Surviving the pandemic V: adapting at the Fringe

26 Jun 2020

"It is definitely a terrifying time for theatre, but creativity doesn’t stop when the stage shuts down," says playwright Steven Elliott Jackson (The Seat Next to the King, Threesome, Real Life Superhero). "I knew with this year’s Toronto Fringe that I would have to adapt or explore new avenues of telling stories." Jackson was already preparing his play The President's Daughter and a family show for the 2020 Toronto Fringe Festival when the pandemic hit and all the Fringe venues were closed indefinitely. The Fringe Festival became The Fringe Collective and the artists who had spots in the festival were offered the opportunity to join together online to create a different experience but with the Fringe energy and exuberance.

Jackson has two offerings with The Cage and Sarah/Frank. "The Cage is a short play set in 1929 when Billy, a man who has faced rejection and trauma, is visited by his sister Vera with the information that he will have to move out of his apartment due to the Depression," says Jackson. "I really wanted to write something like my favourite gay films, the ones from the mid '50s to late '60s like The Children’s Hour, Advise And Consent, and The Detective. These filmmakers had to tell gay stories, mostly viewed negatively and without the ability to use the words. I could see the empathy for these characters as they had to choose ways to protect themselves from the filmmakers."

Adapting to an online presentation was a process. "You can’t really take in the energy of an audience with a video or audio performance," says Jackson. "What you can do is sort of be your own audience as best you can. During both shows, we talked a lot after the recording was done. We did multiple recordings of The Cage. You can’t replace an audience, but you can do your best to create a pleasurable atmosphere. You just have to go in with a different set of eyes and ears. One thing that might seem like a limitation but was a strength was a time limit. It’s very hard to watch a tiny screen for longer than 30 minutes."

Thirty minutes still requires a lot of work and compromise. "We had the limitations of not being in the same room. There are some movements that have to coincide with each other. Thankfully it was a piece that didn’t require sexual intimacy. As a writer and director, I had to thoroughly edit the script not only for length, but also for the limitations of different rooms. You really have to think about what’s needed. Stage directions and some dialogue were gone because we couldn’t make it work in the format."

The collaborative spirit of theatre helped. "Billy is performed by Brandon Knox, who is such an amazing actor who really dug into every word, and Vera is performed by Kate McArthur, who worked tirelessly to capture Vera and she truly shines in the role. The three of us worked and discussed possibilities to make the script work. We did about five recordings after two weeks of rehearsals until we found the one we all felt the best."

Sarah/Frank is a "prerecorded audio experience. It tells the story of Sarah Edmundson, a person from New Brunswick who changed their gender, fought in the American Civil War and won the first pension for a woman.  I had learned that upwards of a thousand women had fought in the Civil War. When I did a reading of another play I wrote a few years ago, this character received 75 percent of the questions from the audience. They have been on my mind ever since. There was unanimous feeling that this was the story to tell. I knew I had to get to work to write that play."

Jackson wrote Sarah/Frank specifically as an audio play. "We did talk about a video, but with our incredible sound designer David Kingsmill, we knew that we could create something very special without visuals. His work on the piece was time consuming but it’s absolutely stunning. Rebecca Perry plays Sarah and Frank and it’s a mastery of voice and sound that she creates these distinct personalities. The work is directed by Ryan G Hinds [Lilies, MacArthur Park Suite: A Disco Ballet) and it was such a blessing that he could come on board to helm this piece. Ryan offers not only perspective on the piece as a performer, but he is tireless in advocating for telling stories that fall outside what we think is the mainstream experience."

With both shows pre-recorded, Jackson will be able to enjoy the festival without the frenzy of supervising his own productions. "I can’t wait to see King Lear . .  A (Self-Isolating) Puppet Epic! by Tom McGee. His work is so funny, I’ll never forget Hamlet a few years ago," he says. "I also can’t wait to see the second show from Donovan Jackson, Medium Hot Coffee Black: Just Like My Soul, he's such a talented dancer, actor and writer. And Together Alone by Armon Gh, who always brings intensity to any show he does. Both are queer artists who will been seen for years to come."

But of course the Fringe is usually also a time to network and socialize with other artists. To this end the Fringe Collective will attempt to bring the notorious Fringe Patio online, including an Isolation Disco. "I’ve been so busy with writing lately that I’m looking for downtime," laughs Jackson. "Of course, who doesn’t love to dance? I look forward to connecting with the other artists as much as I would at the Fringe Tent. I think that bond of most artists being isolated and needing to connect has been happening. We have been expanding how we communicate through play readings, development meetings, workshops and open discussions and just our own personal relationships. There is a real struggle among theatre artists without any real stage. As a writer, I’m even learning to take that craft and adapt it into other areas like TV and film, but I also know my first love is theatre."

And though Jackson is too modest to plug his own work without prompting, he finally notes that his hit play that got its start at the Fringe, The Seat Next To The King "was published by Scirocco Drama in 2018 and can be purchased at Book City, Page & Panel, and Glad Day Bookshop. Support small book sellers!"