Not often do you see an action-packed play that also delves into the topic of masculinity and violence. Well, theatre company SUPERFAN is touring Scotland this Autumn with a BANG! CRASH! and WALLOP! as they take Stuntman to Platform, Glasgow between September 23 and 24, 2022. If you have ever enjoyed a violent action movie, yet it felt a bit weird at the same time, then the performance of the powerful (and queer) duo David Banks and Sadiq Ali will be right up your alley.
Secret Glasgow has had the pleasure of speaking with Pete Lannon, co-director of SUPERFAN and director of Stuntman. When asked about what this production means to him, Lannon expressed some personal sentiments: “I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be a man in the world today, and how to find a way of being a man that isn’t about causing harm to yourself or others. That’s what the show is about for me I think – two men wrestling with a love/hate relationship to violence and trying to find a better way to be.”
Pete has had a long-standing relationship with violence even though he has never propagated it in real life; whether it is love or hate, or both, the play touches on some important topics relating to the true meaning of masculinity in today’s world. “I really enjoy a lot of action movies and play lots of video games in which the main activity is fighting or killing people, but I really hate violence in real life and try to avoid it or prevent it wherever possible. I wanted to explore that disconnect and figure out why I felt so differently about it, what was so exciting or attractive about violence when it’s terrifying at the same time, and what that says about how men and boys grow up with violence.”
The production will see both lough-out-loud silliness and emotional moments with some overt expression of anger and proper stage combat. We have always wanted to learn stage combat, so we might take notes on that one!
“I hope audiences leave thinking about their own relationship with violence, either as men or in relation to the men and boys in their lives. We always hope to leave an audience with more questions than answers I think – these are such complicated issues that it would be ridiculous for us to say that we have all the answers to the problems. I also hope the audience leaves having had fun!”, says Pete Lannon.
So, while we won’t solve all the world’s problems when it comes to toxic masculinity and violence, thought-provoking plays followed by conversations about the topic is a great place to start.