My Own Private Oshawa

My Own Private Oshawa is a theatrical play written and performed by Jonathan Wilson, which premiered in 1996.[1] A one-man show taking place aboard a GO Train in which Wilson is travelling home from Toronto to Oshawa for a visit, the show is performed as a monologue about his childhood experiences as a repressed and closeted gay kid, and the impact of his more flamboyantly gay friend Gordon on his sense of self.[2] The ultimate purpose of the trip, to attend Gordon's funeral following his death of AIDS, is revealed only at the end of the play.[3]

The play was staged for the first time in July 1996 at the Toronto Fringe Festival, where it was one of the major hits of the festival;[1] due to its popularity, it was later remounted by Tarragon Theatre in the fall.[4] The Tarragon production received two Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations (Small Theatre division) in 1997, for Outstanding New Play or Musical and Outstanding Performance by a Male (Wilson).[5]

Film adaptation

In 1998, the play was optioned by producer Sandra Faire for adaptation as a theatrical film.[6] Directed by Allan Manson, the film directly introduced the plot point that Wilson was an actor performing My Own Private Oshawa as a stage show, but was primarily structured as a conventional narrative with a multi-actor cast rather than being performed exclusively by Wilson.[7] Its cast included Shaun Majumder, Martha Chaves, Gavin Crawford, Lou Eisen, Brigitte Gall, Ed Sahely and Christopher Peterson. The film was screened at the Columbus International Film & Video Festival in 2002, but was not widely distributed until being broadcast by CTV Television Network as a Pride Week special on June 25, 2005.[8]

References
  1. Vit Wagner, "Growing up gay in Oshawa". Toronto Star, July 10, 1996.
  2. Kate Taylor, "A funny thing on the GO train". The Globe and Mail, October 4, 1996.
  3. Gary Smith, "Play explores realities of growing up gay". Hamilton Spectator, October 12, 1996.
  4. Andrew Clark, "Take My Oshawa, please: Second City vet goes for the suburban jugular". Toronto Star, October 3, 1996.
  5. "Major Dora Mavor Moore nominations". Toronto Star, September 12, 1997.
  6. Andy Hoffman, "SFA Productions has its Own Private feature". Playback, October 5, 1998.
  7. Christy Chase, "Oshawa gets 'star' role in new movie". Oshawa This Week, June 24, 2005.
  8. "CTV Celebrates Pride Week with Debut of My Own Private Oshawa, June 25". Canada NewsWire, June 20, 2005.
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