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There's a Riot going on >> Playwright Andrew Moodie wants to give American theatre the boot by AMY BARRATT
That was the subtext of a conversation I had last week with actor-playwright Andrew Moodie. And based on passion alone, the Toronto-based writer of Riot--receiving its Montreal premiere this week at the Monument National--could very well be the man for the job. "There's a lot of great stuff in the theatre scene in Toronto," Moodie says, "but it's all happening in small or mid-sized houses. All the large theatre is American. "The attitude there is, 'This is almost good enough to go to New York,'" he complains. "I can't tell you how soul-numbing it is to walk into a major theatre when the show is based on a Walt Disney animated film. And you think, 'My work could not possibly be on that stage.' It's a complete negation of my culture, who I am, where I'm from. "I have nothing against great plays from other cultures, but if you're saying I cannot share that stage because I'm Canadian? And I'm in my own country? Fuck you!" Perhaps ironically, Riot takes its life from an American incident--the acquittal of the police officers who assaulted Rodney King and the riots that ensued. The six characters in the play are all black Canadians of diverse backgrounds, who share a house. It has had several productions around the country since its 1995 premiere in Toronto and is being staged here by the Black Theatre Workshop, with the playwright in one of the roles. Moodie isn't worried that because it deals with a specific event in recent history, Riot may lose its relevance. "I wasn't concerned about that when I wrote it. I just wanted it to be relevant for the audience at that time. Also, I knew, as an actor, that there are many plays that are set in a very specific time and place, but are still lasting because they just have something to say that continues to be relevant." It's not like racism or police brutality are showing any signs of disappearing, so the issues in this play should seem as timely as ever. The playwright makes no secret of the fact that he wrote the piece thinking it would be nice to create some stage work for himself and his friends. But also, in creating this diverse group of characters, he was hoping to convey a message: "The black community is not a single monolithic entity in Canada. It's a very rich, multi-textured community. Ultimately, we're all trying to find our place in this thing called Canada." He has since written roles for white actors and has taken flack for it in some circles. His play Oui takes place on the eve of the 1995 Quebec referendum, focusing on a Franco-Ontarian family that is being "torn apart by something that affects all of us. They're like the children in this divorce." Some people told him it wasn't "timely" for a black person to be writing white characters. But Moodie feels great empathy for everyone in our "national unity crisis." He says the greatest compliment he received after a performance of Oui was a patron asking him if he was Franco-Ontarian. Apart from not having a warm enough jacket, Moodie says he loves spending time in Montreal, which he finds more culturally vibrant than Toronto. "The theatre is just more alive. And it's more of this place. It's of the people who live here." And that's what he wishes for the rest of Canada. "That's exactly what I'd like, if Canadians could become 'maîtres chez nous'... I don't want to create a Canadian theatre that can go to a New York stage. I want to create a Canadian stage that New Yorkers and Londoners--people from all over--would be dying to be a part of. Riot runs through November 28 at the Théâtre du Maurier of the Monument National, 8:30pm, $1019.50. Info: 871-2224
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Canadian theatre needs a kick in the butt.