Sad Mag contributor, Dave Deveau, sat down with creator Waawaate Fobister to talk about the production and his upcoming work.
Dave Deveau: There are a lot of openly queer theatre creators in Canada who don’t necessarily write “queer” work. How is queer content important for you as a creator?
Waawaate Fobister: I do identify as queer. I also identify as aboriginal. Agokwe is my first major work. It has both queer and aboriginal content. The second piece I’m writing has nothing to do with queer. But in the workshop development phases we’re doing I am working with Queer Native artist Billy Merasty. So ‘queer’ still managed to seep in somehow.
DD: In an industry full of young people trying to make it, you are living the dream – I remember seeing some of your work in the Buddies Young Creators Unit, fast forward a few years and here you are, with one of the greatest success stories Toronto has seem in recent years! How did all of this unfold?
WF: Agokwe was a little blob and started swallowing up everything grew into a living thing. First it was a ramble, then a monologue, then a 30-minute piece, a full-length, opening production for Buddies, winning Doras, and now a tour to some amazing Theatres. It’s been quite a ride this Agokwe.
DD: And now for the inevitable question: what’s next? You have quite the tour ahead of you, but what scribblings might one find in your notebooks nowadays?
WF: I am writing a new play called ‘Medicine Boy’ it’s being dramaturged and directed by [Dora award-winning Toronto artist] Tara Beagan. We’ve had and hope when it goes into production that Billy Merasty will [still] be involved. It’s a three-hander piece. I am also creating a Sexy Native Cabaret!
TWO SPIRIT, LET’S HEAR IT!
Presented by Queer Bash and The Cultch
The Cobalt 917 Main Street
Friday, January 14 9:00 pm
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