Read the Plays of the Queer as Folk Writers

INTRODUCTION
In the 3 years I spent writing for seasons 3, 4, and 5 of Showtime's hit cable series Queer as Folk, I enjoyed the incredible opportunity to work with some extremely talented writers, most of whom had come to television from the world of theatre. As QAF was my first professional gig, I was one of the only writers of the later seasons who hadn't yet had a stage play produced.

Over the course of my tenure with the show, I found myself increasingly influenced by the artistry, achievement and dedication of my fellow staffers, and began to think of my career as more than simply a screenwriter/filmaker. I wanted to become a playwright as well. The result was Sir Richard Wadd, Pornographer, a 1-act play which I composed during my time with QAF. Sir Richard Wadd, Pornographer premiered in June 2005 at the Toronto Fringe Festival, and I was very gratified by the experience of both writing as well as directing it.

In tribute to the guys whose theatre-work I very much admire, here's a run-down of some of what they've written.

RON COWEN
Most fans of the show know Ron as half of the Executive Producing team that created the North American version of Queer as Folk. Together with his long-time partner Dan Lipman, Ron adapted the show from its original British context to bring it "across the pond." Prior to QAF, Ron and Dan were the Executive Producers of Sisters, and prior to that, they penned the Emmy Award-winning An Early Frost (1985), which was the first mainstream-media depiction of the AIDS crisis.

Summertree
This is a profound and elegaic piece that explores the fears and uncertainties of a young man in the midst of an increasingly sinister world. Ostensibly written as an indictment against the Vietnam war, the play was recently revived in response to the war in Iraq. Called "immeasurably moving..." by the New York Times, Summertree garnered Ron the 1968/9 Drama Desk award for Best Playwright. It was also awarded Off-Broadway's Vernon Rice Award, and enjoyed a long and acclaimed production run by the Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre.

MICHAEL LEWIS MacLENNAN
Michael's is a truly impressive soul. Depending on his mood, he can be searingly intelligent, amazingly quick-witted, hilariously wry, unselfconsciously goofy, or intensely passionate. Add to that an astonishing talent with words, and it's little wonder his plays have garnered a flotilla of accolades, including two nominations for Canada's highest literary prize, the Governor General Award. Michael's website is at www.michaelmaclennan.com.

The Last Romantics
Behind the fame of Oscar Wilde and his illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley, was another less trumpeted pair of men – Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon – who were far more closeted than their more notorious compatriots. Set in the dying days of the Aesthetic Movement, the story of Ricketts and Shannon is at once tragic and beautiful, for they are The Last Romantics – confused and anxious men who cling desperately to a world of Old Masters and Greek pottery in the face of modernity’s slow and relentless encroachment. The text is luxurious; redolent with the musty air of a highly repressed Victorian society whose oblique and effervescent wit bubbles forth from the depths of a painful and necessary concealment.

The Shooting Stage
Deftly walking the fine line between art and obscenity, this is a haunting tale about boys and men, their buried pasts and inexorable futures. Woven skillfully together are two stories that appear at first to have nothing in common – until they dovetail into a breathless and heartrending conclusion. The first is the story of a legal battle to defend a photographer who captures controversial images of adolescents. The second is about a young and effeminate teen named Elliot who struggles to express himself through the persona of his alter ego, drag queen Leda Swan. Together, they give form and feeling to the provocative, dangerous, and electrifying themes that few writers have the courage to wrestle, and still fewer manage to pin with such remarkable skill.

Also by Michael:

BRAD FRASER
Brad can sometimes come across as brash and belligerent, but this is only an outward manifestation of his intense dislike of hypocrisy, dishonesty, and general bullshit. Owing to the crushing preponderance of such unsavoury things in the everyday world, one begins to understand some of the reasons for his persona. To know Brad is to discover a man with a precise and uncompromising vision for his art. Tack on a raunchy, no-holds-barred sense of humour, an unflinchingly street-smart approach to life, and a profound understanding of the human need to connect, and you have a writer that demands to be read. His critically-acclaimed plays have been produced around the world. Find Brad on the web at www.bradfraser.net.

Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love
Named one of the 10 best plays of the year by TIME magazine, this play is probably one of Canada’s most famous and acclaimed theatrical exports. Set in Edmonton, Alberta, the story follows the travails of a group of young adults as they struggle to understand the meaning of love and commitment while a serial killer stalks their city. Explicit in its sexuality, unflinching in its approach to violence, and jam-packed with laugh-out-loud moments, this is a glorious and titillating romp through some of Canada’s darker streets. As a side-note, QAF fans who loved the Brian/Michael – Stuart/Vince rooftop scenes will get a pretty clear picture of their probable origin: right here in this play.

Cold Meat Party
Standard in this play are Brad’s trademark “butch-slaps” and his hilarious one-liners, which automatically make it worth reading. But what I found most compelling about this story was the pervasive sense of desperate unhappiness that all of the characters are feeling just beneath the surface of their ostensibly successful lives. There’s a kind of beautiful bleakness to their existence – a situation that’s all the more disturbing given the reason they’ve all come together: a funeral. The play’s conclusion is downright visceral (at the performance I was at, I noticed one or two queasy folks sneaking helplessly out of the auditorium), and the themes of disconnection, remorse and longing stare out to us from behind the colourful death-masks of catty lip and barbed wit.

Also by Brad:


DEL SHORES
Del's world is a marvelous whirlwind of attentions. At times, he's fiercely and passionately committed to the cause of gay rights and queer self-actualization. At others, he's devoted to his family and friends -- immediate and extended -- and loves to observe the millions of little (and big) dramas that rise and fall within the shifting circles of their interaction. Peppered liberally throughout every waking moment is a dazzling, Southern-seasoned sense ofhumour that is at once uproarious, outrageous, and borderline tragic. When all these factors are infused into his writing, the results are pretty spectacular. Del's website is at www.delshores.net.

Sordid Lives: A Comedy in Four Chapters
Del’s most famous play – and the one that’s earned him a cult following – tells the story of a young gay man struggling with the anxious need (and simultaneous fear) to come out to his family – a jaw-dropping and hysterical assortment of southerners. Del is a master at drawing from the raucous milieu of his burning, sun-bleached youth, and while he spares no expense to bring us the most absurdly hilarious people in the midst of their absurdly hilarious situations, he never forgets that beneath each one of them is a real and hurting soul struggling to find a personal sense of happiness and self-worth. Also check out the film version that Del directed: Sordid Lives.

Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife
No link here because I’m waiting for this play to finally be published. But for those lucky enough to have seen its world-premiere performance in LA, they’ll understand why I’m writing about it here. Like Del’s other hit, Southern Baptist Sissies (also still unpublished!), this play combines the gut-busting humour of southern country bumpkins with their harrowing quest to affirm and assert themselves in the midst of oppressive circumstances. Del has an enviable knack for writing lines that are at once amazingly funny and darkly foreboding.