|
Every day's a different lie,” warns Graham Putnam, as a disclaimer to anything he might say. For Graham, even statements about himself are subject to the restless, perhaps diabolical, creativity that drives his work as an actor and as a writer and performer of sketch and stand-up comedy that pushes the boundaries of what can be said and done on-stage on a so-called “gentle island.”
This summer, in addition to work with the edgy, satirical Sketch-22 troop, Graham has been hosting well-received stand-up comedy at Baba's, uncovering new talent and new audiences.
“What I personally get out of stand-up comedy,” Graham says, “is freedom. I can go in cold and talk about what pisses me off at the time. That may be parking meters or conflict in the Middle East…Honesty gets a reaction no matter what, especially if you're honest about a thing no one admits but everyone feels and notices.
“If insanity is the freedom of thought,” Graham says, “I prefer to say I have freedom within my thought. Doing stand-up, you don't have time to discern, but for me at least, time changes on stage. You can stay a few seconds ahead of what you're saying…. It's like a path you're going down that's not that unfamiliar…
“I've also just taken my pants off,” Graham says. “But I'm not going to do that anymore.”
As a performer, Graham says, “You can avoid fear or you can enjoy fear. When you're afraid, it's your body's survival mechanism. All your senses are notched up a bit. As long as you don't panic, you can be more in tune with the mood of the audience and the situation around you.”
Sketch comedy with Sketch-22 is also about fear and freedom. He explains the troop's commitment to constantly developing new, original material: “It's the show we'd like to see ourselves. PEI is a lot different than it was even ten years ago, a lot more modern. Plus, people are going away. We want to keep things interesting for people who stay.
“Comedy is the only area now really pushing the boundaries of freedom and expression,” Graham says. “Safety and comfort—and contentness—are the first things I sacrifice.”
Graham has gained as much as he has sacrificed for performance. Despite the assurance he has shown in acclaimed roles in Sketch-22, original plays such as “Enemies” and “Players,” and classics including Shakespeare and Shaw, Graham had to overcome insecurity and self-esteem issues to act. His acting took shape, he says, “when I first noticed that confidence can beat talent and skill.”
Graham is planning to spend the fall in Toronto. “I want to remember why I love PEI and why I choose to live here,” he says “I'm really proud to be from Charlottetown and to be living here right now. It doesn't limit you or the work you do. You just may not reach as big an audience.
“I'm curious to see what my acting is like in front of people who haven't seen me, like maybe here I can get away with too much. My goal is to act in front of fifty people who've never seen me before.”
Graham expects to come back to PEI and is excited to see what develops on the comedy scene while he's “away.”
“PEI has an inferiority complex, and I had one, too,” Graham says, “so maybe I can be a model…Maybe PEI can become some insane, expressive little thing.
“‘The Gentle Island' [PEI tourism promotion] is totally the wrong direction to go. It's like saying, ‘If New Brunswick isn't boring enough for you, check us out.'
“If you grow up here, you're not supposed to be as brave with what you say,” Graham says. “But I truly believe we can be who we want to be. We don't have to act a certain way just because somebody's aunt did.”
The comedy work that Graham Putnam does, he hopes, encourages Islanders to be creative, to use their fears, and to enjoy their freedom.
With or without pants.