Berto_Tony_201307_PhD .pdf - University of Guelph

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sexual assault and incest, while the latter shows the body objectification of a young male
taken to extremes of humiliation and cosmetic surgery). However, in the past six years a
number of amateur, gay-themed shows have played at the theatre, notably Happy Birthday,
Take Me Out, and Jeffrey (Happy Birthday features a day in the life of three gay men, Take
Me Out is concerned with a professional baseball player who comes out as gay, and Jeffrey
concerns a HIV negative man looking for love in the midst of AIDS crisis of the early
1990s). Two of these shows had posters that were rejected for their sexual content, as
mentioned in Chapter One. These rejections referred to the theatre’s location being
associated with family attractions and children’s fare (Blue). The theatre’s programming
reflects the physical attributes of the theatre, providing a space for companies with meagre
funds and equipment requirements. Its rental terms appear to be neutral in terms of
promoting or framing any theatrical content (“Waterfront”, Rental). However its history of
censoring advertisements indicates that sensibilities of family are promoted over other
considerations.
Geographical and Material Aspects
The Waterfront Theatre is located on Granville Island, the same public space where
His Greatness was performed. Alexandrowicz chose the space from a number of sites
booked by the PuSh Festival, maintaining that he wanted to “stay on Granville island,”
(among other festival shows) presumably due to the area’s familiarity among theatre-goers
(Alexandrowicz, “Final” 1). However, the space may have been a less than ideal site, and
its material aspects may not have contributed appropriate contexts the play’s meanings. The
theatre itself is housed in the former Tyee Machinery Building, which was converted to its
present form in 1979. The theatre has traces of its industrial beginnings, with some rough-