ShAIDS of Grey
VIEW Magazine (25/3/2010)
Michael Pett is a playwright and director in an enviable position as he awaits the opening of the third production of his HIV/AIDS awareness play ShAIDS of Grey. This multi-disciplinary performance settles into a three-performance run at the 2200-seat Great Hall at Hamilton Place this coming Thursday and Friday.
The first production of the play two years back filled the 750-seat Dofasco Centre for the Arts to capacity; last spring, an all-new version of the play received rave reviews for a production at Toronto’s 297-seat Betty Oliphant Theatre.
I had the chance to speak candidly with Michael Pett – who occupies multiple roles as producer, co–creator and director – and he spoke very passionately about the play and the issues that it raises in our community. “The spark for the show came in December 2007. I was part of a group of activists who started a local non–profit organization called Empowerment Squared with the a mandate of helping people help others. The original idea for ShAIDS of Grey was just a fundraiser–a talent show. However, what we created ended up being much more ambitious.”
The inspiration behind ShAIDS of Grey was Mary Fleming, who was widowed when her husband died of AIDS, leaving behind a family devastated by what had happened to them. Since she herself was spared from the virus that killed her spouse, Fleming became determined to become part of the solution to the problem.
“The play is not a typical musical. It uses vignettes, monologues, songs and dance to tell the story. It is much more urban and hip then traditional Broadway fare. Several numbers are based upon African culture, giving us a marriage between global and local perspectives.”
Michael came to the theatre early while studying at a private high school in Germany. “We did The Diary of Anne Frank, and the stakes to do that there were enormous. We did the research and talked to people who knew Anne Frank… There were holocaust museums that we visited. After that experience the theatre became my passion.”
Pett settled into a four-year degree program at McMaster where the theatre became a constant companion as he acted in Shakespearean productions such as As You Like It and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He also started producing theatre with the McMaster Thespian Company.
“The real purpose behind ShAIDS of Grey has always been to engage the audience in the issue. It is not a lecture. There are no lists of facts and figures. The play is directly based upon interviews with real people who have had to deal with HIV and AIDS in their lives. Music and dance just became elements with which to tell the story.”
Other then the true-life narrative of Mary Fleming, all of the other characters have become composites of the original interviewees. “The dramatizations came from an extensive workshop process with the various casts we have had over the past three years. Actors were given the freedom to do their own research on the issue and then to incorporate those discoveries into the characters that they were playing onstage. The whole point of telling these stories this way was to draw the audience in.”
Also on hand to answer questions was cast member Simba Sithole, a Zimbabwean–born actor who has recently finished his education at McMaster. He brings a huge sense of urgency to the production, coming from a place where AIDS has ravaged the local population. “I have a deep personal experience with AIDS–I lost an aunt and four uncles to it. In my country, virtually no one is unaffected–everyone has a story to tell. There are lots of taboos around the issue and it is all based on fear–in fact it has nothing to do with sexual orientation. A three-year-old child with a skinned knee can become infected…”
Sithole and his first-hand knowledge of the issue has inspired the rest of his fellow cast members to get involved even more in being part of the solution. “Everyone involved in the show – over 40 people – are working without pay. The funds raised from ticket sales and sponsorship will go to building a treatment facility in Kenya. But it is not just about raising money for the cause–for us raising awareness of the issue is just as important.” Local audiences will have the opportunity to support this important cause by grabbing a ticket and helping to build hope for those who are affected by the disease.
“HIV/AIDS overwhelms many people. It attacks us in our most intimate moments. Hopefully the play will set up a dialogue with the community and we will show everyone what can be done to help. Together we can inspire a lot of hope.”
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