PRISM PRESS: Matters Of Life and Death

Death and a waitress walk into a bar. It's not the start of a joke, but it will be funny. It's the premise for a show that will be making it's Alaskan premiere at Mad Myrna's on August 15^th. An Intimate Evening With Death, Herself. Described by Barbara Davis as “the love child of Eddie Izzard and Lilperformer Douglass Truth becomes Dofateful meeting, goes to a Denny's to help him pass on, and takes over as Death, Herself.

This event is a departure from the standard fare that is offered at Myrna's, but in so many ways it fits right in. The nightclub is mainly known for it's theatrical productions such as The Rocky Horror Show, Little Shop of Horrors, and Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical, as well as the famous Friday Night Diva Variety Show. Lately the location has also been working on getting live bands back on their stage as well in addition to providing space for local burlesque troupe's such as Sweet Cheeks Cabaret.

Cameron Morrison took over the theatrical and production side of things around the bar and has been working on getting this show produced locally for almost a year. He first learned of it through the mother of a longtime friend. When she contacted him, he learned of her friend Doug Truth and his performance of a one woman show. The combination of those words made Morrison excited about the project immediately.

Truth spent a few years in Alaska working mainly as a surveyor in the 70's, living in the valley, and was last here in 1980 when he worked in Prudhoe Bay for a “few terrible months.” He has never performed in Alaska, and says that he is over the top excited. “I feel like we're all in this thing (this human project!) together, and we're pretty messed up sometimes, but that we just might pull through, if we love each other enough. And laugh, too.”

While Truth's performance is done in drag, it is not a drag show. While the subject matter does deal with the macabre, it is also comedy. This dichotomy was deliberate, and as Truth said “In the story, it always seemed natural that the character be a woman. Partly because I think it feels like an advance - that Death might be warmer and friendlier as a woman. Our culture obviously has a huge fear of death and I thought humor would be the best way to approach it. Really, if it isn't funny, it's not the kind of show I could do. I have a dread of portentous and serious talk.”

He also enjoys being able to explore the feminine side of himself. It would be too simple to explain it as simply cross dressing, and he was once told "Of course you play a woman, you've got a feminine soul." For Truth, this feels like truth. It caused him turmoil for many years, and led to confusion for himself and others, “but nowadays I feel free - because of changes both internal and external (the world!) - to inhabit whatever kind of in-between realm feels natural to me. So in many ways the character on stage is me, and not as much of a construction as might be thought.” he says.

The conversation about death also comes from a very personal space as well. In 1998, Truth nearly died from a bacterial brain infection and was in a coma for three days. When he emerged from the life changing experience his outlook was that of gratitude, and the idea that death was the main thing that was keeping most of us from really living. “To get religious (which I mostly avoid in the show, that's not its purpose) I just felt there is a God, and that everything is OK, and third, that whatever this thing called life is, that we're all in it together.” he relayed, and now he states that when it comes to death, he is in no hurry, but “when my time is up, I just want to know, or feel, that I lived the best life I could have, and that I improved, in whatever degree possible, the lives of those around me.”

In addition to Death, Herself, he will also be doing a Sunday evening performance of another show titled The Human Project. This show will focus on what human's have accomplished, and in the performance Truth will interact with the audience as they search for answers together. When questioned about what accomplishments he looks to in his lifetime, his answer is more telling of what he wishes we had done. “When we went to the moon, in about 7 years after JFK said we'd go. I doubt if the USA could pull that off now. We got that picture of the Earth, this blue-green gem, floating in outer space. No one had ever seen that before. We thought that it would change everything - I guess we were a little optimistic. Actually I wish we had more possibilities for answers to this question, like we'd quit fighting and fussing about everything, or quit with the hydrocarbons back when.”

When asked about his personal accomplishments that he is most proud of, his answer is that of a true artist. He talks of when he took up painting at the age of 42, not knowing how to, or if he had any skill. He sold his first painting at an art show in Nevada City. A woman from Slovakia purchased it for $300, and she revealed that it was the first painting she had ever bought. It was a moment that he describes as “pure magic.” and also said “I've never stopped being truly excited when someone buys my art and tells me that it brightens their life.”

His performance as Dorothy and Death has also brought him moments of personal joy. He tells stories of his many times on stage, “I've done the Death Herself show nearly a hundred times, and learning the skills of performance was something I am really proud of, because there's no way to do it except to gather your best material and get up on stage and do your best, knowing that you're risking your pride, your self-esteem, ridicule, failure, all of that. And I did it, over and over, and got to that point where people tell me, 'your show changed my life.' At one show there was a man probably 85 years old. He just stared at me the whole time, didn't smile, didn't laugh. After the show he came up to me and said, 'I don't have much time left. I just wanted to thank you so much for that.' Then he hugged me.”

At each performance of Death, Herself,the audience is given a form to fill out upon entering the room. This Death Pre-Registration Card allows you to set up an account, make a list of your life regrets, and choose your prospective last words. This is all part of Deaths plan to make the process better for all of those involved, because “You can't cheat Death, but you can work with her.” She wants to making the Death experience less terrifying and more rewarding for everyone. “While there are many upgrades in the works, Death will remain mandatory for the foreseeable future.”

Doug Truth is a performer, and a painter, and a writer. He has been represented by galleries in New York, Massachusetts, Arizona, Indiana, and California. He is also an author, with 3 books to his credit. I Am A Dog, Revolution of Flowers, and Everything I Know About Death: Subject to Verification. His 90 minute performance of An Intimate Evening with Death, Herself is sure to bring something new to a theatre space beloved by many. Some might say that it will bring an entirely new definition to the way a person can “slay” on that stage.

Tickets are $10. This is a 21+ event. Tickets will be sold at the door for both performances. Reservations can be made by emailing reservations@madmyrnasak.com