An Interview with Sultana F. AliFor those of you who were lucky enough to catch "Winifred, "That Bitch!" at the recent Orlando International Fringe Festival or have seen Wayburn Sassy and Didi Panache in the Screw You Revue in the past, you are probably familiar with the likes of Dewey Chaffee (Wayburn) and Douglas McGeoch (Didi), though you may not have met them out of their costumes. You also may not know that having called Orlando home for many years, they are finally taking the jump and hitting the open road with their star characters, Wayburn and Didi.
I took a few minutes to chat with this dynamic duo about their aspirations and the legacy they want to leave behind for future Fringe generations, including a unique, scholarship opportunity.
How long have you been a part of Fringe in Orlando?
Dewey: Four years. We introduced Wayburn in 2007 and Didi, his girlfriend, in 2010.
Many folks are familiar with these two characters, why did you change to a format around Winifred this year?
Dewey: People were used to seeing Wayburn and Didi and we wanted to shake things up. It had become a bit like a mini-series.
Douglas: We were at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and it hit us like a bolt of lightning. We'd bring Winifred (Wayburn's dear departed wife) back from the dead! We were in Kentucky on our way to North Carolina when I decided that Winifred needed a boyfriend, and we came up with Gerald Ashley Young (GAY).
You had quite the get-up with Gerald, making him a closet-gay boyfriend of Winifred's.
Douglas: Well, the thing is, my grandfather wasn't exactly "supportive" of my lifestyle. Unfortunately, he went to his grave truly hating the fact that I was gay and refusing to speak to me. So, when I dressed up as Gerald, an obviously gay character, I literally wore his old clothes!
Dewey: Yes, and Winifred is my grandmother's name - who similarly, was not supportive of who I was. In our own way, these characters were our way of letting them know that we are able to rise above that bigotry, that it's not okay and letting people out there faced with judgment like this know that they are not alone.
That has to be cathartic on some level. It's sad to have people judging you like that in your family. I imagine you draw a lot of support from your fans in the community.
Douglas: Most of my family has been tremendously supportive and our fans are amazing. We had a fan fly down from New York City and another from Kansas City, just to see Winifred.
Dewey: On top of that, Orlando truly has one of the best Fringe Festivals anywhere. They have an amazing board and professional venues to offer their artists. No other festival has this kind of set-up.
Speaking of the Orlando Fringe, tell me more about this scholarship that you have established solely for the Orlando Fringe Festival.
Douglas: We are very excited about this! It was a struggle for Dewey to get into the festival the first year - it takes a lot and there wasn't a lot of financial help for the individual artists.
Dewey: For a first year artist, it's quite a challenge to break through that funding barrier for production costs, etc. There are especially a lot of young people wanting to get their start at Fringe and we want to support their efforts.
Douglas: On top of that, Dewey has an incredibly generous spirit. Being with him over the years has taught me a lot about that. We've started living a more streamlined lifestyle and even with less money, find that we are able to give back even more.
It's amazing how that works! I know you are hitting the road now that the Festival is over. What's next for you both?
Douglas: We were going back and forth about the timing and finally decided, let's just do it. There won't ever be a "right time." We just have to do it and we will build it from there.
Dewey: Yes, and I believe we will be successful, it's really about persistence. We already have a five week run booked at Provincetown, which is the big leagues for us!
What will it be like traveling on the road together all the time?
Dewey: It's great to have someone you love and trust that you can let down with after the show - if it was cruddy then you can talk about it.
You two have a great energy together - how did you meet?
Dewey: We met years ago briefly and didn't immediately hit it off. Months, later I was on a dating site and was scrolling profiles and saw his and kept going...but something made me stop and click back and send him a quick note, not even realizing he was the guy I'd met...but he remembered! He wrote back and the rest was history. I cannot imagine taking on this journey with anyone else.
Douglas: Our life together, literally hinged on a back click! We feel very lucky; how often in life do you have that kind of connection with someone both in life and on the stage?
I cannot imagine anything but success for you both, but Orlando will miss you. Is this scholarship also a way to stay connected with Orlando Fringe?
Douglas: Absolutely, we have received so much from the Festival and want to still be connected even if we aren't here. It's also a great place for the scholarship; Orlando Fringe is the perfect place to try new material.
Dewey: This is also about taking a risk, which is at the heart of Fringe. We want to encourage people to create their own, original work. In 2007, when Wayburn Sassy debuted, there was concern on my part - would people see through the bigotry and that we were making fun of it? You can take that kind of leap on stage and we want to foster that spirit.
And there will be leagues of creatives inspired by the path that Wayburn helped forge. How does someone apply? What are the rules?
Dewey: The application will go live after the lottery for the 2012 Orlando Fringe Festival and will remain open until Dec. 31, 2011.
Douglas: People might ask why we are waiting until after the lottery; but we feel there is a commitment that takes place after someone takes responsibility for their application. We want to help, but they have to take that first step.
Dewey: They also have to be a first time Fringe producer - this is about bringing new minds and talent into the festival.
Douglas: Oh, and no parodies or spoofs. While we enjoy watching those, we want to foster the creative process and see more original works. We'd love to see someone do something edgy.
This is a great inspiration to other artists - to show them what they can do with their success and give back. It must be exciting, and scary to leave the comfort of this community.
Dewey: It is, but we said to each other that we just have to rip the band-aid off. We are committed to these characters and ready to take that leap to see if this can work.
Douglas: Sometimes you have to go through the struggles to appreciate success and certainly, we've had both.
Dewey: People here are excited for us and it's also deeply impacted a few people as well. A man came up to us at Fringe and said he was inspired to quit his job because of the risk we are taking. It's always exciting for us when someone steps out of their box because of something we said or did.
Douglas: A lot of people have dreams and they've just hidden them in shoeboxes in their closet and every once in awhile they peek at it and then put it away. If we can be a part of helping them to take that dream out of the shoebox and make it a reality, then we will have been successful.
For more details about Dewey and Douglas' scholarship or to apply after the lotto for Orlando Fringe 2012, visit http://www.wayburnsassy.com/ and click on the "Sassy Scholarship Fund." The mission of the Scholarship Fund reads as follows: To actively encourage and promote FIRST time producers of the Orlando Fringe Festival by providing a Sponsorship towards the production costs for a 100 percent original concept/production. To promote Local, National, and International awareness and interest in the Orlando Fringe Festival.
