of the Fringe Festival is distilled, and curated by peers, into the exuberant diversity of the Next Stage Theatre Festival. Nine productions, a one night stand with TallBoyz and a staged reading of Michael Lee's The Smell of Earth, winner of the 24 hour playwriting contest will be featured. It's a lot to grapple with so we asked for help from three of the stellar artists performing - Bilal Baig (Box 4901, Acha Bacha) in Kitne Saare Laloo Yahan Pey Hain, Pearle Harbour (Retreat, Chautauqua, Pearle Harbour's Sunday School) in Agit-Pop!, and Morro and Jasp (Stupefaction, 9 - 5 and individually, A Christmas Carol, Bright Lights, James and the Giant Peach) in Save the Date - to elucidate. 

Drew Rowsome: How did your production earn its coveted spot in the Next Stage festival?

Bilal Baig, creator and performer of Kitne Saare Laloo Yahan Pey Hain: I think I applied about a month after I finished performing in Rare Theatre's Welcome to my Underworld in May 2019, which featured an excerpt of this play. I know there was a jury process but I imagine a draw could have been having a queer/trans and Muslim narrative featured at the festival this year.

Pearle Harbour, creator and star of Agit-Pop!: After much kicking, screaming, crying and begging… on their part, I thought, sure, I’ll do it.

Morro and Jasp, creators and performers of Save the Date: Our show sold out its run at the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival and it has been eight years since we last performed at Next Stage (the first year of the Antechamber), so we're very excited to be back and spread some love!

Drew Rowsome: Why should audience members put your production at the top of their must-see lists?

Bilal Baig: I love consuming art created by trans and non-binary artists. It feels important to listen to us now, and forever. Also the play is funny, and a little sexy, and intense, and I think it will definitely give folks something to talk about after.

Pearle Harbour: Pearle Harbour’s Agit-Pop! is an absolutely joyous and partially self-indulgent show, a cabaret spectacular for sufferin’ souls staring down the end of the world. And as much outright fun as Agit-Pop! is, there’s something therapeutic about it. I make it my business to hug calamity – the calamity that’s flashing across our screens, splashed across our headlines, and the calamity we share in performance . . . someone’s cellphone goes off, I can’t hit that note again . . . I’m nothing if not honest about what’s going wrong in the moment, in my life, and in the world. Calamity is a character in the story we share, but it's my show, it doesn’t get to be the lead.

Morro and Jasp: We will warm up your funny bones and your hearts! And this version of Save the Date is bigger and better than the last one. Plus you never know what's going to happen at a Morro and Jasp show. But probably something magical . . . 

Drew Rowsome: I’ve been very fortunate, and impressed, to experience all of you and your artistry in various theatrical productions over the last couple of years. How is it different to work at the Next Stage festival than in other formats?

Bilal Baig: I've never participated in any Fringe whatsoever, let alone Next Stage, so this is exciting for me, and it feels a little like I'm just out of theatre school again shopping my solo show around. I love festival settings, Next Stage feels super organized and on top of their shit and it feels they're genuinely trying to serve the vision of the piece, so that's nice! Oh, I should also say my play is a workshop presentation and I love that Next Stage is offering this platform as a next phase of development for this work.

Pearle Harbour: Agit-Pop! is a loose and ever-changing collection of my favourite, best, and most heart-wrenchingly hilarious short acts. Dramaturgy be damned. Each act features a killer rearrangement from my performance partner Steven Conway of pop hits from David Bowie, Judy Garland, Tom Waits, and more. AND every night features an extra special musical guest star doing a never-before-seen and never-heard-again number.

Morro and Jasp: Festivals are particularly delicious to perform at. There is such a buzz of excitement and intrigue in the air. Next stage is extra special because there is such camaraderie between the small number of artists. And there is just something unique about everyone coming together at the coldest time of year and cozying up to experience the wonder of live theatre.

Drew Rowsome: A festival has an energy, an excitement, that is great fun for an audience member. What is the most glamorous aspect for a participating artist? The least glamorous?

Bilal Baig: Most glamorous is sharing space in a line-up with really exciting artists. Least glamorous is winter slush all over the theatre.

Pearle Harbour: Due to the intensive, let’s say, process that is my face, I’m the only festival artist that gets their own dressing room, teehee. Least glamorous? I hear that dressing room is somebody’s office.

Morro and Jasp: The most glamorous part is the rock n' roll energy that really only exists at a festival. It is like nothing else! The least glamorous part is sometimes not being able to get access to a dressing room early and finding creative places to get ready like public washrooms, parking lots, outhouses, alley ways, dumpsters . . .

Drew Rowsome: What is the most rewarding aspect?

Bilal Baig: Sharing this work with trans women of colour and queer/trans south asian folks and talking about it after!

Pearle Harbour: Playing with new audiences. My favourite crowds are the most mixed, across demographics, scenes, labels. I want to get everyone in a room and see what we can dream up together. The Toronto Fringe is at heart a community-based organization, and I can’t wait to plug into that community. And of course Tanja-Tiziana’s gorgeous promo shots. Regardless of how the show goes this experience is a net win for those photos alone.

Morro and Jasp: The laughter. And the post show hugs.

Drew Rowsome: Every single Next Stage production carries a stern “Content Advice” label. Do you ever feel that you have to tone down (or dial up) your production? What “Content Advice” label do you think they missed or would you like to earn?

Bilal Baig: I'm struggling with talking about the humour in this show and how it lives hand in hand with the intense, dramatic subject matter. Does this answer the question?

Pearle Harbour: Content Advice: the most stunning creature you’ve ever laid eyes on, life may seem rather drab after this show.

Morro and Jasp: Warning: Impossible amounts of fun will be had.

Drew Rowsome: All three of your shows involve a certain degree of audience participation or interaction. Was that a prerequisite of the festival, an artistic decision, or sheer daredevil nerve? How does it influence or enhance your production?

Bilal Baig: I'm always so curious about performer-audience dynamic, specifically in solo shows. With this piece, the audience presence is essential. This piece to some degree explores what it feels like to be looked at, so its super fitting to have up to 100 people on any given performance looking at the character as she tries to express herself.

Pearle Harbour: Involving audience is my MO, my raison d’etre, my joie de vivre, and other synonyms as well. In my opinion, theatre is fundamentally about that live-wire connection, about the community that’s gathered to hear these stories. Unless you can explain why this show can’t happen without an audience, is this actually how this story should be told? Shouldn’t they get a say too, if it’s a tragedy or a comedy? What’s happening in the audience is often infinitely grander than anything we can compose and contrive ahead of time. And I know all that sounds lofty for someone who puts their own name in the title of every show. But I’m not wrong.

Morro and Jasp: Audience participation is always an integral part of our shows. We started doing it because there are only two of us in the show and sometimes we needed people to step into other roles. But now we look forward to it as an opportunity for a live spark of spontaneity. We never know what our audience members will do or say and we love the adventure that takes us (and the rest of the audience) on. No two shows are ever the same and it's always exciting for us!

Drew Rowsome: What is it that you hope an audience experiences during your production?

Bilal Baig: I hope people are charmed, I hope they smile and laugh, I hope they fall in love, I hope they feel uncomfortable, I hope they think and talk to one another about all the ways we can cherish trans people on a daily basis.

Pearle Harbour: Surprise! Tenderness. Complicated laughs. A recognition of their hypocrisies, their power, their capacity to affect change. Terror! Relief. Community.

Morro and Jasp: A buffet of all the feelings. Laughter, love, hope, recognition of their own truths, tears, and of course catharsis! Also, did we mention fun yet?

Drew Rowsome: What do we need to know about your production or you that I have neglected to ask about?

Pearle Harbour: Killer merchandise available for purchase after the show. Cha-ching.

Morro and Jasp: That people will have bonkers amounts of fun. Did we say that part yet?

Drew Rowsome: What are your plans for the production beyond the Next Stage festival?

Bilal Baig: Well this play has a sister called Kainchee Lagaa which has been in development at Buddies for a few years and I'd love to experience both these pieces in conversation with one another in a double-bill kind of way. It would be a night of extreme queer trans brown magic, I think we could all benefit from tasting a bit of that.

Pearle Harbour: Pearle Harbour’s Agit-Pop! is on a tour across the nation, and Next Stage is our first stop! Following that your Pearle girl goes westward ho to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver, the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse, and OUTstages queer arts festival in Victoria. Oh yeah, she’s not messin’ around.

Morro and Jasp: We are taking the show to Nova Scotia in February to one of our favourite theatres in the world to perform at!

Drew Rowsome: What other productions at the festival are you eager to see and why?

Bilal Baig: I caught a version of Literally Titanium when Ophira presented it as part of the Emerging Creators Unit at Buddies in June 2019, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it has shifted over the months. Also Winter of 88 because its a translated piece (Farsi to English) and I'm always so curious to experience translation in action.

Pearle Harbour: Bilal Baig’s Kitne Saare Laloo Yahan Pey Hain, besides Bilal being a wunderkind genius, they’ve an extraordinary team of artists dreaming this piece to life. Morro And Jasp! These are my clown sisters, and such beacons of joy in our darkest timeline. Consumption Patterns: Economics! Nasty politics! Sex! Sounds like they’re coming for my gig.

Morro and Jasp: Is it too diplomatic if we say everything? Because it's true! We will follow Pearle Harbour to the ends of the earth to see what she does next, we're excited to get our laugh on at Tita Jokes, to get titillated at Tease, and to get chummy with robots at U-R-U. Plus everything else!