The Upstage Interview: Vern Thiessen

I thought I’m never going to get away with a 15 minute embalming scene at the end of act one without a couple of yuks.

Upstage Contributor Stephanie Breton spoke with playwright Vern Thiessen about  his play nominated for the 2011 Governor General’s Literary Award. Below is an abridged version edited by Estelle Rosen, CharPo editor-in-chief.

UPSTAGE

Congrats on the GG nomination for your play Lenin’s Embalmers. The announcement will take place on Nov. 15. Is it nail biting time?

THIESSEN

I’ve been on both sides of the table. Last year I was on the jury that decided the winner. I’m thrilled to be nominated but the statistical probability of winning that award a second time is unbelievably low. There’s only two people in 50 years that have won it twice in the drama category, so I’m not counting my chickens.

UPSTAGE

I read your play and can understand why it was nominated. 

THIESSEN

Thank you. 

Both my grandfathers were taken away to gulags under Stalin’s regime.

UPSTAGE

What’s amazing in your book is how you tackle the Russian culture. I’ve had a crush on Russian culture for many years. Loved your description how they fight very Russian; dirty, tragic and ridiculous.  I read that your parents are from the Ukraine.

THIESSEN

I come from Mennonite stock. I grew up in Winnipeg and Alberta. My parents were born in Russian Ukraine. They emigrated after the World War II. I’ve got a lot of personal connnections with that material. Both my grandfathers were taken away to gulags under Stalin’s regime.  The play is a black comedy and I like to think it’s very funny at times.

...the Russian crowds that came to see it in New York and also at its premiere last year in Canada laughed along and at themselves.

UPSTAGE

When I read it described as a comedy, I thought how can Lenin’s Embalmers be a comedy.  But it is – congrats. It’s that fine balance amidst Russian comedy as well.

THIESSEN

At first I thought I’m never going to get away with a 15 minute embalming scene at the end of act one without a couple of yuks. The Russian people are very funny and the Russian crowds that came to see it in New York and also at its premiere last year in Canada laughed along and at themselves. That’s not easy to do when you’re a foreigner writing about a foreign land.

UPSTAGE

Then you have Lenin almost trying to be a stand up comedian. He’s technically dead, there he is doing jokes! What was your inspiration to go into the embalming aspect?

THIESSEN

A couple reasons. I was given a book about Lenin’s embalmers which I didn’t get to read. A couple years later when  the play was commissioned by a theatre company and a science organization, there had to be a lot of science. 

I had to shoehorn the science in there to make sure the Foundation would give me some money to write the play.

 UPSTAGE

It’s amazing how you make this an interesting dialogue.

THIESSEN

I had to shoehorn the science in there to make sure the Foundation would give me some money to write the play. Russian people are kind of in love with their funerals. Growing up I  saw so many pictures of my grandfathers and uncles laid out in their caskets with everyone around them. I’ve kind of grown up with this idea of death, coffins and people laid out. When anyone dies my family always has a discussion about who’s going to embalm them, who’s the better embalmer. So I came by it from a scientific angle and from a cultural angle. And someone handing me a book about it.

UPSTAGE

Was this commissioned in Winnipeg?

THIESSEN

No, a New York theatre commissioned it and it premiered in New York. The Canadian premiere was in Winnipeg a year ago.

Funny thing is I’m produced around the world and lucky to have a great career as a playwright, but never had a production of any of my plays in Montreal.

UPSTAGE

If I had enough money,  I would put this play on in a heartbeat. I’m sure Montreal has to get its hands on this play.

THIESSEN

Funny thing is I’m produced around the world and lucky to have a great career as a playwright, but never had a production of any of my plays in Montreal.

UPSTAGE

You’re not the first person to tell me this. When I did an interview with Claudia Dey recently, she too has never had any of her plays presented in Montreal. I’m going to spread the word. You have a lot coming up including writing for Stratford.

THIESSEN

I’m very lucky. I get a lot of work around the world, mainly in the U.S  and Canada, but also the UK, Australia and Poland. I’m starting to work on a farce for a theatre in Collingwood, Ontario. I’ve  never written a farce before.

Lenin’s Embalmers by Vern Thiessen is one of the five finalists in the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Winners will be announced November 15.

Read about Vern Thiessen at Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia