tavie.com

The director for TAVIE! the musical asks:

A maple leaf, eh? Nice. I could never get away with that, though. Two completely different meanings, depending on if you're a Canadian or American. May I ask what it means to you? I'm thinking something KITH-related, but I'd like to hear the story.

Thank you for asking! I tried to explain the reasoning behind a maple leaf to my mom and sister and they just didn't get it. ("What? You want to be Canadian?")

No.
There are several reasons why the maple leaf symbol feels right to me. It's aesthetically pleasing to me; I've always liked the Canadian flag. It symbolizes Canada, a country that I love. (I know I'm an American, and I like to sport a symbol of solidarity with that vast, beautiful country that shares a continent with mine.)
Also, yeah. The Kids. Sure. The maple leaf is a good summary of what got me through my high school years-- the friends I made, the choices and changes I was able to make, the good times I had, all directly related to five guys from Canada. I'd be fooling myself if I didn't admit the extraordinary impact that the Kids in the Hall have had on my life these past few years.

There's more, too. It's actually through Ade's fascination with Canada and nationalism and all those sorts of things that I started to become aware about things like cultural imperialism, and that, hey, it's different to be Canadian. It's not like the U.S. And many/most Canadians are fiercely proud of that. The thought never occurred to me. The idea that Canada had issues with "us" (to put it totally inadequately ;) was something of a wake-up call. ("Us", us, granfalloonery! Am I contradicting myself? Good!)

And of course I totally romantacize the symbolism of the big, queer S&M log cabin up there in the woods.

So:
1. Pretty.
2. Solidarity.
3. Everything that was good about my teen years.

Maple leaf!

Why are you in Tavie's head? 6:34 PM | shower me with attention