Seattle writer and performer Dawson Nichols has been described as a ‘nimble theatrical gamester’ and a ‘master of the one-man show’ for his award-winning productions of solo plays including I Might Be Edgar Allan Poe and Virtual Solitaire.
He’s returning to the Bakehouse Theatre this year with a new show, Stop Start, and he promises that audiences familiar with previous works will find this one unlike any they’ve seen before.
Nichols, speaking from Seattle as he prepares to head to Adelaide for this year’s Fringe festival, squirmed when I ask what audiences can expect from his latest production.
“I hate this part.”
Pinning down this play is going to be difficult. Nichols explains that most of his other plays move from beginning to end in a fairly linear way. Stop Start, however, is completely different.
“This one starts with a guy being embalmed.
“It’s a really funny play, but it’s very strange…it has a dreamy, hallucinogenic quality. Much more hallucinogenic than most of the stuff I’ve done in the past.”
After coming to the realisation that he was a little too fond of coffee and the influence it had on his day, Nichols became interested in exploring why altering consciousness is such a widespread phenomenon. The result of this research is a play which floats through drug-induced liminal states and examines the history of stimulants (from chocolate to coffee to Aztec myths) and our relationship with them.
Last year’s productions of Virtual Solitaire and I Might Be Edgar Allan Poe both involved challenging and highly-charged portrayals of multiple characters. In contrast, Stop Start features only two, with smoother transitions between personas. The boundaries are more fluid and the staging is very different – audience members’ initial perceptions will be tested.
“They can expect uncertainty and periods of disorientation,” says Nichols.
The two characters, brothers, have contrasting connections to stimulants.
“One’s the seller and the other’s a buyer.”
As they explore their memories, moving back and forth in time, both remember things differently from their childhood. The notion of infinite possibility – as an audience member it’s impossible to predict where the work is headed – is exciting, and pays off for those who are willing to surrender to the experience without a ‘map’.
I ask him about his writing process. Does he have any idea of the characters’ destinations when he begins to create the works, or do the characters’ journeys surprise him? Who’s in charge?
“I like to think I’m in charge!” Nichols laughs.
He explains that he begins with some idea, but the characters often head off in unexpected directions.
“I know the themes I want to bring into the work.”
The creation process is a furiously energetic combination of writing and giving voice to the characters, and doesn’t usually involve any collaboration with others. Except when working on ensemble pieces, he prefers to work alone and seeks minimal feedback until the piece is in its almost-final form.
In addition to playwriting, Nichols is also continuing work on a novel – a project he’s attempting to squeeze in between other writing, performing and teaching (he is currently the Head of the Theater Department at North Seattle Community College).
His involvement with theatre was another catalyst for this play, highlighting connections between creativity, acting and trance states, which then led to further thinking about presence and the deterioration of attention spans. Why do we accept some forms of altered states (for example productive ones) and not others? What makes some practices culturally acceptable and others taboo?
If you’re ready for a journey into the further realms of consciousness then get a ticket to Stop Start and see where it takes you. Dawson Nichols hopes you enjoy the play, whether or not you can explain the experience afterward!
Interview by Jo Vabolis
Stop Start
Venue: Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide
Season: 14 – 21 February and 2 – 7 March 2015
Duration: 75 minutes
Tickets: $18.00 – $20.00
Bookings: Book through FringeTix online, or tickets at the door if not sold out
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