In 2008, Bash’d: A Gay Rap Opera was one of the highlights of the High Performance Rodeo. The run quickly sold out, an indication of what was to come for creators/performers Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow. Since then they have performed across Canada, participated in the Olympics, in Ireland, and even had a successful Off-Broadway run in New York City which netted them a GLAAD Award.

"We played Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver as part of the cultural Olympiad at the Olympics. Then we did an encore run at the Edmonton Fringe last summer. Chris and I both found ourselves in Edmonton with time free. People in Edmonton hadn’t seen it since it debuted at the Roost in 2006," recalled Cuckow.

"The show has changed even since we were last at the Rodeo. When we went to New York for the Off-Broadway run we did another draft of the script and pushed it to the next level. There are some changes in the writing and a whole new draft of music came out for that run. So the show people will be seeing this run is a slightly different production. We sold out our run at the Fringe and were held over. It was an incredibly fun experience performing there again. The Fringe attracts such a wide, diverse audience base - it was exciting to play to a lot of people that probably had no idea about the show."

Bash’d returns to Edmonton as part of the Canoe Festival from January 19th to 23rd, and then to the High Performance Rodeo in Calgary from January 26th to 29th.

"Both Chris and I had performed with other shows at the Rodeo so we are quite friendly with One Yellow Rabbit and big admirers of them. We always have a great time playing at the rodeo and have expressed as much. They are excited to have us back, and the show having gone to another level, they are excited to show their audiences. Calgary is my hometown so coming back to perform there in any context is very exciting for me. I know Chris loves playing Calgary. Getting to come back to be part of the crazy circus that the rodeo is, is very exciting and a big privilege for us."

Cuckow points out something remarkable at their 2008 rodeo performances: the diversity of the audience, which ranged in age, sex, and sexuality.

"You would think it would be for gay audiences but I think a lot of times the rap scares away the gay. People will think, it’s not a show I am going to like because it’s rap music. Rap music in mainstream music today has shown itself to be quite homophobic and misogynistic, promoting greed and violence and excess. So a lot of the gay community turns away from mainstream rap music. The great thing about Bash’d - and we often hear this when we do the show - we have had senior citizens tell us afterwards that they hated rap music but they now love it from seeing the show. They perceive it differently because they understand how it’s lyrically driven and exciting, creative, and [how] complex it can be to craft words for hip-hop. It’s like Shakespeare. People appreciate his language and way with verse."

"We end up converting people. If people are going to come see a gay rap opera, they are probably ok with gay but might have a problem with rap. That is where we end up converting people to appreciate hip-hop. We have played to audiences that aren’t gay friendly which is shocking, you would think most people would have a sense of their comfort with sexuality, that being the focus of the show. People say that we are just preaching to the converted because the people who go see theatre are the open minded type of people generally. So Bash’d would be effective if it could be done at schools, which is something we would love to see happen. It’s not necessarily a reality right now but we would love to see the show get out there into the world and be performed in less traditional venues."

The show has taken on a life of its own, such that both Craddock and Cuckow are able to move on to other projects, and then return to play their characters T-Bag and Feminem.

"Bash’d has been an anomaly for Chris and I, in that we keep going back to it. We have created other shows that have had life but this has been the longest for both of us. Whenever we come back it continues to get deeper for us. Lyrically, the way the words are said is part of the challenge: really being in the moment and saying things for the first time. The script continues to get tweaked here and there. The show continues to evolve like any piece of theatre should."

In addition, the duo has finally recorded a soundtrack, which is in the process of being mastered. They hope to have it available for sale at their shows, and for download online. The book and script for the show are also being published, opening the door for others to play their own versions of T-Bag and Feminem.

"With the book being published we would love to see a transition happen, to pass the show on to others. It is a show we both feel very strongly about. It has been an incredible challenge and gift for us as performers. It is a show that we really believe in and feel it can have a powerful and profound impact on audiences. We have been contacted by people who have seen the show and passed on their own experiences. We had an e-mail from a student at the University of Victoria who saw the show and said it was the first time in his life that he feels ok about being gay. You hear somebody say something like that...that is powerful, that is amazing."

It has been an incredible journey for the show and its creators, and continues to be an incredible experience for the audience as well. This may be the last time that Bash’d plays in Alberta, so get your tickets.

"It has been a true gift. It doesn’t happen with every project. To have a show reach this kind of attention... we won a GLAAD award when we were in New York. That was a dream when I lived there and went to school, to win something like a GLAAD award, and it came true and happened with this show. It has been a huge learning experience to spend this kind of time on a show and go to other communities. A great learning experience."