MooseF**ker, Ontario
A Theatrical Romp About What it Means to be a Northwestern Ontarian
Story by Taylor Onski, Photo by Matthew Goertz
For Andrew Paulsen and Stefani Celine, a drive home from Huntsville, Ont., turned into a road trip from hell. “My wheel fell off while we were driving and our tow got a flat tire,” says Celine. “We ended up in a little town with a garage. But as soon as we got out of there, we were rear ended by a guy taking his kid to karate practice.”
While surviving this road trip, Paulsen and Celine started talking about the draw of small-town northern Ontario life. Those ideas became a script, penned by Paulsen from 2012 to 2019. After a workshop, a pandemic, and an Ontario Arts Council grant, MooseF**ker, Ontario, a culmination of those small-town memories, is ready to hit the stage.
Described as Fargo meets Trailer Park Boys, this dark comedy follows Jason/Tumbleweed (Ben Albert), who dreams of becoming a famous rapper. But, he needs money to get to Sudbury to record his album. With the help of his girlfriend Tiffany (Shaundra Benincasa), they come up with a scheme to blackmail his estranged dad James (Greg Bishop) into giving them the money.
“Anybody who’s watched Fargo knows blackmail doesn’t always work out so well. Hijinks ensue in a very remote Northwestern Ontario fashion,” says Celine. “We also meet a whole cast of characters that are part of this tiny community where everybody knows your business, for better or worse.”
“The language of northern Ontario is familiar to me. It’s in my blood,” says Bishop. “That’s been the most fun, to work on a character that’s written by someone from small-town Ontario. Having an authentic voice makes such a difference to it.”
MooseF**ker, Ontario signifies an exciting time in northern Ontario theatre—not only is it new work premiering in Thunder Bay, but it also emphasizes that no matter how rural and zany your stories get, there’s a place for them onstage.
“We’re used to seeing a very specific version of what I think Canada wants [Northwestern Ontario] to be,” says Celine. “I hope [audiences] leave and go “Hey, my story can be told.” Just because it’s rural, hickish, and it doesn’t have that southern Ontario sensibility, doesn’t mean it can’t be put onstage.”
Catch MooseF**ker, Ontario onstage August 7–9 and 14–16 at 818 Spring Street. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.ca or follow New Noise Productions on Facebook and Instagram @new_noise_productions. Please note this show is intended for adults and mature teens only.