Prudish
      Theatre
      Audiences
      on
      PEI
     
     
      |
      by
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Yes,
      I'm
      scared
      shitless
      of
     
     
      prudish
      reactions
      on
      PEI,”
      says
      Terry
     
     
      Pratt,
      board
      member
      of
      ACT
      (a
      com-
     
     
      munity
      theatre).
     
    

    
     
      With
      The
      Vagina
      Monologues,
     
     
      a
      show
      characterized
      by
      very
      provoca-
     
     
      tive
      language,
      about
      to
      open
      on
     
     
      Valentine's
      Day,
      the
      question
      remains:
     
     
      Is
      this
      sort
      of
      thing
      too
      much
      for
     
     
      Island
      audiences?
      Time
      and
      time
     
     
      again,
      PEI
      theatre
      productions
      have
     
     
      been
      altered
      or
      outright
      cancelled
      in
     
     
      anticipation
      of
      negative
      feedback
      from
     
     
      a
      perceived
      conservative
      audience.
     
     
      But
      is
      the
      audience
      really
      that
      prudish,
     
     
      or
      has
      the
      fear
      of
      a
      backlash
      distorted
     
     
      the
      truth
      about
      Islanders'
      tolerance
     
     
      level?
     
    

    
     
      Pratt
      relates
      several
      examples
     
     
      of
      where
      anticipation
      of
      negative
      feed-
     
     
      back
      led
      to
      theatrical
      changes.
     
    

    
     
      In
      1987,
      former
      premier
     
     
      Catherine
      Callbeck
      was
      on
      the
      board
     
     
      of
      The
      Confederation
      Centre
      of
      the
     
     
      Arts.
      She
      resigned
      her
      position
      over
      a
     
     
      line
      in
      the
      musical
      Are
      You
      Lonesome
     
     
      Tonight,
      about
      the
      life
      of
      Elvis.
     
     
      Producers
      of
      the
      show
      refused
      to
     
     
      change
      the
      line,
      “Look
      at
      that,
      will
     
     
      you
      —
      he's
      fucking
      the
      audience.”
     
    

    
     
      Pratt
      also
      recalls
      a
      student
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      who
      tried
      to
      put
      on
      a
      production
     
     
      of
      the
      play
      Once
      a
      Catholic.
      The
      play
     
     
      is
      a
      very
      provocative
      exploration
      of
     
     
      sex
      and
      the
      Catholic
      Church,
      dis-
     
     
      cussing
      such
      things
      as
      the
      Pope
      having
     
     
      sex
      with
      prostitutes,
      Joseph
      stirring
     
     
      his
      tea
      with
      his
      dick,
      and
      at
      one
      point
     
     
      a
      penis
      is
      mounted
      upon
      a
      crucifix.
     
     
      The
      Theatre
      Society
      nixed
      the
      idea.
     
    

    
     
      More
      recent
      is
      the
      case
      of
      Wit,
     
     
      where
      some
      of
      the
      harsher
      language
     
     
      was
      removed,
      and
      the
      last
      segment
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      play,
      where
      the
      lead
      character
      is
     
     
      supposed
      to
      be
      nude
      on
      stage,
      was
     
     
      removed.
      Also,
      as
      recent
      as
      just
      this
     
     
      past
      month,
      the
      Theatre
      Society
      pro-
     
     
      duction
      of
      Don
      DeLillo's
      Valparaiso
     
     
      was
      abandoned
      very
      early
      in
      produc-
     
     
      tion
      because
      of
      grumblings
      within
      the
     
     
      cast
      about
      sexual
      content.
     
    

    
     
      “One
      of
      the
      people
      who
     
     
      dropped
      out
      mentioned
      that
      her
      morals
     
     
      wouldn't
      allow
      her
      to
      be
      in
      a
      play
      with
     
     
      dialogue
      that
      had
      explicit
      sexual
      dia-
     
     
      logue.
      She
      was
      also
      concerned
      about
     
     
      what
      her
      parents
      and
      friends
      would
     
     
      think
      of
      her
      for
      saying
      explicit
      materi-
     
     
      al.
      Some
      other
      cast
      members
      who
      had-
     
     
      n't
      dropped
      out
      seemed
      to
      be
      uncom-
     
     
      fortable
      with
      [the
      content],
      too,”
      says
     
     
      Jeff
      Coll,
      director
      of
      the
      play.
     
    

    
     
      In
      the
      same
      vein,
      Trish
      Daley,
     
     
      director
      of,
      and
      performer
      in
      The
     
     
      Vagina
      Monologues,
      says
      that
      the
      last
     
     
      time
      they
      put
      the
      show
      on
      at
      the
      uni-
     
     
      versity,
      they
      had
      someone
      drop
      out
     
     
      because
      of
      the
      content.
     
    

    
     
      “One
      of
      the
      women
      last
      year
     
     
      did
      back
      out.
      More
      because
      of
      the
     
     
      parental
      pressure—it
      wasn't
      so
      much
     
     
      her
      as
      her
      parents.
      She
      was
      really
     
     
      gung-ho,
      really
      wanted
      to
      do
      it,
      even
     
     
      wanted
      to
      get
      her
      younger
      sister
     
     
      involved,
      and
      then
      a
      few
      nights
      later
     
    
   
   
    
     
      phoned
      and
      said
      that
      [she]
      couldn't
      be
      »
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      it
      because
      her
      parents
      really
      weren't
     
     
      comfortable
      with
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      But
      Daley
      is
      not
      the
      least
      bit
     
     
      scared
      about
      eliciting
      a
      negative
      reac-
     
     
      tion
      with
      the
      shock-laden
      Vagina
     
     
      Monologues;
      in
      fact,
      she
      relishes
      the
     
     
      idea
      of
      stirring
      up
      a
      little
      controversy.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      have
      no
      fears
      actually.
      Last
     
     
      year
      we
      put
      it
      on,
      and
      |
      was
      actually
     
     
      surprised
      at
      how
      little
      people
      made
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ¥TF
     
     
      il
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ti
     
    
   
   
    
     
      @
      Coming
      Again
      .
     
     
      cm
      And
      Again.
      9%.
     
     
      And
      Again
      es
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
      february
      11°
      ~
      February
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      February
      16°
      i
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [18]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      any
      uproar.
      The
      people
      who
      came
     
     
      loved
      it.
      There
      was
      no
      one
      who
      came
     
     
      and
      attacked
      us.
      We
      lost
      a
      few
      posters
     
     
      off
      the
      walls,
      but
      we're
      not
      sure
      if
      it
     
     
      was
      because
      people
      hated
      them
      or
     
     
      they
      liked
      them.”
     
    

    
     
      Asked
      if
      she
      is
      concerned
     
     
      about
      how
      the
      show
      will
      be
      received
     
     
      this
      time
      around,
      Daley
      says
      that
     
     
      although
      the
      show
      has
      the
      reputation
     
     
      of
      being
      extremely
      provocative,
      that's
     
     
      not
      what
      the
      play
      is
      really
      about.
     
    

    
     
      “It's
      very
      in-your-face
      and
      it's
     
     
      very
      colourful.
      But,
      it's
      all
      in
      context.
     
     
      In
      fact,
      a
      lot
      of
      it
      has
      to
      do
      with
     
     
      reclaiming
      words
      that
      for
      so
      long
      have
     
     
      had
      a
      negative
      connotation
      to
      them,
     
     
      like
      cunt.”
     
    

    
     
      “Is
      the
      Island
      exceptional?
     
     
      Probably
      not,”
      says
      Pratt.
      “Everyone
     
     
      draws
      their
      line
      somewhere,
      always
     
     
      has.
      ..
      .
      |
      have
      my
      own
      line.”
     
    

    
     
      And,
      as
      Andrew
      MacPhee,
     
     
      Vice-President
      of
      The
      UPEI
      Theatre
     
     
      Society
      points
      out,
      productions
      of
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canada’s
      Student
      Tr.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Beak
      ce
     
    
   
   
    
     
      al
      I
      ai
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vagina
      Monologues
      in
      neighbouring
     
     
      provinces
      have
      had
      a
      great
      deal
      of
     
     
      trouble
      securing
      sponsorship.
      Daley
     
     
      says
      that
      here,
      that
      simply
      hasn't
      been
     
     
      a
      problem.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      haven't
      had
      anyone
      ¢
      come
     
     
      to
      us
      and
      say
      ‘I
      can't
      believe
      you're
     
     
      doing
      this,'
      or
      ‘That's
      offensive.'
     
     
      [We've
      had]
      nothing
      but
      support.
      I'm
     
     
      really
      one
      for
      controversy,
      and
      I
      was
     
     
      really
      hoping
      to
      spark
      some
      because
     
     
      controversy
      ups
      ticket
      sales.”
     
    

    
     
      So
      perhaps
      things
      are
      improv-
     
     
      ing
      in
      PEI.
      But
      Adam
      Gauthier,
      cur-
     
     
      rent
      president
      of
      the
      UPEI
      Theatre
     
     
      Society,
      says
      that
      the
      Island
      still
      has
      a
     
     
      way
      to
      go.
      “I
      feel
      that
      there
      are
      defi-
     
     
      nitely
      some
      issues
      that
      are
      hard
      for
     
     
      local
      amateur
      actors
      to
      tackle,
      such
      as
     
     
      nudity
      on
      stage,
      but
      issues
      of
      profane
     
     
      language
      and
      adult
      situations
      should
     
     
      be
      more
      widely
      accepted
      by
      the
      pub-
     
     
      lic.
      The
      fact
      is,
      if
      people
      do
      not
      like
     
     
      [explicit
      content
      on
      the
      stage],
      they
      do
     
     
      not
      have
      to
      watch
      it.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      the
      Canadian
      ele
      of
      Students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Meta
      eee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ei
      i