The Bro Code dictates that bros always come before hoes, but does the Bro Code still count if your best friend pervs on the other football players instead of the cheerleaders?
Based on the real life of two young men, 'My Surrogate Boyfriend' explores whether a gay man and a straight man can be best friends. From the sexual innuendos to the awkward confrontations, this autobiographical cabaret follows two guys as they construct their own Bro Code. Josh talks more about life with his straight best-friend Ethan and some rule changes they've made.
Describe this production in a sentence?
Super sassy and stupidly random.
Your fav line in the show and why?
“Our hearts beat in sync like a bass drum to a Kesha rhythm.” Because they do.
Are there different rules for Bro Code if your bro likes other bros?
Yes! The rules completely change. Actually, the rules are completely ripped up and this show is about building our own bro code and finding the rules that apply to our own dynamic.
What are some awkward confrontations or sexual innuendos you've faced being friends with a straight man?
Seeing Ethan naked – that’s awkward. Also, the problem with being best-friends with a straight man means that I am constantly aware of the fact that he MIGHT think that I’m falling in love with him. Which definitely hasn’t happened… yet ;)
Can you tell us one of the codes you and Ethan constructed to fit your own Bro Code?
Rule One actually stays as 'bros before hoes' but another main one would be 'always look out for each other'. We believe that’s pretty important. I think the original Bro Code was made based on the assumption that every bro is out to get laid, drink beer and play sport. Unfortunately there is no Bro Code in place for your regular, mundane human beings. Do we need one? We don’t know, but it’s nice to think about what values should underline humanity as a whole and how we should all treat each other not based of prejudice and social stereotypes.
If you could have three people over for dinner, who would they be? Would you have a crazy party, BBQ or sit down dinner?
We don’t even need three extra people. Just me, Ethan and Kesha. We LOVE Kesha. She’s probably the most misunderstood artist of our time! Actually an amazing song writer if you just sit and listen to her songs or read her lyrics. She stands up for the crazy kids and is a complete mockery of the mainstream music industry – and what a babe. It would definitely be a crazy party and there would be glitter. Lots of glitter (who doesn’t like glitter?).
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Finish these sentences:
Social media is… like a drug and I’m so addicted.
I melt for… Harry Styles, Evan Peters, Justin Bieber and Jake Gyllenhaal – to name a few. I could keep going but I know people are already cringing.
Fill in the blanks:
'My Surrogate Boyfriend' will … make you laugh … and leaves you … reflecting on your own life … but won't … make you think I’m a good dancer … and is surprisingly … a auto-biographical work, not really about us at all: it’s about everyone!
What do you want audiences to say as they leave?
I really think people have a strong voice in this day and age. With the increased popularity of social media, our identity is now a social spectacle left on stage for the world to devour. It’s what you do with your voice that counts. It’s what you believe in that can change the world. I want people to leave the show restless and completely over settling for what they have. I really want people to fight for what they believe in and not just watch things happen around them.
And what will you be saying to yourself on opening night?
“Holy crap Josh what have you got yourself into” and then nervous-vomit because I haven’t been on stage for over four years.
Anything else readers should know?
This show isn’t telling you how to live your life through a Bro Code. We are essentially trying to put a mirror on society and tell you the things that Ethan and I believe to be a good code of living. A good, decent way that society can function and live together harmoniously. We want to give you a window into a world where sexual equality is happening. To finally revel in a world that accepts everyone for who they are. Most of the people that come to this show will probably already have these views. Most of the people that see the show already live in their own world where their friends, family and peers accept who they are. But there are those small few that see this show that haven’t got that - who are chained down by prejudice, by hate and by narrow-mindedness. This show is for those people. If we can help those people by showcasing and empowering others, that’s the sort of reason people are involved in the arts; to change.
