Q&A: Nobody's Business Theatre

Morgan Norwich and Johnnie Walker. Photo by Greg Wong.

Nobody's Business Theatre is celebrating their 10th anniversary with two hit shows, Redheaded Stepchild and Amusement, at this year's Toronto Fringe Festival. We caught up with co-artistic producers Johnnie Walker and Morgan Norwich to find out more about this zany double offering.

Theatromania: How would you describe Redheaded Stepchild and Amusement in a few sentences?

NB: Redheaded Stepchild is a queer, coming-of-age solo show about how weird it is to grow up with red hair, featuring some sweet lip-syncing, a dress-up box, and a chain-smoking, ex-Jehovah's witness, golf pro stepmom. Amusement is about a couple of screw-ups from Toronto running away to a certain Orlando theme park where they discover the dirty secrets behind the Happiest Place on Earth.

Theatromania: Have the productions changed much since they were first produced?

NB: We've been doing Redheaded since 2010, so it's certainly evolved since then. In 2012, we took it on a national Fringe tour, and we're pretty much set with the way the show wound up being performed during that run. With Amusement, we first performed it last year at the Edmonton Fringe, so it's a newer show and it feels like it has a bit more room to grow. We've been adding funnier jokes, more physical comedy, and slightly different versions of some of the scenes. Amusement really cracks us up in the rehearsal hall, so if we laugh at it enough, it probably makes it into the show.

Theatromania: What excites you most about this year's Toronto Fringe?

NB: Fringe is a chance to connect with our artist friends from throughout the country, which is always lovely. There is so much talent and amazing work in North America that just isn't here the rest of the year, and Fringe is an amazing opportunity to catch out-of-town acts that you would otherwise never get a chance to see. So, go see our shows for sure, but also go see stuff by people from Vancouver, and Edmonton, and Portland, and Ottawa, and New York. Some of the best performances you will see all year are only a very cheap ticket away.

Theatromania: What's next for Nobody's Business?

NB: Well, almost as soon as we finish Toronto Fringe, we pack up Redheaded and take it on the road to Halifax, where it will make its East Coast debut at the Queer Acts Theatre Festival.

Catch Redheaded Stepchild and Amusement July 2 to 13 as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival (Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse). Visit fringetoronto.com for more information and to buy tickets.