Queer writer brings Ru Paul star to Vancouver to help make musical dreams a reality

This fall, a new musical is hoping to melt the heart of Vancouver audiences at the 2020 Fringe Festival. Before this can happen, however, the dream team behind the queer production will have to dig deep into their pockets. SAD sat down with David Cutting, the non-binary writer behind Now That I Found You to talk about the pop-infused play and how a Ru Paul superstar is swooping in to save the day. 

David Cutting, who wears many hats as the founder of Sleepy Queers Productions. They also wear many rompers as ‘Dust’ while doing drag.

SAD: So what’s the story behind this musical?

DAVID: It’s around a trans kid named Kai who goes home after a really bad day at school, and his grandma tells him he has to take a walk in the woods because he has a bad attitude. When he goes to the woods, he meets a group of people who tell him they're fairies. He obviously doesn't want to believe them, but after a couple of hours something really magical happens that illuminates the fact that they really truly are ferries. They help him through a really tough situation 

How did you think this up?

Two years ago, I was sitting with my friend who said “Hey there’s this new play prize at the Fringe, you should apply!” I was like “Apply with what?!” And they were like “Whatever, just come up with something.”

They left, and 17 hours later I had the rockiest script and that friend said they would produce it with me. I started reaching out to queer folks who do theatre in the community to ask if they wanted to be a part of it, and they all said absolutely. We submitted it last September, and while we didn’t get the prize, in the end we realized we didn’t really need it. 

Why a musical over a play?

I've loved musicals since I was a child. I started doing musical theatre when I was in Grade 7, and made my grandma take me to every single musical that happened in my small town. I love the way musicals capture human emotion and moments in time—moments of strength, friendship and weakness. I've always resonated with the art of telling a story through a song. 

What made you want to write it from a young trans perspective?

The vision for the project was inspired by the 2019 Fringe play Where the Quiet Queers are as well as by Schitt's Creek. I was inspired in a subtle way that came from feeling like there is a huge market and a huge need for queer story telling. A story that comes from a place of innocence and has a place of understanding, and gives people a chance to see themselves in a very positive and life giving way.

I feel like there's so much out there that's like trans trauma porn and it shows the dark underside of it. Those are really important stories to tell, but as we evolve in the community,  there's more kids coming out and there's more support systems, so I want to start dwelling on the non violent communication. How your friends affect the world around you, how you grow as a person through the people that you meet, and how they affect the world around you.

As a non-binary person, how did you go about creating this show?

I have a couple of close friends who are trans and non binary, and the majority of my drag family is trans as well. We’ve been having lots of conversations about what high school was like for them if they were out, what it was like to have cis friends in high school, what sort of celebratory things they wish they'd seen in TV and film, you know? There's a lot of commonalities. 

One of my friends, Minor Disappointment, is 15 years old and they’re a huge inspiration for me.  They're non binary, in high school and do drag very well. It's just one of those things where I look at them and wonder what it's like for them in gym class. I wonder what it's like for them in art class, what it’s like for them when they’re walking into school in the morning. Just asking them and having those conversations was so impactful in learning about how dysphoria can be something that you feel without knowing that you're feeling it sometimes. And how sometimes, someone will say something and no one will correct them and you're too scared to correct them and you feel like you have no one in the room to speak up or defend you. It's a lot. It's an intense process to really sit in my privilege and think about those things and why they're important. Why's it important for the message of understanding our trans friends’ experiences and just asking them questions. I say this all the time to allies. If you have queer friends, ask them about their story, ask them how things were in high school, ask them how they're body image affects them. Ask them questions!

Join Gia Gunn perform with East Vancouver’s drag family at Instant Oats, March 5th at the Fox Cabaret.

You’re hosting a drag show at the Fox on March 5 to raise funds for the show. What will that look like?

Gia Gunn is going to be speaking and performing at Instant Oats! Gia, as we know, is a trans activist, actress, model, icon and drag performer. She’s been one of the squeaky wheels on T.V. for Ru Paul's Drag Race around trans rights and about trans women's place in drag. I really wanted her to come and highlight this specifically because it lines completely up with the messages of the musical—which is to elevate trans experiences and trans voices.

We’re offering really low prices for this show. Tickets are $35, and for just $15 more you get to meet Gia for the VIP experience. We also have community tickets at $10 each because it’s really important to me that people attend the event if they want to but don’t have the means. The event is 19+, but we eventually plan to have a youth initiative with the musical, where we’ll reach out to schools across the Lower Mainland to attend the show for free.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Facebook event page.