When Edmonton playwright Brad Fraser’s script of Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love hit conservative Alberta in 1989, it caused an explosive furore.
Staid Albertans just weren’t used to seeing a homosexual slice of life with gay men kissing or a woman experimenting with lesbianism. Many felt these types of plays were more suited to San Francisco or Fort Lauderdale — anywhere but here.
The Alberta-raised Fraser, frustrated he and many other Albertans were persecuted for their sexual identity, thought otherwise. Using his anger as a launching pad, he crafted a play that was brutally dark, sexually explicit and wickedly razor sharp.
Set in Edmonton, this drama invited audiences into the lives of several sexually frustrated 30-year-olds trying to come to terms with their sexuality while a serial killer targeting specific individuals is loose in the city.
It’s two decades later and Fraser has updated the play and shortened the name to Love and Human Remains, due to open at Studio Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 4 at the Timms Centre.
A challenging play to present with a seasoned cast, this production is boldly explored by the University of Alberta’s fourth year BFA acting class. And success depends on actors baring all their vulnerabilities.
Director John Kirkpatrick encourages theatregoers to go beyond the surface nudity, violence and swearing. “It’s about a guy and a girl searching for love in a world where they don’t fit in. I’m not about shock value. I want to illustrate the heart of the play — people searching for love, honesty and acceptance.”
And for Kirkpatrick, a former St. Albert Children’s Theatre alumnus, the heart of the play deals with basic morality. “If you do not lead a life of honesty and love, you will corrupt your soul and go down a dark path.”
The plot centres on a trio of lost souls. There’s the gay David, a former actor and current waiter, Candy, a heterosexual woman experimenting with lesbianism and Bernie, David’s conflicted best friend.
Watching over the proceedings is Benita, a prostitute with psychic abilities played by Kyla Shinkewski. “Benita is the universal acceptance mother. Wherever you are, whatever you need, she has a great gift of acceptance, an amazing capacity to give love,” says Kirkpatrick.
Despite Benita’s generous spirit, Shinkewski, a St. Albert Catholic High graduate, found her character challenging. “A lot of her world is nothing I’ve experienced — the prostitution, the drugs, the abuse and being a mystic. A lot is out of my research and I’ve been trying to find out who Benita is through my body. She’s very expressive physically.”
As she stands on the darkened stage of Fraser’s world, Shinkewski will be plumbing the depths for heart. “It’s about acceptance of who you are, being confident, loving the people around you and treating them well.”
