[Bright staccato synth music.]
[ADAM]
Hello, my name is Adam Grant Warren. I'm a playwright, an actor, and the Co-Artistic Director of Realwheels Theatre.
[NATASHA]
And I'm Natasha Nadir. I'm a director, a dramaturg, and a playwright.
[ADAM]
For those of you who are new to Realwheels, we're a disability-led company based in Vancouver, Canada. Our work in theatre and performance creation explores the fullness and complexity of disability experience, identity, and community.
[NATASHA]
It's been our absolute pleasure to spend the last 10 weeks from September to December of 2024 with an incredible group of 10 emerging playwrights who identify with disability. Each week, we dug into ideas of character, story structure, and even creative process to bring excerpts of some really exciting plays in progress, from the minds of these writers to your ears.
[ADAM]
Our Playwriting Circles have been around for a while, but this year we thought we tried something new.
For the first time in our history, we're sharing this work in podcast form, featuring original music and sound design by the award-winning duo Finka Wood.
[NATASHA]
With one excerpt per episode, you'll also hear the playwrights in conversation with us. We'll talk a little bit about what drew them to write their play and why the work feels important to them.
[NATASHA]
Without further ado,
[ADAM]
Welcome to Waveforms.
[Music fades out.]
[NATASHA]
This week, I'm joining Daphne Finlayson in her home in Winnipeg to talk about her play, FanAddict.
FanAddict focuses on the relationship between a young digital creator and fame. It examines our culture's obsession with online relevancy and what people are willing to do to get on the trending page, as well as what that fleeting fame does to a person's psyche.
What do we need to know as we dive into this excerpt?
[DAPHNE]
So the scene focuses on Luke and his mom, Linda. Linda was the one that was the brains behind the original family channel. It was all her idea. And her relationship to fame has kind of trickled down to Luke in a lot of ways, where growing up, he and his sister were told where to stand, how to look, how to act. And that would also change a lot of the time depending on who was paying them to promote what.
So now that he's an adult and trying to gain some independence from his mom… He's still grappling with being the kid that was always told what to do and had to put on a happy face no matter what because that was what was paying his family's bills.
[Keyboard typing.]
[STAGE DIRECTIONS]
December 2019, Luke is sitting at his computer, editing a video. His phone buzzes.
[Phone buzzing.]
[LUKE]
Hi, mom.
[LINDA]
Hi, baby. How are you doing?
[LUKE]
Fine.
[LINDA]
Oh, good, good. How's Melissa?
[LUKE]
We broke up. In August.
[LINDA]
Oh, that's a shame. I liked her.
[LUKE]
Me too. So what's up?
[LINDA]
What? I can't just call my son to check in? See how you're doing?
[LUKE]
Oh, it's not that you can't. It's just not something you typically do.
[LINDA]
Ouch.
[LUKE]
Well, it's true.
[LINDA]
All right, fine. You caught me. Your dad...
[LUKE]
Stepdad.
[LINDA]
Greg was wondering when you're coming home for Christmas this year.
[LUKE]
Oh.
[LINDA]
We're just planning out the menu and figuring out when we want to do our big Costco run. I wasn't sure if you were still eating those protein things, but I can stock up on those if you'd like.
[LUKE]
What protein things?
[LINDA]
You know, those meal kits you talked about the other day. Goal Foods or whatever?
[LUKE]
That was just a sponsorship, Mom. I don't eat that stuff normally.
[LINDA]
Oh, well, anyway, when do you think you'll be coming down? Your room's all ready whenever you arrive.
[LUKE]
Um... I'm not sure.
[LINDA]
Oh, well, that's okay. We can figure it out now. Are you thinking you'll be here by the 21st or the 22nd, the 23rd? Oh, that's less good for us. We have a market that evening.
[LUKE]
I haven't thought that far ahead yet. We have a video that's due on the 16th, so that's taking up a lot of my time.
[LINDA]
Oh. So maybe by the 17th, then?
[NATASHA]
You have a wide theatre experience. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself as an artist?
[DAPHNE]
Yeah, so I kind of style myself as a Jane of All Trades. I like directing. I like creating. I like producing. I like working behind the scenes of things. And that's also partially informed by the theater training that I had where by design we had to do a little bit of everything to figure out what we liked.
And so it turns out I just like doing a little bit of everything. I'm never bored. But when I do get the chance to direct and focus on my own work, that's where my brain starts firing on all cylinders.
And it's what I really love to do when I'm able to focus on my own work rather than other people's work.
[LUKE]
Mom, what's this about?
[LINDA]
Christmas, like I said.
[LUKE]
No, mom. What is this about?
[LINDA]
All right. Your father...
[LUKE]
Stepfather.
[LINDA]
Greg wanted to know when you'd be home because he was talking to some people about the business, and they were very interested in finding a time to sit down and talk with you about a potential promotional opportunity.
[LUKE]
Right.
[LINDA]
So if you know when you'll be in town, I can schedule a time for everyone to sit down, have some Christmas cookies, all that jazz.
[LUKE]
And why can't Greg ask me this himself?
[LINDA]
Oh, well, he thought you might be more receptive if it came from me.
[LUKE]
Right.
[LINDA]
Oh, Lukey, it would be such a big thing for the business if you just said a few words about it on your channel. Or, ooh, if you said something on our channel, we could do a collab. It would be such a cute throwback.
Just come onto a stream for a bit. Use some of the products. You don't have to call attention to it or anything. Just some key placement would do wonders for us. Your dad is so close to making it to the next tier this month, and that would be huge for our household.
Seriously, just put a bottle near the camera, turn out the logo so folks can see, say hi to the viewers.
[LUKE]
Well, thanks, Mom, for thinking of me. But you know, all business matters have to go through Ryan.
[LINDA]
Oh, come on, this isn't business, this is family!
[LUKE]
And there's nothing more family than business.
[LINDA]
You know Ryan, if I contact him, it'll take all this time just to dot some I's and cross some T's. This really doesn't have to be a big deal.
[LUKE]
But it would still be a deal, right, Mom?
[NATASHA]
Where did the interest in this subject come from? What was the inspiration?
[DAPHNE]
Part of it has just come from the last couple of years. As I'm starting to no longer become the core demographic that social media is catering to, I'm kind of watching what it's doing to younger generations.
In some ways, the pandemic changed the relationship that everybody had with each other to we're interacting with each other through a screen. We have the same relationship to our friends that we do our favorite YouTubers.
And it also kind of came about with how that shift also played into the relationship between those fans and those celebrities and how because we have this perpetual access to celebrities, whether that's through their social media or what they choose to publicize, it causes this kind of like blurring of boundaries that I found very interesting where that wall that used to be there is starting to disintegrate. And I've just been very fascinated about what's going to happen in the future with the dissolving of that wall.
[LINDA]
I take it you're not interested.
[LUKE]
In what? Shilling for your pyramid scheme? No, not really.
[LINDA]
It is not a pyramid scheme. It is an independent business opportunity. And your father and I are...
[LUKE]
Stepfather!
[LINDA]
He is the man I married and the closest thing to a father you've ever had. So cut the shit.
I don't understand why you won't just do this one thing for me. You shill for cheap crap all the time.
[LUKE]
Hell of a pitch, Mom.
[LINDA]
Like those deodorant bars that smell like a dying flower shop or those tacky t-shirts some third-world orphans stitched together. You'll put your name on just about anything, but this, this is where you draw the line, helping your mother with her business.
[LUKE]
I helped you with your business for my entire childhood, Mom. I think I'm owed a break.
[LINDA]
I don't understand it. I thought I raised you to be better than this. But no, you and your sister just a pair of ungrateful little shits.
[LUKE]
And how is your daughter these days? Does she still have you blocked on everything?
[LINDA]
I worked so hard for so many years, trying to give you two what I never had. You had a roof over your head and you wanted for nothing ever. And everyone in the world knew your name. How many kids can say that?
[LUKE]
We wanted for nothing. How about privacy? How about our own lives?
[LINDA]
And you just throw it all in my face. Like all that sacrifice meant nothing. I don't believe this.
[LUKE]
What the hell are you even talking about?
So I won't do this one thing for you this one time. What about spending my entire childhood hawking Target sweaters, and GoodNites? I was eight, and I hadn't went the bed in years.
[LINDA]
I can't talk to you when you're like this.
Forget it. Forget the whole thing.
[LUKE]
What? Forget Christmas?
[LINDA]
Yep. You're released from duty. Have fun ringing in the new year with your business manager.
[LUKE]
What?
[Phone call ends.]
[STAGE DIRECTIONS]
Luke stares at his phone in disbelief. He grips it tightly, about to throw it against the wall. But he stops. He drops to the ground. Not crying, but wishing he could.
[NATASHA]
You have written most of this play already. Do you have an idea of how it's going to end or who's going to come out the winner?
[DAPHNE]
The cynic in me wants them to, you know, delete all their social media, go live off the grid, become Amish or something. But I also know practicality will kind of win out and they won't do that.
But my hope for these characters is that they learn how to find an identity for themselves that is just for themselves and not for the people consuming their content and this part of themselves online.
[Bright staccato synth music.]
[ADAM]
Thanks for listening to Waveforms. For a full list of our cast and crew, check out the episode description.
[NATASHA]
Waveforms was produced by Realwheels Theatre with the cooperation of the Union of BC Performers.
A special thank you to our funders, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, and the Hamber Foundation.
[ADAM] If you like what you heard, please drop us a rating and a review on the podcast platform of your choice.
It really helps new listeners to find us.
[NATASHA] See you next week.
[Music fades out.]
[ADAM]
Hello, my name is Adam Grant Warren. I'm a playwright, an actor, and the Co-Artistic Director of Realwheels Theatre.
[NATASHA]
And I'm Natasha Nadir. I'm a director, a dramaturg, and a playwright.
[ADAM]
For those of you who are new to Realwheels, we're a disability-led company based in Vancouver, Canada. Our work in theatre and performance creation explores the fullness and complexity of disability experience, identity, and community.
[NATASHA]
It's been our absolute pleasure to spend the last 10 weeks from September to December of 2024 with an incredible group of 10 emerging playwrights who identify with disability. Each week, we dug into ideas of character, story structure, and even creative process to bring excerpts of some really exciting plays in progress, from the minds of these writers to your ears.
[ADAM]
Our Playwriting Circles have been around for a while, but this year we thought we tried something new.
For the first time in our history, we're sharing this work in podcast form, featuring original music and sound design by the award-winning duo Finka Wood.
[NATASHA]
With one excerpt per episode, you'll also hear the playwrights in conversation with us. We'll talk a little bit about what drew them to write their play and why the work feels important to them.
[NATASHA]
Without further ado,
[ADAM]
Welcome to Waveforms.
[Music fades out.]
[NATASHA]
This week, I'm joining Daphne Finlayson in her home in Winnipeg to talk about her play, FanAddict.
FanAddict focuses on the relationship between a young digital creator and fame. It examines our culture's obsession with online relevancy and what people are willing to do to get on the trending page, as well as what that fleeting fame does to a person's psyche.
What do we need to know as we dive into this excerpt?
[DAPHNE]
So the scene focuses on Luke and his mom, Linda. Linda was the one that was the brains behind the original family channel. It was all her idea. And her relationship to fame has kind of trickled down to Luke in a lot of ways, where growing up, he and his sister were told where to stand, how to look, how to act. And that would also change a lot of the time depending on who was paying them to promote what.
So now that he's an adult and trying to gain some independence from his mom… He's still grappling with being the kid that was always told what to do and had to put on a happy face no matter what because that was what was paying his family's bills.
[Keyboard typing.]
[STAGE DIRECTIONS]
December 2019, Luke is sitting at his computer, editing a video. His phone buzzes.
[Phone buzzing.]
[LUKE]
Hi, mom.
[LINDA]
Hi, baby. How are you doing?
[LUKE]
Fine.
[LINDA]
Oh, good, good. How's Melissa?
[LUKE]
We broke up. In August.
[LINDA]
Oh, that's a shame. I liked her.
[LUKE]
Me too. So what's up?
[LINDA]
What? I can't just call my son to check in? See how you're doing?
[LUKE]
Oh, it's not that you can't. It's just not something you typically do.
[LINDA]
Ouch.
[LUKE]
Well, it's true.
[LINDA]
All right, fine. You caught me. Your dad...
[LUKE]
Stepdad.
[LINDA]
Greg was wondering when you're coming home for Christmas this year.
[LUKE]
Oh.
[LINDA]
We're just planning out the menu and figuring out when we want to do our big Costco run. I wasn't sure if you were still eating those protein things, but I can stock up on those if you'd like.
[LUKE]
What protein things?
[LINDA]
You know, those meal kits you talked about the other day. Goal Foods or whatever?
[LUKE]
That was just a sponsorship, Mom. I don't eat that stuff normally.
[LINDA]
Oh, well, anyway, when do you think you'll be coming down? Your room's all ready whenever you arrive.
[LUKE]
Um... I'm not sure.
[LINDA]
Oh, well, that's okay. We can figure it out now. Are you thinking you'll be here by the 21st or the 22nd, the 23rd? Oh, that's less good for us. We have a market that evening.
[LUKE]
I haven't thought that far ahead yet. We have a video that's due on the 16th, so that's taking up a lot of my time.
[LINDA]
Oh. So maybe by the 17th, then?
[NATASHA]
You have a wide theatre experience. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself as an artist?
[DAPHNE]
Yeah, so I kind of style myself as a Jane of All Trades. I like directing. I like creating. I like producing. I like working behind the scenes of things. And that's also partially informed by the theater training that I had where by design we had to do a little bit of everything to figure out what we liked.
And so it turns out I just like doing a little bit of everything. I'm never bored. But when I do get the chance to direct and focus on my own work, that's where my brain starts firing on all cylinders.
And it's what I really love to do when I'm able to focus on my own work rather than other people's work.
[LUKE]
Mom, what's this about?
[LINDA]
Christmas, like I said.
[LUKE]
No, mom. What is this about?
[LINDA]
All right. Your father...
[LUKE]
Stepfather.
[LINDA]
Greg wanted to know when you'd be home because he was talking to some people about the business, and they were very interested in finding a time to sit down and talk with you about a potential promotional opportunity.
[LUKE]
Right.
[LINDA]
So if you know when you'll be in town, I can schedule a time for everyone to sit down, have some Christmas cookies, all that jazz.
[LUKE]
And why can't Greg ask me this himself?
[LINDA]
Oh, well, he thought you might be more receptive if it came from me.
[LUKE]
Right.
[LINDA]
Oh, Lukey, it would be such a big thing for the business if you just said a few words about it on your channel. Or, ooh, if you said something on our channel, we could do a collab. It would be such a cute throwback.
Just come onto a stream for a bit. Use some of the products. You don't have to call attention to it or anything. Just some key placement would do wonders for us. Your dad is so close to making it to the next tier this month, and that would be huge for our household.
Seriously, just put a bottle near the camera, turn out the logo so folks can see, say hi to the viewers.
[LUKE]
Well, thanks, Mom, for thinking of me. But you know, all business matters have to go through Ryan.
[LINDA]
Oh, come on, this isn't business, this is family!
[LUKE]
And there's nothing more family than business.
[LINDA]
You know Ryan, if I contact him, it'll take all this time just to dot some I's and cross some T's. This really doesn't have to be a big deal.
[LUKE]
But it would still be a deal, right, Mom?
[NATASHA]
Where did the interest in this subject come from? What was the inspiration?
[DAPHNE]
Part of it has just come from the last couple of years. As I'm starting to no longer become the core demographic that social media is catering to, I'm kind of watching what it's doing to younger generations.
In some ways, the pandemic changed the relationship that everybody had with each other to we're interacting with each other through a screen. We have the same relationship to our friends that we do our favorite YouTubers.
And it also kind of came about with how that shift also played into the relationship between those fans and those celebrities and how because we have this perpetual access to celebrities, whether that's through their social media or what they choose to publicize, it causes this kind of like blurring of boundaries that I found very interesting where that wall that used to be there is starting to disintegrate. And I've just been very fascinated about what's going to happen in the future with the dissolving of that wall.
[LINDA]
I take it you're not interested.
[LUKE]
In what? Shilling for your pyramid scheme? No, not really.
[LINDA]
It is not a pyramid scheme. It is an independent business opportunity. And your father and I are...
[LUKE]
Stepfather!
[LINDA]
He is the man I married and the closest thing to a father you've ever had. So cut the shit.
I don't understand why you won't just do this one thing for me. You shill for cheap crap all the time.
[LUKE]
Hell of a pitch, Mom.
[LINDA]
Like those deodorant bars that smell like a dying flower shop or those tacky t-shirts some third-world orphans stitched together. You'll put your name on just about anything, but this, this is where you draw the line, helping your mother with her business.
[LUKE]
I helped you with your business for my entire childhood, Mom. I think I'm owed a break.
[LINDA]
I don't understand it. I thought I raised you to be better than this. But no, you and your sister just a pair of ungrateful little shits.
[LUKE]
And how is your daughter these days? Does she still have you blocked on everything?
[LINDA]
I worked so hard for so many years, trying to give you two what I never had. You had a roof over your head and you wanted for nothing ever. And everyone in the world knew your name. How many kids can say that?
[LUKE]
We wanted for nothing. How about privacy? How about our own lives?
[LINDA]
And you just throw it all in my face. Like all that sacrifice meant nothing. I don't believe this.
[LUKE]
What the hell are you even talking about?
So I won't do this one thing for you this one time. What about spending my entire childhood hawking Target sweaters, and GoodNites? I was eight, and I hadn't went the bed in years.
[LINDA]
I can't talk to you when you're like this.
Forget it. Forget the whole thing.
[LUKE]
What? Forget Christmas?
[LINDA]
Yep. You're released from duty. Have fun ringing in the new year with your business manager.
[LUKE]
What?
[Phone call ends.]
[STAGE DIRECTIONS]
Luke stares at his phone in disbelief. He grips it tightly, about to throw it against the wall. But he stops. He drops to the ground. Not crying, but wishing he could.
[NATASHA]
You have written most of this play already. Do you have an idea of how it's going to end or who's going to come out the winner?
[DAPHNE]
The cynic in me wants them to, you know, delete all their social media, go live off the grid, become Amish or something. But I also know practicality will kind of win out and they won't do that.
But my hope for these characters is that they learn how to find an identity for themselves that is just for themselves and not for the people consuming their content and this part of themselves online.
[Bright staccato synth music.]
[ADAM]
Thanks for listening to Waveforms. For a full list of our cast and crew, check out the episode description.
[NATASHA]
Waveforms was produced by Realwheels Theatre with the cooperation of the Union of BC Performers.
A special thank you to our funders, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, and the Hamber Foundation.
[ADAM] If you like what you heard, please drop us a rating and a review on the podcast platform of your choice.
It really helps new listeners to find us.
[NATASHA] See you next week.
[Music fades out.]
