Sometimes a theatre piece captures essential conflicts of modern life. If you read this excerpt from the press release for Desperate Measures you’ll see why I wanted to ask them some questions

“What would you do for an extra stream of income? Funny, sexy, and cathartic, Desperate Measures explores the question on so many people’s minds: how to make extra money “in this economy?!”. In the face of rising rent, shrinking income, and a baby on the way, Amy and Pete begin selling Amy’s used underwear online. However, when things spiral out of control, they end up buried in the panty business.”

Desperate Measures by Rachel Moore and Catherine Teichman, opened at The Toronto Fringe Festival running until July 14th . I asked Hilary Wirachowsky of the Desperate Measures Collective (DMC) about their show. 

Barczablog:   The press release begins “What would you do for an extra stream of income?” What are some of the desperate measures / side hustles / dayjobs members of the Desperate Measures Collective have done?  

Hilary Wirachowsky & DMC: Hahaha oh man, what a way to start! I obviously polled the cast & crew for this one. We have all the usuals: Serving, Catering, Nanny, Child-minding at the COC. Some of the more unique ones I heard were: Property Management, Monologue Curation Service, Landscape art Door to Door Selling, and someone sold Bread by Bike (I love this name) but had to stop because the cost of ingredients/labour outweighed the reasonable price they wanted to sell for. 

Barczablog: I’m sympathetic, I used to work in construction, landscaping, deliver mail, do websites..,. I have known desperation. Is Desperate Measures funnier or maybe more serious than the authors expected? Are the laughs in the expected places? 

Hilary & DMC At its inception, Desperate Measures was definitely intended to be a comedy, but we always knew we were exploring sensitive and politically charged themes: the cost-of-living crisis (and the way it impacts different generations), sex work, gender roles, etc. As the show developed, we worked very mindfully to give these economic and political ideas the weight they deserve while still keeping it firmly as a comedy. There will be lots of laughs, but also moments of seriousness and honesty, and sometimes we even manage to do both at the same time. 

BB: Your play flirts with sex work. How far can you push the envelope, embracing a risqué presentation?

Hilary & DMC The show does centre around a form of sex work, which we know might push the envelope for some audience members, but Desperate Measures really looks much more at the logistics of sex work, rather than the ethics. We get to watch Pete and Amy work out the nuts and bolts of running a panty-selling business. This gives the audience a chance to learn along with them, which we think will make it more accessible to those who might feel out of their depth. That said, there are plenty of moments in the show that some people may find risqué, but they’re all for the sake of comedy or storytelling, not just to be purposefully shocking.

BB: In 2024 can we laugh about the subtexts of Desperate Measures or is it a serious question?

Hilary & DMC It’s a bit of both! The best comedy is always based in truth—that’s what lets us connect with it, even in moments of heightened ridiculousness. The cost-of-living crisis is serious, and we know that nearly everybody is feeling the effects of it, ourselves in the show included. Our hope is that the show will give audience members feelings of both catharsis and levity—a chance to see their own frustrations reflected, but the opportunity to laugh and enjoy themselves. 

BB: It’s a blunt dilemma as old as the theatre, reconciling the desire to make art and the need to make a living.  Is Desperate Measures a work of art, or a way to make money?

Hilary & DMC: Well… I don’t think anyone does The Fringe to get rich.

BB: Good point..!

Hilary & DMC To me, The Fringe often is scrappy-indie-makeithappen-fun. Desperate Measures is a labour of love that started from the playwrights: Rachel Moore and Catherine Teichman and branched out to all of us involved. They set out because they wanted to tell this story, so it’s entertainment, and art. And I think all of those things can intersect and look differently depending on the project!

BB: Do you expect the regular theatre goers that populate your fringe audience to be like the choir to whom you’ll be preaching, people who face the same challenges as your team?

Hilary & DMC: What I like about Fringe is the diverse audience you can reach. The cost-of-living crisis affects us all, and this play is full of universal themes (it’s a comedy, but has some really tender moments I think) and so in my opinion it’s easy to relate or feel empathy to what’s playing out in front of you here. 

BB: The desperation of the title could just as easily refer to the consumers as the sellers in these transactions. Do we ever hear from them, or are they irrelevant to your piece?

Hilary & DMC: Without giving too much away, the consumers have a presence in the show for sure. My character Amy does have some interaction. 

BB Is the desperation understood as selling out, of compromising one’s values?  Or should we be sympathetic to that desperation?

Hilary & DMC: The desperation (as referred to in the title) doesn’t represent much, beyond the catalyst of the plot and what causes the play to start! 

BB: Recalling Barbie last summer, a light-hearted comedy with an unexpected feminist core, where does Desperate Measures situate itself, between comedy & satire, in addressing the implicit feminist questions.

Hilary & DMC First of all, thank you for bringing up Barbie! My favourite colour is pink, and I loved the film. Desperate Measures is absolutely a comedy, we laughed a lot in rehearsal, and the couple shows we’ve done so far have also had lots of laughter. But to me, the best comedy is grounded in real, and often big feelings, and there is no shortage of those in our show either: lots of tender, very human moments. Someone mentioned to me “these characters feel so real” which is so important to me as an actor, that the characters are whole people. 

It’s feminist for sure, but what lives in this play is what I would call household feminism instead of a revolutionary feminism. It’s the tiny subtleties in day to day conversation addressing gender politics and societal expectations based on gender. I think the play is inherently feminist because it has to be given what goes on in the play, and who is involved, but it’s not the show’s only brand. There was a great effort made to make it not “preachy”. 

BB: Whose desperation is being portrayed in Desperate Measures? Tell me about the authors and the players. 

Hilary & DMC The story revolves around Amy (played by me! Hilary Wirachowsky) and Pete (Cameron Kneteman), a couple overworked and struggling to get by (let alone ahead) in this economy who find themselves buried in the panty business. You also meet Pete’s mom Linda (Lisa Randall) who makes things harder for Pete and Amy in spite of good intentions. The show is created by Rachel Moore and Catherine Teichman, Staged Managed by Paulina Tapia, and Directed by Rachel Moore. It’s a great team! 

BB: Is the balance between farce and satire today the same as when the play was begun?  Did the authors find the topic becoming sillier, funnier as they proceeded, or did they begin to see depths and profundities? 

Hilary & DMC I asked the playwrights this (want to give them credit) and this is what they said: Certainly, some of the themes of Desperate Measures have only become more relevant since we started writing it in 2022, prompting us to explore them with more depth as time has gone on. That being said, the longer development time has also given us the opportunity to hone the comedy too, which we’re so grateful for. 

BB How have live audiences changed the way the play is received? 

Hilary & DMC: I love hearing new laughs in new places. And each audience shows their personality in different moments standing out to them. So we’ve had lots of laughing/funnier than expected moments or in places we didn’t necessarily expect. On opening one moment near the end got an audible “Aww” and surprised sounds, it’s always nice to know the audience is on the ride with you in moments like that. We’re in the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, so the audience is close, and at times I’ve felt the audience be more on my side, or they switch to Pete, or they’re conflicted about something – like Amy and Pete often are- and I’ve caught myself in defence of my character thinking “no you don’t understand!, etc.” It’s really fun, and each audience is so unique. It seems like they’re having fun too. 

BB: There seems to be a lot of possible irony & comic depth to the story. Do you anticipate that the fringe show will be expanded, maybe even as a full-length feature film?

Hilary & DMC: I’m so glad you feel that way, I agree! Last year at The Hamilton Fringe the creators produced readings of various casts, so getting to be Amy in the first full production of Desperate Measures is a real treat, and I’m glad they took the plunge in Toronto. I definitely hope it continues to have a life after Fringe, and I think Catherine and Rachel do too. They lovingly nickname it as “The Panty Play That Could” sometimes in conversation, and I think that sums it up a lot. It’s silly and funny, but also so heartfelt, and hopefully makes people think and feel as much as it makes you laugh! 

BB: Are there credits / acknowledgments that you might want to make?

Hilary & DMC: Additional Credits: Dramaturgical Support by Kat Sandler and Matt Pilipiak 

We are so grateful to have a sold out run! A very limited amount of tickets may be available shortly before each show. There is also often a waitlist available.