THE rise of “toxic” hyper-macho influencers like Andrew Tate has “compelled” the director of a new Fringe show to challenge ideas of what men should be.
Eoin McKenzie’s The Show For Young Men is a dance piece between 10-year-old Alfie and Robbie Synge, 44 – and promises to be an “authentic and soft-hearted portrayal of a new possibility for boys and men”.
The 27-year-old Glasgow-based director described his show as a contemporary dance performance which hopes to put a spotlight on “men’s capacities for care, friendship, and vulnerability”.
He said: “Full of humour, risky physical duets, and heartfelt choreography, The Show For Young Men sees a 44-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy dance and play together as they navigate their own physical and emotional differences.
“The piece poetically considers the emotional complexities of modern-day masculinity as it affects both boys and men, working towards a hopeful image of male care and compassion in a world filled with so much violence, dominance, and terror.”
McKenzie said he “felt compelled” to offer alternative ways of being “masculine” in light of influential figures like Tate, who reaches thousands if not millions of impressionable young minds while being on trial in Romania for rape and human trafficking.
Tate is also facing an extradition request to bring him home to face similar charges. He maintains his innocence.
McKenzie said: “We’re bombarded with stories about male violence and terror, yet so seldom are we shown positive male role models in media of any kind. And to make matters worse, we now have folk like Andrew Tate who are attempting to spread misogynistic thinking to boys and men who already feel lost and disconnected from those around them.
“There's a lot of anger, a lot of confusion, and also a lot of sadness. So I felt compelled to make a performance that offered some kind of alternative to this - a show about a boy and a man's friendship where care and vulnerability were honoured and celebrated in an engaging way.
“It feels to me that one of the only ways to meaningfully progress the idea of contemporary masculinity is to normalise our capacities for love and compassion within men’s identities and place in the world.”
And he said that portraying the friendship between Robbie and Alfie through dance gave him the “outdated idea” that dancing is “not for boys”.
McKenzie added: “Because the piece is built around the real-life friendship between Alfie and Robbie, dance gives the audience a way to see their friendship authentically.
“It’s not a story about their friendship as such, it's actually just their friendship staged through movement – which I think is much more interesting.”
Asked about how he felt about concepts like “toxic masculinity”, McKenzie said: “I think it's easy to disregard the need for boys and men to reflect on their own identities and place in the world.
“To me, terms such as 'toxic masculinity' are useful stepping stones in being able to recognise and name inequalities, misogyny, and structural problems within our world - but I think the interesting and urgent work lies in trying to move masculinity beyond this.
“This is what I'm trying to do in making The Show For Young Men, to create something that progresses masculinity in a positive direction; one that might contribute to a gentler and more compassionate world.
“If we're genuinely interested in tackling male violence and mental health, then we must find ways for boys and men to embrace their emotions and vulnerabilities without that negating what it means to be a man.”
Robbie, based in Nethy Bridge in the Highlands, has made his own experimental dance works in the past and toured extensively as part of the Aerowaves network.
The Show For Young Men is the first professional production for Alfie, who is from north Edinburgh.
It will run from the beginning of August in Assembly @ Dance Base in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh.
Full listings and ticket prices are available here
