M>A=D: The presentation of “ middle-aged gay men” through divising theatre

Abstract

M>A=D is a contemporary theater, which discusses about four Gay men who face the middle age crisis. Each character has a different status in Thai Society but they will meet in a special room existing in a new dimension. The show features ‘Nok Kha Min (Canary)’ as the representative figure of a gay man. In the story, one of the four gay men will be in charge of each game, which he or she sets a rule. For examples, the rule of game is to follow the title of show in an alphabetical order as M to be a ‘Monument’ to ask a question such as who am I?, A to be an ‘Andropause’ to talk about the magic wig, and D as a ‘Deformity’ to discuss the secret room. In this paper, I will write how I used the divising technique as a theater director for its creative process, where all actors and staffs discussed and shared their opinions first to develop the script that gives a collective storytelling. I also discuss about how I created a non-linear narrative for each scene with different performances including a dialogue play, Thai classical singing and dance, reading poetry and creating an installation art through the play. In addition, I will discuss how the stage set, costumes and music helped to create an anxious atmosphere and feelings of a middle-age gay man throughout the play. In conclusion, I will write about my own objective that is to share the fate of each character with the audiences in order to raise questions such as how to connect one’s self during such a crisis and how to connect with other people in the present.