Interview: Philip Diamond, Playwright of PEDRO THE PENGUIN at Toronto Fringe

PEDRO THE PENGUIN is described as a story about courage, imagination and believing in yourself – even when the odds are stacked against you. After one of Santa's reindeer gets injured, a penguin who dreams of flying (despite the fact that penguins can't fly) knows this is his chance to shine. 

BWW spoke with playwright Philip Diamond ahead of PEDRO THE PENGUIN's Toronto Fringe KidsFest debut to discuss the show's origins as a 10-minute George Brown Theatre School project, the joys and challenges of writing for young audiences, and why Toronto Fringe is the right home for this piece.

Could you tell readers a little bit about yourself and the history of PEDRO THE PENGUIN? 

I went to George Brown Theatre School and we have a playwriting course in third year where every week we'd get a new prompt. I had a lot of fun with that and I realized that I really love writing, as well as acting. This all sort of stemmed from a project we had in school, where we had to create a little 10-minute play for the Distillery Winter Market. This was initially a 10-minute idea. The name just came to me: Pedro the Penguin. I made a pitch for it, it got approved, then I wrote a 10-minute version and it just took off from there. 


How has PEDRO THE PENGUIN evolved over time?

I always wanted this to be a really epic story, a sports movie type play that told this underdog story – that was my vision from the start. When it was a 10-minute play, I thought, “How do I do a whole five act movie right now in 10 minutes?” And that was part of the comedy of the piece. Everything just happens so fast. I think even though this play is now 50 minutes, that momentum really stays. The whole play takes place in one day and tells the story of a penguin who goes from this complete underdog to being on top. It's a journey, a real adventure and I kept that momentum of it all taking place in one day. Over time, I was able to expand that world with more characters, more references to other sports movies and classic tropes. 


PEDRO THE PENGUIN is described as a family-friendly show. What do you like about writing for young audiences, and what challenges does this present? 

With writing for young audiences, you’re writing for some people who have never seen theatre before. 
Some of them have a very small understanding of what theatre can be. The idea that I can really make an impression on someone and introduce them to this artform that I'm in love with is really amazing. I remember being a kid, seeing some of my favourite movies or plays for the first time. It [art] really makes a fundamental impact on someone. If it's a good movie or play, you don't forget about it, and I think that's a really big honour. It’s also a huge challenge, because I want it to be something that a kid is going to enjoy and remember. I think kids understand a lot more than we're led to believe; you don't have to talk down to them.

What makes Toronto Fringe the right fit for your show? 


For a lot of us, this is our first professional show – a lot of us are recent George Brown graduates. Fringe provides an opportunity for independent artists to kind of hit the ground running. Fringe also provides a lot of learning material for new artists trying to produce stuff for the first time and it was really nice that they held our hand through this process a little bit. We're also working with Sue Miner, who was our program coordinator [at George Brown], who was an amazing director as well and she's also been really awesome in mentoring us and giving us advice. It's been a really cool process, a really big learning opportunity for me as a first-time writer, and for Jaiden and Jacob as first-time producers. 

What do you love about fringe festivals, whether as a creator or audience member?

What I love about fringe is – as a creator and audience member – the fact that it's not curated and anyone can put on anything. Some really good stuff can come from that. I just think it's a really good breeding ground for new ideas. It's really great to get an audience in front of a piece and Fringe makes that possible. 


What do you hope audiences, young and old, will take away from the show? 


I just really want audiences, young and old, to have a good time. I want them to come out and see theatre and watch something that has a good message. 

What advice would you give to aspiring Canadian theatre creators? 

I guess I would just say to do it. 
A year ago today, I would not have thought that I would be where I am right now in terms of writing a show and getting it produced at Fringe. I was trying to act in a show at Fringe and audition, I never saw myself as a creator or a writer, really. But if you have an idea, just go for it. Get good people on board – you have to have a team that you can rely on and trust – and then you have to hit the ground running. You just have to do it and really commit. If you're stuck, just keep writing. Even if it's bad, don't judge it, just keep going and things will work out later.

Do you have any other projects you’d like to discuss?