Adam Proulx brings a million chameleons to the Greenhouse Festival

11 Jan 2023 -

"This will decidedly be the most ramshackle circus you have ever seen," says Adam Proulx of the 'musical spectacular' Emilio's a Million Chameleons. "The concept is that my character, Emilio, is the son of Emilio Sr. His father created the show and left some big shoes to fill. Which I do very poorly. The idea is that in this show Emilio, hosts, there are a million chameleons behind the curtain and the audience gets to choose—by the rolling of giant inflatable dice—which chameleons they want to perform for them But, yes there will be death-defying acts by the chameleons. But the only clown is me."

Emilio's a Million Chameleons is part of the Greenhouse Festival, where Tarragon Theatre will be "debuting new, in-progress works that challenge the boundaries of performance genres and celebrate creative process and evolution." Or as creative producer Justin Miller (Distant Early Warning, Chautauqua, Pearle Harbour's Sunday School) says, “The Greenhouse Festival invites audiences to get their hands dirty. To see something entirely new. To come together, in the dead of winter, and transform Tarragon into a hothouse of art, expression and innovation." All of which sounds like a perfect fit for puppeteer Proulx (The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery, The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy, Spencer Stays Inside, Avenue Q).

"I knew they were looking for some non-traditional works that involved audiences in non-traditional ways," says Proulx. "So I applied. There was an interview with Justin Miller, Tarragon artistic director Mike Payette [Choir Boy, Cockroach, Angelique), and Heather Caplap, Tarragon's education and community engagement manager, where I pitched them a show about glitter and sparkle. That was pretty much the end of the pitch. But pitching them with sequins, theatre for young audiences, and puppets . . . I guess it worked. I'm grateful they trusted me. The wonderful Tarragon team was really keen on this being a TYA show and I was happy to oblige. I often say that I started my puppetry journey doing Avenue Q, but in reality my first experience was working in the Disney parks. So I feel pretty at home in the genre. You lose out on the comedy of a puppet swearing, so you have to find another way for them to do unexpected things. Have I mentioned the plate-spinning act?"

Proulx explains that, "In my experience, young people more easily accept the puppets as real characters. In a way, that makes them harder to crack. With an adult audience, the presence of a puppet at all might get a laugh, even if it's a nervous one. With kids, meta-puppet jokes will not ever work. So it has to be real, character-driven, grounded comedy and narrative. It's a fun challenge. On our last rehearsal before holiday break, I said to director Byron Laviolette, that I was so pleased with how much this felt like a family show vs a kids show. I grew up on things like Shrek, Matilda, and The Muppets, so I don't know how to write for kids without trying to entertain adults at the same time. I think all ages will really enjoy it. I think one would have to be pretty sour not to. It's good fun."

The initial inspiration for Emilio's a Million Chameleons, wherein "a little chameleon who is always trying to blend in but he needs to learn to let his inner sparkle shine," also came from a young person. "In late 2019, I was in Vancouver and went to an all-ages drag show," says Proulx. "I think I assumed that meant that all ages were welcome, not that they'd be performing. So we sat there chatting while folks performed, and a few acts in, up comes this little kid in a blazer with a bow tie and sparkle lapels, and they lip-synced for their life. I had to fully pause the conversation so I could clutch my proverbial pearls and stand up and stare. It was so magical. That is the nugget, not narratively just thematically, for this story. So, is it autobiographical? I guess it is. I grew up in a hockey town. And if I didn't find theatre, I don't know how I would have turned out. But when I see kids today, like my favourite little human Alice (they/them) in Montreal or some of the kids I met doing The Fabulous Show with Fay & Fluffy,. and they are living their lives so beautifully and so much more authentically than I ever thought I was allowed to . . . It makes me very happy."

As does glitter and theatrical magic. "I worked as theatre crew/staff for a long time and I know there is not a technician in the world who wants to hear, 'So, where can we set up the confetti cannon?'" says Proulx. "It's just that it can't NOT happen in this show. The Tarragon staff has been a great resource in getting our confetti cannon—which came with directions that basically amounted to a doodle of a cat—in working order." Puppet construction also comes at a cost. "The hallway of my apartment building is littered with sequins. I go to a friend's house and the next day I get a text saying she found sequins on her carpet. I thought my iPhone charger was sparking and going to light my bed on fire, but it was just a rogue orange sequin catching the light. What have I done to myself?"

But no amount of glitter can compensate for the hard work of creating and performing a show. "Out of everything I have ever made, this is the show in which I am most decidedly a character therein," says Proulx. "I am Emilio. Singing and step-ball-changing with the best of them. The puppets happen to make sneaky appearances every once in a while." So does another renowned artist. "I did my stripping Christmas present act for Chris Tsujiuchi's 2020 virtual Christmas cabaret. A rousing rendition of 'Dick in a Box,' if I recall. Chris and I are friends from back in the Statlers days and he is, obviously, one of the best musical theatre practitioners in the country and beyond. I feel so lucky to have him. I think the idea of the shy chameleon who needs to learn to let his inner sparkle shine resonated. Lucky me. Chris [The Rocky Horror Show, Unravelled, Parade, Box 4901, Onegin] and I have been creating the music together. Depending on the song, I will send him lyrics, voice memos, references, and ideas, and then he sends me back something way better than I ever could have imagined. And just maybe he will be joining me as the voice of one of the chameleons."

Proulx has other connections at the Greenhouse Festival that he is eager to renew. "I am a big fan of Kevin Matthew Wong as a producer and am excited to see some of his work as a creator/performer. Also BadFox is doing shadow puppetry and overhead projector stuff so you know I am on board. Also my dear friend and collaborator Ryan G Hinds [Lilies, MacArthur Park Suite, Bent] will be doing some mini-Kit Kat Klub cabaret shows, and we rarely get programmed in the same place at the same time so I am excited." Proulx is also excited for Emilio's million upcoming adventures. "In February/March, we are taking this show up north, like way north, for a tour, which I think is exciting. I grew up in the north and having a pro theatre show in town was an important part of my childhood. We will also be doing the McMichael gallery in March. And, yes, there are sparkly chameleon plush toys being manufactured as we speak. Not for January. But . . . eventually. Gotta give the people what they want."