10 questions: Chris Reynolds

1) What the fuck is going on?
Nobody knows what’s really going on, and those who claim to know aren’t fooling me.

2) What makes site-specific theatre distinct from other kinds of theatre?
It’s like that warm day in May when your high school teacher brought the whole class outside and you spent the hour learning about Social Studies while sitting on the grass. Site-specific theatre causes me to look at the same things in a different way. It removes my preconceived notions about how things should be.

3) How has MySpace affected your experience of Toronto’s independent theatre community?
MySpace is about awareness and networking. It’s another tool in the box. More companies should be using it.

4) Do you have any unifying theories when it comes to art?
Safe is for suckers.

5) What did you like about the film 28 days later?
It’s the ultimate struggle-for-survival story. Average people forced to save the human race. Will they live? Will they die? Throw in the walking dead and you’ve got a hit.

6) What’s the single greatest barrier to producing quality independent theatre in Toronto?
I couldn’t choose just one. It always comes back to the chicken and the egg conundrum for me: does the work suck because there isn’t enough support, or is there no support for the work because it sucks? Overall, though, companies in this city need to be producing better work. And the government, the private sector, the ticket-buying public, and the media, all need to be supporting that work a hell of a lot more.

7) Zombies, vampires, werewolves or ghosts?
It’s a tie between vampires and ghosts for me. How about a vampire-ghost?

8) Who would you most like to work with but haven’t yet?
Shania Twain.

9) Have you ever crossed a line during a performance that you’d like never to cross again?
Not yet.

10) What’s happening at Fort York these days?
We’re doing our third developmental workshop down there in June, the full production will overtake the fort in September and October. Watch out.