Three years ago, I was struck when a friend of mine was caught in the middle of a ridiculous homophobic situation, and I was left with a deep sense of resentment and purely dumbfounded. How quickly I was prepared to rush to my mate's defence, how angry I was that any form of discrimination still exists (particularly as this case happened in what I perceive to be a pretty progressive part of town), how easily it was slipped into the situation without any recourse for action, how powerless everyone in the situation had been to stop it... And worse, that this is not a once off story. Fast forward, we're now in a place whee the federal government is actively sanctioning homophobic policies, I'm reading pretty consistent stories about hate crimes towards women all over the world, gen y is getting hated on for falling into a stereotype that has been dictated to us by the media and by the way we are forced to live by the baby boomer generation... And another mate of mine tells me a ripper of a story that oddly seems to capture all of my discomfort and deep sense of confusion as to what is happening with my generation. It is these curious elements coming together which have finally given me the push to find a way through what, at first, was at best a melange of ideas and dissatisfactions with dismissals happening all over the world.
My first major challenge was how to find humour in a piece which - at present - I find so essentially unfunny. But, I similarly did not want a piece of theatre that bashed people over the heads with wht "my message" was. Rather, like my conversations when it comes to any of these issues, I wanted to tell a story that provoked questions and thoughtfulness, rather than lessons and ill-conscience. This I think, beyond all hope, I've found an almost Seuss-sequel voice for those of us who know how to relate to street rhythm (brought up with nursery rhyme, guilty pleasure for hip-hop and rap, appreciation for the beat poet generation... I've tried to find my way through and lean on my inspirations with heavy heart).
I also felt very strongly about writing an aural piece, a joy to have on the tongue, but to re-encourage active listening. I'm so pleased with this outcome. There is something playful and open in the possibility of non-scene-based text. And I'm so thankful that the whole creative team seem pretty happy and on board with this aspect of the play.
What fascinates me though, is that the central premise of this piece has always been the use of language, and how my contemporaries have found the way to subvert language norms and reclaim the obscenities of old. The art of fucking has always been a piece about language and how we use the word to full advantage, and the times when it fails us. There was a time when if realised that for me personally, when I get really serious and angry, I can no longer swear, because for me, it doesn't hold that purpose. I have other friends who would never swear until really very very irate. The ways I which swearing is friendly banter, and the times where it crosses into inappropriate.
I once dropped the f-bomb on the radio - not because I'd made a mistake or anything, but referring to the book Go the Fuck to Sleep... Which, let's be honest, is just more funny than "Go the Eff to Sleep" (common way around printed swear words on the radio). Well, boy did the station come down on me and hard. I similarly turned two of my friends usage of the c-bomb around in one year of them living with me... Because, I fear words that have so much power in the simple act of saying them. This to me is a dangerous part of language. To be able to utter one simple four word letter and be able to make the whole word dismiss what you're saying simply because there is the presence of obscenity in your speech disregards too large a portion of society... And also gives a power over to words that is dangerous and dark. I'd be lying if I said that the title of the show has already run me into trouble... But, I'm staying true to what I think this performance is really essentially about - which is sections of society who are painted in a specific way find a voice, which sometimes is readily dismissed because that voice doesn't fit the designated stereotype and hence, marginalisation can be a vicious cycle...
There's something messy about this piece, it's about getting fucked up, fucked over, fucked with; it's about fucking, fucking up, the fact that everything's fucked; fuck this, fuck that, fuck off... Y'know... Fuck!
It is in this spirit of play that I am so thrilled to be really starting on this journey with close friends who are willing to take on the world too. Ready to start rehearsing it so we can share this show with the world.
