One of my most despised elements of social media culture is the need for people to flaunt body image across Instagram with fifty-odd hashtags to accompany. The rise of ‘thinspo’ and ‘thinspiration’ in particular has grown from advocating clean living and a fitness-driving lifestyle into something more toxic in recent years and it’s this toxicity that Adelaide playwright Lochlin Maybury has formed his new production around.
Schmidt, the debut production from Adelaide’s Back Porch Theatre, focuses on this culture of weight-loss fads, fitness trends, a reliance on money-hungry health remedies and the advertising heavy nature of it all in this satirical play. The way Schmidt has sought out exposure itself has been great to watch – follow along on Instagram (@schmidttips) for some brilliant ‘health advice to avoid’.
Ahead of the premiere in Adelaide on July 25th, Maybury tells us some more about Schmidt and the exciting process of bringing this baby to life with the help of some of Adelaide’s brightest independent theatre talents.
When did the first ideas for Schmidt come into being and what inspired them?
I’d hit creative bedrock and had an impending deadline for a staged reading, so I was sweating bullets. A few friends and I had just moved into a share house and like the characters in the play, the previous tenant hadn’t cancelled her subscription to a women’s ‘health’ magazine. Rather than use my time wisely, I read these masterful tomes with their glossy pages and got to imagining the kind of people behind them. I threw these ridiculous characters onto a page, smashed out a play (just in time) and now I’m watching it actually happen. I may have created a monster.
The play premieres on July 25th – how is preparation coming along and what have been some notable highlights/challenges of the creative process you’ve found so far?
I couldn’t ask for more from my little Schmidts. They’re my A-team and I’m so immensely proud of them. That’s been the highlight; working with incredible local talent and watching them turn words on a page into a living, breathing thing. The challenge comes at an administrative level. It’s a particularly icy time for making theatre. Money is short and looks to be getting shorter, artists are severely underpaid (this project included) and our independent theatre scene is a pale imitation of its former self. It’s going to take a lot of grit to weather this drought but the more adversity we face, the more determined Back Porch is to push on.
Is there an overarching message you’re hoping for Schmidt to convey?
Schmidt goes after the beauty and ‘wellness’ industry in all its absurd glory. Paleo, clean eating, detoxes, reiki, swathes of make up (the creators of which seem to routinely forget that people of colour exist), the whole shebang. If there’s not already a market, they’ll target an insecurity and provide the solution in product form.
That said, satire treads a fine line of punching up vs. punching down. Schmidt goes after an industry that, directly or otherwise, feeds into eating disorders, which are no joke. Given the content, it was of particular importance to take aim at the curators and mechanists of this culture, not those on the receiving end of it. I hope that comes across.
When I read about Schmidt, one of the first things I thought of was Gwyneth Paltrow and GOOP. Thoughts on this ‘healthy living’ empire?
Gwyneth is my shepherd. There is no writer’s block that could not be overcome by a GOOP session. It’s a rare thing to find a topic that essentially satirises itself, but she’s actually managed it. Activated charcoal? It’s a burnt stick, Gwyneth. A burnt stick.
It’s the debut production by Back Porch Theatre – what does it mean to you that this is going to be the introductory work presented to audiences?
I’m in the rare position of being both Artistic Director of a company and the playwright behind its debut, which hasn’t helped my anxiety levels. I hope debuting with Schmidt is a savvy move. As a stand-alone piece, I want it to be a lark; a little dose of weirdness to get an audience rowdy. As a pragmatist, I’m hoping it’s a strong entry for Back Porch into Adelaide’s theatre scene and that we can build momentum from here.
As a playwright, how have you found your writing method to have developed as a result of this particular production?
It’s been smashing having Sarah Dunn on board. She’s essentially filling a dual role of director/dramaturg and has helped me find more depth in what could easily have been a surface-level piece. Being able to work closely with the actors has delivered in spades, too. If an actor is struggling with a line, the line needs rewriting. They’re a lot funnier than I am too, so some of the gems in the script are actually theirs. You’ll never know which ones, because I’ll happily take credit for all of them.
You’ve got some talented names working behind the scenes on this one, an excellent use of local Adelaide talent. What have you enjoyed the most about seeing this process out with this crew?
If you’re in the arts, you’ve got to play the long game. The fact that the team has this much talent this early in their careers bodes well not only for Back Porch, but this city’s entire arts scene. That’s what gets me most excited. These guys are shit-hot and we’ve only just started making work together. Brace yourself, Adelaide.
How have you found angling promotion of this one online via social media to have been received?
Glorious. We started a parody Instagram account, @schmidttips, and the sheer volume of people who completely miss the satire is astounding. People genuinely believe colon cleanses are a good idea. Colon cleanses. Give me strength.
—
Schmidt premieres at the Bakehouse Theatre in Adelaide on July 25th, with its season running through until July 30th. Find out more about how to grab tickets by visiting the Bakehouse’s website, HERE.
———-
