Guys and dolls

Canadian actor and comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding has made quite an impact in Australia since arriving to perform his stand-up act as part of Midsumma.

Not only is his one-man show an attempt to declare every boy’s right to bear Barbies, he’s already engaged with the local political discourse and waged a campaign against Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s marriage equality stance.

A Boy Who Played With Dolls marks Spaulding’s Australian debut, with an honest discussion about his recollections of playing with dolls as a boy. After successful tours of Vancouver, LA, New York, Toronto and Calgary, he brings his tale of the joys and traumas of growing up gay to Hares & Hyenas this week.

“My comedy is a mix of stand-up and storytelling, and this show is about my childhood and the idea of a boy playing with dolls and how that taboo relates to larger social and political issues in society,” Spaulding said.

Compared to many young gay men who shared Spaulding’s experiences, the 25-year-old admits he grew up in a fairly supportive and nurturing environment, thanks mainly to Canada’s progressive political and social landscape.

“Not only was I raised in Canada, but I was raised in the most socially progressive part of Canada on the West Coast. In the ’90s, it was an idyllic place to grow up, especially pre-9/11.

“In kindergarten we were learning anti-war songs from the ’60s like Where Have All The Flowers Gone. Seriously.”

Most recently, the 25-year-old has added his voice to the chorus of people calling on the Gillard Government to bring marriage equality to Australia. He created a YouTube video plea for Gillard to embrace her “inner fag hag” and expressed his disappointment at the PM’s continued support of the Marriage Act which states marriage is between a man and a woman.

“I just can’t stand hypocrisy. We’ve had marriage equality in Canada for years and I just consider it such a non-issue. I’m surprised Australia doesn’t have it,” he said.

info: A Boy Who Played With Dolls is at
Hares & Hyenas until January 30.
Bookings: www.midsumma.org.au