Imagine for a moment three people having drinks after work, discussing a recent movie they’ve seen while talking lewdly about the latest ‘beauty’ on the silver screen.

Instead that latest beauty is a man, and those people having drinks are women.

In Erin Shields’ scathing satire of gender roles, Beautiful Man flips the usual narrative of how beauty and attractiveness are discussed. And, as Shields’ puts it, takes audiences into an upside down world where women become the hunters, the seekers, the subjects for, and not the objects of, desire.

Coming to Arts Commons at the end of February, the Alberta premiere of the production is being brought to the Motel Theatre stage by Downstage, Handsome Alice Theatre and Verb Theatre, in a continuation of Downstage’s mission to bring theatre to Calgary that sparks conversations.

“Flipping the genders and pulling on that extremity highlights some of the issues that are going on in media and how women are portrayed. The objectification of women… and hyper sexualized femininity, in a way that I think a lot of us have just become so accustomed to,” said Clare Preuss, Artistic Director for Downstage.

“We’re just not used to hearing about men’s bodies talked that way about, or the situations that they’re in are certainly very different than what we might expect to see on TV. But it’s all inspired by things like your favorite cop shows, like Law and Order SVU, and [HBO] shows like Game of Thrones or even Rome. It even comes up in something like [Netflix’s] The Witcher.”

Some of the discussion in the play does satirize the hyper sexualization seen in those shows, and touches on the language used to describe that sort of presentation in television shows and film.

But, said Preuss, the Carol Bolt Award-nominated play does that sort of examination in a truly hilarious and comedic way.

“We get a real range of perspectives on topics like the idea of hyper sexualization of women, the idea of like women being more valuable when they’re young and beautiful—young and beautiful in that context of what beautiful means to the mainstream—and that women are powerful to a certain extent, and then you don’t want them to get too powerful,” she said.

The Calgary production of the play stars Meg Farhall, Linda Kee, Katelyn Morishita, and Joel David Taylor, and is directed by Preuss.

Expect the irreverent

Audiences looking to get the most of out of the production, said Preuss, should come expecting to laugh but also to be open minded to a bit of absurdity.

“Come with a sense of playfulness, a little bit of that sense of edgy satire. I think if you come in a bit of an irreverent state of mind, and be open to depictions experiences, scenes that go beyond what is rational in order to make a rational point, I think it’s fun,” she said.

“I think it’s a great show for a group of women to go out with their pals. It’s a really great date night too, because I think it allows everyone to have a freer conversation at the end of it. I don’t think anyone’s going to leave feeling bad. It’s a bit rambunctious, it’s certainly adult content, and it’s certainly super funny. It plays with stereotypes in a really imaginative way, so I think it’s a really fun night at the theatre, and that it also will give you a great conversation on the ride home.”

Preuss said that by looking at the boxes that women are put into, it also ends up freeing men and women from having to be caught up in living out social norms.

“By loosening up these boxes, we actually give everyone in society more freedom, more chance for exploration, and more chance for self discovery. So I think that’s really interesting part of the conversation,” she said.

Like all Downstage productions, the play will end with an optional facilitated conversation between audience members about the themes in the play.

“I’m really excited to hear what people found was resonant with them, but also how we can imagine a future where we’re not just flipping, but flipping the gender power isn’t the answer,” Preuss said.

“It’s like, how do we come together in a way that honours all of the different power dynamics and genders and ways of seeing the world and have a more playful, equal playing ground? I think that’s more what it’s about, rather than wanting to swap who’s got power.”

Beautiful Man runs from February 29 to March 10. Tickets are available at www.downstage.ca/beautiful-man.