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Ben Laird Arts & Photography
Doug McKeag in Doom 2012
2 of 2
Ben Laird Arts & Photography
Doug McKeag in Doom 2012
Doug McKeag takes theatergoers on a tour of the apocalypse
“Every doomsayer in the history of the world was looking for the signs of the end” declares Doug McKeag. “My dream is to build the master machine that can predict doom but we’ll have to settle for this show instead. I’ve assembled a compendium of doom and it’s not pretty.”
A statement like this should be followed by cackling echoed in the halls of a German castle lit only by lightning. Instead the actor opts for a chuckle. The man predicting the imminent end of humanity in his one-man show Doom 2012 is having a good day despite the day’s subzero temperatures and heavy traffic. “The sun is shining and the cold weather keeps pandemics at bay so I know I won’t die from the H5N1 virus today” he says.
He does note this doesn’t eliminate death by fallout in the event of a nuclear detonation in Europe — Calgary sits uncomfortably beside a hot zone. There’s also the impending collapse of our ecosystem because a few bees are mysteriously dying of disease. And of course your usual wars terrorist attacks and international flights brimming with diseases.
As part of Ghost River Theatre’s current season Doom 2012 explores these signposts of the apocalypse and asks the simple question: “When will you flee?” McKeag presents his evidence for the end of humanity and then opens the discussion to the audience in a forum along with special guests including playwright Eugene Stickland and Ald. Brian Pincott. Not that any discussion will change McKeag’s mind — he already has his flee date and a safe haven at Lake Superior stocked with food and supplies.
What you won’t find is any discussion involving eight-eyed goats bleeding walls dogs and cats living together and the other portents of Revelation that Christian fundamentalists flagellate themselves with (McKeag admits the whole Rapture thing creeps him out). Though the show takes its name from the date the Mayans believed would mark the end of the third age Doom 2012 is grounded in the real world. “It became a fetish since 9/11” says McKeag about his obsession over doom. “On that day we saw all these people fleeing and after that I started asking people when they would flee. I’ve clipped stuff out of newspapers for years going back to 2002.
“The bizarre thing is I began clipping out the odd one especially if it had flee in the headline” he continues. “I started putting them into scrapbooks labelled climate change pollution religion war economy pandemics — all these sub categories. Then a pattern started to emerge. Things were getting worse.”
Don’t mistake Doom 2012 as a show with an agenda or beholden to any specific ideology. As funny as the show is McKeag stresses this isn’t a parody of the media’s fear mongering or a sarcastic look at the end of humanity. “I’m not presenting it tongue-in-cheek. It will be funny but the message I’m putting up front is that it’s way too late and we’re way too stupid as a species to fix this mess we’ve created. I’m not offering hope. In fact philosophically I don’t believe in hope. I think it’s a substitute for action. I’m joining that rank of people that stands on the street corner and says the end is near. Or somewhat near.”
