a practise: Misinterpretation
(a performance)
available for touring
DURATIONAL VERSION
Presented at OFFTA 2026 with a residency through LA SERRE.
Blonde wigs, white face, and professional attire extend the bodies of two androgynous characters. Unhinged, absurd, and deeply critical, they plunge into a workday in which labour itself becomes a performance of whiteness. Drawing on the gestures of the bouffon, sound collages laden with pop references, and fragmented narration, PMP XXL deploys a highly physical theatricality to deliver a scathing critique of a grotesque hegemonic system.
Engaging in a direct, bodily confrontation with time, the artists grapple with effort, discomfort, and exhaustion. Over the course of eight long hours, they negotiate—like 9-to-5 employees—the conditions of continuous labour, both material and affective. Beneath the mask of the absurd unfolds a reflection on identity, positionality, and comfort: a subtle yet fundamental tension between the vital need to remain true to oneself and the insidious allure of the privileges conferred by white passing.
Run time: 8 hours
TEAM
Co-creation and performance
Tia Ashley Kushniruk (亚 女弟)
Philip Jonah Logan Geller
In collaboration with dramaturg and outside eye
Aryo Khakpour
French translation
Claudia Kulay
With the support of
Canada Council for the Arts
Special thanks to
Kirsten Wicklund, Ballet Edmonton, Nicole Mion,
Springboard Dance, Gerry Morita, Mile Zero Dance,
Centre for Indigenous Theatre, AKI Studio Theatre,
The Playhouse/Concrete Theatre, University of Toronto,
Will Scott, Emma Kushniruk, Trent Crosby,
Sandra Gray School of Dance, Joe Rogan and Rose Stella
THIRTY-MINUTE VERSION
Presented by Real Sweat Performance Group with performances at Mile Zero Dance Edmonton, AB and Fluid Festival Calgary, AB, 2024.
A tirade of sonic innuendo to pop culture, Bouffon about the escapism of being White passing, and ultimately grief through burnout, a practise: Misinterpretation (a performance) unveils the constant fight to be true to yourself even when being White might be the easiest option.
Duration: 30-minutes
Created and performed by Tia Ashley Kushniruk 亚 女弟 and Philip Geller
Rehearsal Director: Charlie Peters | Sound Design: Philip Geller and Will Scott | Lighting Design and Stage Manager: Trent Crosby | Photographer: Susannah Haight
Special Thanks: Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Sweet Action Theatre, Nathaniel “Natty” Justanio, Clarke Blair, Joe Rogan, Jonathan Burrows, and SGSDance
“It reminded me of the externalized representation of the gymnastics I personally have to navigate”
“It’s like seeing a dream collapse”
