Interview – Resources provided by Alex Masse

As part of the podcast series, “ArtsAbly in Conversation,” Diane Kolin interviewed Alex Masse, a writer, a musician, and a communications specialist living in Vancouver.

A white non-binary person with black curly short hair and pink-tinted glasses holding a musical instrument that resembles an autoharp.

This post presents the resources that they mentioned during the conversation.

Alex Masse’s website

Alex K. Masse, AKA Fairything, is a writer, musician, and communications specialist from what is colonially known as British Columbia. Their work has been seen everywhere from the Scholastic Writing Awards to Autostraddle, as well as in collaboration with Penelope Scott, Vancouver Pride, Simon Fraser University, and more. They’re also a neurodivergent nonbinary lesbian, which greatly affects their process.

Visit Alex Masse’s website

Suzuki Q Chord 

The Q Chord is one of the instruments of the Omnichord Series. It incorporates technology from a basic keyboard and electric guitar and combines both in a portable, easy to use way. The instrument is divided up into three sections; a touch sensitive ‘strum plate’, a rhythm section and chord button section. Each of these areas can be used independently or combined. There are many wonderful and varied sounds obtainable from the strum plate and the combination of different musical sounds achievable is both impressive and unusual.

Read more about the Q Chord

The Future Perfect Project podcast

While lawmakers are working overtime to pass laws and propose measures to limit the self-expression of queer youth in schools and communities, The Future Perfect Project is encouraging the next generation to speak their truth and sing their songs of tomorrow.

Alex was a member of The Future Perfect Project’s podcasting cohort, and was a composer, co-producer, and cohost of the first season of the organization’s podcast, I’m Feeling Queer Today.

Listen to the Future Perfect project podcast

Realwheels Theatre

Realwheels Theatre is a Canadian disability theatre company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Realwheels was founded in 2003 by James Sanders and has since received multiple Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards and nominations.

The Frank Theatre

Established in 1996, the frank is the oldest professional queer theatre company based on the occupied, stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, colonially called Vancouver, BC, Canada. They play a crucial role in this city’s theatre ecology: they are one of few theatre organizations in the country led by a genderqueer, immigrant woman of colour, and we collaborate with a large community of 2SLGBTQ+ artists and arts workers.

Visit the Frank Theatre website

Faye’s Room with Realwheels Theatre and The Frank Theatre

Since their poetry and playwriting mentorship at The Frank Theatre, Telling it Bent, Alex has written works presented with The Arts Club, Gateway Theatre, Fabulist Theatre, Realwheels Theatre, and more. Most recently, they celebrated the second staged reading of their one-act play, Faye’s Room with Realwheels Theatre and The Frank Theatre, which is about neurodivergent solidarity, intergenerational bonds, and internalized ableism, and thrusts viewers into the autistic lens, a world of living mannequins, travelling rooms, and ghosts. The reading was done at the Roundhouse in Vancouver.

Read more about Faye’s Room

Shawn McDonald

Shawn is an actor and playwright. His plays have been produced at the Arts Club, Touchstone Theatre, and Pacific Theatre. He has won two Jessie Awards for playwriting for World’s Greatest Guy and Prodigal Son. Shawn has been the Program Leader for the LEAP Playwriting Intensive for Young Writers at the Arts Club for over 10 years. He loves to write plays and to be part of the development process with fellow playwrights.

Read more about Shawn McDonald