Kate Smith and Geoff McBride in a scene in Conservatives in Love.
As the election campaign progressed, dominated by worries about the economy, the environment and arts funding, a local theatre group poked fun at both Left and Right with its production of Conservatives in Love.
Although the play’s title suggests it has partisan leanings, the play is a silly and light comedy that “gently mocks both sides” of the political spectrum, says Kate Smith, one of the actors.
Smith says she wants the play to provoke thought about the arts because of cuts to arts funding and recent comments made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Smith says she and other artists are furious about what Harper has done.
“For somebody to think that a community can survive without its culture is ridiculous,” she says.
Patrick Gauthier, the director, hopes the show made the audience members who saw it before the election really think about who they were planning to vote for before heading to the polls.
He sees the irony in the play’s focus on characters who end up at a Young Conservatives meeting, given the federal Conservative government’s negative attitude toward the arts.
In the play, the character Val, a member of the Young Conservatives, comments on a piece of art at a gallery.
“This rust-bucket has generated millions of dollars of economic activity. And that is the value of art,” Gauthier says. "Using the arts to criticize the current and potential future government’s policies is an effective way of protesting.”
Smith says she hopes the show has drawn attention to the importance of the arts.
“I would hope that [the audience] walked away entertained and also thinking about the true value of art and how art is integral to our culture as Canadians,” she says.
Conservatives in Love was put on by Leave the Pants at Home Equity Co-op, made up of four actors and Gauthier. It was formed by Gauthier about six weeks ago when he heard there was going to be a federal election, Smith says. The show ran from Oct. 8 to 18.
The use of comedy, in particular, in theatre is an effective way of discussing political issues, Gauthier says. “You can attract [people] with comedy, but then also give them a social message.”
Smith agrees the theatre is a “wonderful” medium for being heard, and says the mockery in the play puts the audience at ease.
“They sit there and they listen and they reflect on what you’re saying,” she says. “It’s done in a way where everybody can appreciate it, nobody feels attacked and hopefully everyone goes home at least having heard the other person’s [views].”
Hilary Nichol, a 20-year-old student at Algonquin College and an audience member at the Oct. 14 show, says she enjoyed the play and thought it was very funny.
Although the use of theatre as a medium for political discussion has been around forever, she says it is a great idea.
“It’s a really good way to get the messages out there in an entertaining way that people will understand.”