(photo by Lily Jamali)
A Loud Mosaic
by Jim Murchison
The concept behind A Quiet Sip of Coffee is intriguing right from the get go.Theatre graduates and best friends, Anthony and Nathan, one Gay and one straight write a prank letter to a fundamentalist organization dedicated to reformation of Gay men. They are looking for funding of their play Never Cry Wolfman, a play that examines the monster within. Surprisingly, they get a favourable response provided that they agree to go through some Gay reversal therapy. The problem is they never actually wrote a play but they need the funding, so they accept.
Photo by Lily Jamali
When the water is coffee and the prank is the Play
by Chad Dembski
“Hi everybody, remember this is a play”. This is one the first sentences from the start of AnimalParts creation A Quiet Sip of Coffee. The two writer/performers present themselves to the audience, introduce the premise of the piece but most of all want to remind everyone of what is real and what is not.
The story revolves around a letter written in the summer of 2004 to a fundamentalist 'ex-gay' organization they saw advertised in a weekly newspaper. As a self-proclaimed 'gay-straight' duo they decided to prank the organization and ask for funds to produce a play. The letter was answered, a meeting was set up and before they knew it they were not only there to work on their play but also agreed to participate in their camp. This was a two week intensive Gay conversion therapy camp with boys and men from all over BC, Alberta and Washington State.
