Asexuality in the spotlight

By NIGEL GEARING

"Why should love be about sex or lack of sex? It's not such a big deal," Jonathan O'Brien snaps at Adam Rakich.

O'Brien plays Terry, lover of asexual Malcolm in Brett Simpson's play The Lighthouse. Tama Boyle has the role of Malcolm, a closeted and blocked writer visited by two characters from his first book who confront him with the link between his two dilemmas.

"I'm unaware of any play that treats the main character with the issue of asexuality," Simpson says.

The 24-year-old, who graduated with a masters degree in drama studies at Auckland University, began working on what would become The Lighthouse last year.

After two drafts - in which Malcolm was portrayed as an untalented writer with a manuscript being turned down everywhere - Simpson's tutors told him to start again.

His third rewrite led to the introduction of Sylvia, played by Rachel Somerfield, and Ian (Rakich).

Sylvia and Ian appear to Malcolm as he invented them, using his dialogue. But over time they come into their own, revealing their prejudices, fears and lust. And though Terry should not be able to see them, he can.

Sylvia has no difficulty with Terry and Malcolm's relationship; Malcolm is emotionally in love with Terry, who gets sexual gratification elsewhere.

Ian has a hard time coming to terms with the concept and with his own feelings for Sylvia, who finally confronts his conservatism.

"The third rewrite coincided with my own coming out as a gay, asexual person," says Simpson. "The play really then wrote itself. It's certainly not intended to be a piece with an agenda."

He wrote the play with O'Brien in mind after O'Brien had worked last May in Simpson's first play, Occupational Hazard, a story about a student occupation that goes wrong.

All four actors in The Lighthouse are Auckland University students.

Unitec dance school graduate Matt Gillanders, who directed Occupational Hazard, heard the first reading of The Lighthouse as part of Simpson's university assessment and asked if he could direct this work.

Now the two have formed a production company, Archipela Productions.

"The Lighthouse is basically a love story," Simpson says. "Malcolm is really the main character and Sylvia and Ian are comic-dressing.

"If it is autobiographical in any way I would make a better Malcolm. I don't suffer terrible writer's block and I'm jealous of him. He has a nice boyfriend."

Preview

* What: The Lighthouse

* Where and when: TAPAC Theatre, July 21-24, 8pm