i did a show in my house and it was totally cool
Working on Forget Your Roots and how joyful it is to turn your home into a theatre.
We have an oddly long living room and I’ve never really liked it. Turns out, it’s true purpose was not for living but to be turned into a theatre. A big win for Boy King Theatre Collective and for Sashank and I who have been looking for excuses to commune with friends! Alongside our small community, we rearranged our whole living room in about 2 hours. We made space that could surprisingly fit 25 people comfortably; we had 4 ROWS and even some extra space in the back!
When we started Boy King, we did it as a way to give ourselves a kick in the rear. As artists (emerging artists specifically), its all to easy to feel like you need to wait. To wait for the right opportunity or wait for permission. However, I’ve learned that the waiting is just a lingering consequence of youth. My passionate, determined, and amazing fellow collective members remind me constantly that waiting isn’t productive . It just takes up the space I could use to create. With that, we set off to create some semblance of a season plan. One that emboldens us to not wait for an opportunity to learn and create. We decided to fill it with shows we have created but haven’t have the opportunity to produce and agreed to fill in the gaps with devised pieces. Thus, Forget Your Roots was chosen to be the first test of self-produced home theatre.
Sashank’s show was the perfect choice. It teetered the line between theatre and stand-up, it was funny and laid back, the perfect choice for an intimate audience. His natural charm was truly on display and was only amplified by an audience of people who love him (yes, I am biased). The workshop was invitational as it was in our home but we opened up a few tickets to the public just in case anyone was interested! Sashank insisted on serving light snacks and drinks after the show, he couldn’t have been more right. The environment of the entire night was transformed into a communal evening of friendship, food, and pure joy.
At it’s core, theatre is a shared experience. It doesn’t matter where you are and how much money you have. If it’s live and there are other people around, you can call it theatre. I learned a lot from that night. As someone who is actively learning the skill of creating art without needing permission, I felt encouraged and inspired. Western theatre has strayed from it’s roots with its spectacle and its showmanship. But there is hope in emerging artists, obscure fringe and festival shows, and theatre made in living rooms. Alongside my friends at Boy King, we decided that the future of theatre is not about adding hydraulics to the wheel but rather just leaving it be and learning from it. Sure the spectacle is great and appreciated, but I’m learning that as a young artist I need to “do my time” (and by “doing my time”, I don’t mean toughing out exploitational relationships with bigger companies). I mean that I need to actively learn by creating, I don’t need to be in the right place or interview for every opportunity and I certainly do not need anyone to give me permission to make my art. I need to honor artists of the past by creating without fear and anxieties. I need to share those creations with others and then keep creating. Maybe I am just vomiting out words now but all this to say, do some theatre in your living room. I promise it’s worth it.