A jug of wine, a turkey baster and thou

A Fertile Imagination breaks ground and water at Divers/Cité

by DAVID GOBEIL TAYLOR

Lesbian theatre: if something seems incongruous about that phrase, it's because it's used so rarely. The past few years have seen a resurgence of lesbian characters in film, from the safe Three of Hearts and Bound to the more daring Gazon maudit and When Night Is Falling. So what about theatre?

A Fertile Imagination is Toronto lesbian writer Susan G. Cole's only play, and certainly her only comedy: her books sport titles such as Power Surge: Sex, Violence & Pornography and, along with her magazine articles, deal with such topics as violence against women, reproductive technology and sexual morality. While she hasn't quit her day job as senior arts editor at Now magazine to join the sparse ranks of lesbian playwrights, her play--first produced in 1992--has become something of a cult hit in Toronto and London, Ontario.

A Fertile Imagination deals with the trials and tribulations of a lesbian couple's decision to have a child. Instead of going to a fertility clinic, they opt for a more new-fashioned method: they hunt for a suitable donor and do the fertilization at home. "It's autobiographical," says Abarca. "Cole first wrote it as a monologue, writing for the first time about her life instead of about ideas. She and her partner have a seven-year-old daughter--this is essentially their story."

"Watching the play, you forget that these are two women; it's about two people. It's about making a commitment to bring a child into the world and all of the doubts and concerns that go along with that. You also get a glimpse of the traditional straight-male father role: the partner who isn't bearing the child feels left out because of the attention the pregnant woman receives." But there are issues in the play which will speak primarily to lesbians: discussions about the effect that having two mothers will have upon a child, and about the timely issue of same-sex spousal benefits.

Queer theatre tends to be the domain of the gay male voice, but the issue of childbearing in A Fertile Imagination distances the play from this trend for obvious biological and behavioural reasons. Pitching the play to Divers/Cité was an easy sell for Abarca, given her 13-year reputation with Street People Theatre Company (who are producing the play) and Divers/Cité's enthusiasm to finally have lesbian cultural content in Montreal's queer pride festival. "There's rarely been a lesbian cultural presence in this city at all, and never in Divers/Cité--we've just had parties in the past," says Divers/Cité organizer Suzanne Girard. "Puelo [Dier, another organizer] and I thought it was a great idea because the play is very timely and humorous. And," she adds, presumably speaking only for herself, "Paulina's so hot..."

"I'm sure people have talked about doing lesbian plays before," says Abarca. "I guess it shows that you've still got to be a lesbian with balls to get things going."

A Fertile Imagination runs to Aug. 16 at the Strathearn Theatre (3680 Jeanne-Mance). Wed-Sat 8pm, late show Sat 11pm. $12-16, 937-2028