Theatre you can watch in the nude
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David Allan King and Out Productions expose themselves on the Web
by AMY BARRATT
Those of us who go to theatre regularly have seen our share of nude scenes. We've sat titillated or mortified as we shared in this voyeuristic exercise with a roomful of strangers. David Allan King has something a little different in mind. He's working on a theatre piece you can watch in the privacy of your own home, in bathrobe and slippers or, if you so choose, in the nude.
Out of Province is an experiment with theatre on the Internet, an idea that throws the whole definition of what theatre is up in the air.
King, a playwright as well as artistic director of gay and lesbian theatre company Out Productions, explains, "It began with asking myself the question, 'If you can download music videos, can you download a live theatre experience?'" The answer, King says, may turn out to be no. But if it is yes, the ramifications for small theatre companies such as his could be huge. "If we can do theatre on the Net, it means we don't have to worry about filling seats. It also opens up a global audience."
Out of Province is a collection of monologues presenting one gay or lesbian character from each of Canada's 10 provinces (the three territories are on the agenda too, but those probably won't be ready to go up on the Web with the rest on Feb. 14). Each character talks about his or her "coming out" experience. King wrote the monologues based on interviews with real people from across the country and, while he says he has tried to capture the essence of each individual, he has put them in fictional scenarios.
The work will not really be "live." Most of the material has already been videotaped and will simply become available to download or watch online come Valentine's Day. Still, King stresses, this is not a film or video project, it is theatre.
The actors performed the pieces on a stage, with theatrical lighting and theatrical acting techniques. What perhaps most distinguishes it from film is the fact that the pieces will be virtually unedited. The actors rehearsed much as they would any theatre piece, but they performed it for an audience that had yet to arrive. You could say it's not the play but the audience that is "virtual."
If somehow the live theatre experience can be reproduced by, as King says, "treating your computer like a venue," then the appeal goes way beyond not having to get dressed up, or dressed at all, to watch a play. There's the convenience of being able to watch anytime, as opposed to the tyranny of the 8 p.m. curtain. And, with at least three months of winter still to go, the idea of getting a fix without having to brave the snow is enough to melt the reservations of the greatest theatre purist.
Out of Province will appear on the Out Productions Web site, www.out.ca, starting Feb. 14.
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