How I Saved the World
Acacia Hall (10433 83 avenue) August 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 23
Kristian Reimer in How I Saved the World. Photo credit: Shawn Jurek
An interview with Kristian Reimer.
Describe your show in five words.
Politicians, Everyman, profound awakening, opportunity
Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description?
Based on the true story of a young man, Kristian Reimer, who set out from Calgary to make a difference in the world. He grew up a big fan of comic book superheroes, and had his sights set on a life of fame, only to find himself in Toronto, working one dead-end job after the next. Then one day, he finds meaning in his work, when he takes on a serving job at the 2010 G20 conference. Surrounding his workplace was the now-infamous security fence, and outside of this are riots, mass arrests, and police cars burned on the streets. Unbeknownst to all of this chaos, Reimer finds himself passing drinks to the great leaders of the world’s economy, and it is at this moment that he is called upon to save the day – if not the world!
You have quite the perspective on the 2010 G20 Summit – why did you want to tell your version of events to people?
The G20 was an event best remembered for its violations of civil liberties, and that should not be dismissed. I wanted to tell this story to juxtapose what people saw in the news, from the perspective of being on the inside of the G20 Summit. I had the unique perspective of being inside the room with the world leaders when an incident took place, and I was able to deftly avert a potentially disastrous international episode. Had I not been there in time… who knows what might have happened.
What made you decide a play was the right way to tell this story?
I have had this story in my life for five years now – which is a good amount of time to be removed enough to tell it. On the anniversary of the event this year, I could not help but feel that there was another side of the story to be told, the perspective of those working on the inside of the event. In this show, I share that perspective, along with the journey that I took to get there.
Aside from the insider perspective on the 2010 G20 Summit – what are the themes or ideas that are explored in How I Saved the World?
Do heroes exist? What do we do while we wait for our superheroes to save the world? Winnipeg’s UMFM reviewer said, “This show serves as a great window into normality, a look inside how life in the matrix continues to be comfortable to many.” This is a story of how an Everyman journeyed from those dead-end jobs we’ve all struggled through, to that ‘call to action’ reminiscent of all those superhero cartoons we loved as children, from complicity to greatness.
Anything else you want audiences to know about the show?
I prefer my audience not walking away. I’d rather they linger for a moment and talk about their experience with this show.
Bonus question: Any names you want to drop who have been involved in your show (Edmonton arts people or otherwise).
People involved: Barack Obama, Saudi King Abdullah, Stephan Harper… But I would like to give thanks to my wonderful dramaturge Sandra Shamas.
The 34th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is August 13 – 23. Get your tickets at tickets.fringetheatre.ca starting August 4.