WHEN writing a show primarily about men and masculinity, creators Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Chris Isaacs quickly realised the best way to find inspiration would be to simply hang out with each other.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The duo, members of HotHouse Theatre's company-in-residence The Last Great Hunt, spent a year formulating ideas for Fag/Stag, which they will perform on October 26 and 27 at the Butter Factory Theatre.
After spending countless hours conceiving the characters of Corgan and Jimmy, the earliest versions of the show came from an impromptu, improvised performance.
“Having spent all the time together and daydreamed the characters, daydreamed what their friendship would be like, we actually just hit record on a phone and improvised the play,” Mr Fowler said.
“We transcribed that and went through it, talked through it, and it again five days in a row.
“We had about a year run-up to that, talking to each other, talking about the state that men are in, why do young men get arrested development and suddenly pause in their life, why do they feel all this anger.”
After originally writing the show in 2015, Mr Isaacs said the examination of men and masculinity had grown more prominent in society.
The show follows the aforementioned characters in conversation, a month out from the wedding of their best friend, a girl they both dated at one point in time.
“These questions were really just starting to surface, there was a lot of stuff around about aggression in male relationships especially,” he said.
Tickets are available online.