For my contractually obligated blog post, I decided to conduct my own verbatim-style interview with an audience member who recently attended a performance of Busted Up: A Yukon Story.
(Full disclosure: I live with my interview subject and we have sired at least one illegitimate child together. For the sake of anonymity, we will call them Deborah.)
ROY: Ummm... alright. So maybe the first question we'll start with is what resonates with you as a B&R or just a Yukoner in general, um with Busted Up?
DEBORAH: Actually, you know what resonates me is that the, the diversity of characters in the play. Perceived as good or bad, or not. But that there's a feeling of acceptance that… I see that range of characters and opinions about things, like, you know, pro-mining anti-mining, I don't know, like racism or redneck or, you know spiritual connections with the land whether it's um sort of, practiced or not, in their life or is it something that's um, you know, ah, just an idea in your head about a place.
And I tend to think that that's one of our strengths in the Yukon maybe and I do think of the play as well that, um, hopefully we do accept people for who they are and where they're at in their life.
ROY: Is there one character that you identify with, er like most, er like a favourite character?
DEBORAH: Well, for sure Sam. Hands down. Speaks... Ah, I learn, I feel like I learn something every time I listen to tho- his words. Um... And I, and I like um... what's Brenda's uh character?
ROY: Don?
DEBORAH: Don.
ROY: You like Don?
DEBORAH: I like that character. I - and I have heard people like that a lot! And I don't personally think like - hmm. I think you can be just as messed up as Don, say, but still live in suburbia. So..
ROY: Doesn't offend your sense of community in the Yukon to have that, a character like that included?
DEBORAH: No. Not at all. It's... it's ah.. [clears throat]. A, just a part of the fabric. Don't really have any... I'm not offended by it, no.
ROY: Oh and uh, what are you excited for for the Carcross show?
DEBORAH: That, I think that potentially we may ahhh grow a love of theatre in Carcross, that would be really awesome. [Laughs] Or ignite peoples interest or ahh curiosity about theatre that they -- cause I don't know how much theatre has or how much exposure Carcross residents have had to theatre. Because of you know, limitations of space and ah, well frankly because things are kind of Whitehorse-centric.
ROY: But, not on.. not on Tuesday night.
DEBORAH: Not on Tuesday night.
ROY: OK. I think that's lots.
~ Roy Neilson (Whitehorse, YT)
Busted Up: A Yukon Story 2018