How do we reconcile our differences? play asks

Adam Lazarus in The Art of Building a Bunker

Adam Lazarus isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.
His latest project is to play 10 characters in the one-man show The Art of Building a Bunker.
“I haven’t had a drink in a month, so there’s that,” he says with a laugh. “Physically, it’s demanding, like running a marathon. So I have to be on my game.
“I think the challenge is often in the storytelling, being sure the audience can clearly see who I am. The preparation is quite physical.”
The Art of Building a Bunker debuted to positive reviews at 2013’s Summerworks Festival. It is back this year, until Nov. 2, at Factory Theatre in downtown Toronto. Lazarus co-wrote the play with Guillermo Verdecchia, who directs it as well.
The main character is Elvis, a Jewish guy who’s forced to take a week of sensitivity training – and he is far from sensitive.
“It’s about how we function in this world where there’s a lot of fear and hatred towards the other,” Lazarus, who is Jewish himself, explains. “There’s a lot of demand for political correctness, and sometimes we don’t know how to be politically correct. So we’re seen as bad people, because we say or do the wrong thing.
“We all sort of build bunkers or fences around ourselves to have a nice world. The world is kind of messed up – we have a lot of problems. I feel like [the play] is very timely. This guy is put into sensitivity training, and he’s like, why on earth would we be in a place where we’re learning how to speak nicely to each other, when Ebola is at our doorstep? When the Islamic Republic is coming around the mountain? When ISIS can come and cut your head off?
“He’s got that paranoia underneath it all, and it’s this idea that he’s building a bunker to protect himself from those outside forces or the pressure or fear that the world could collapse at any moment. That’s the tragedy of the piece, him dealing with that. And then there’s the comedy of all these people trying to become enlightened in a room together.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Lazarus is an actor, director, writer and producer. He is an instructor at Montreal’s National Theatre School of Canada and artistic director of the Toronto Festival of Clowns.
“I love the arts and I found a community. I was like a loser sometimes, but whenever I was on stage I could make people laugh… My parents were very supportive, because I loved it.”
While Elvis’ background as a Jew, and the resulting insecurity that comes from that, is part of The Art of Building a Bunker, Lazarus says it is not the focus.
“It’s in there [the Jewishness], but it’s not the driving force. The driving force is everybody’s different. How do we survive when everybody has their own, different cultural identity or racial belief, and they’re all thrust into a room together? At the end of the day, how does Jewish play into it? I’m Jewish, I’m totally neurotic, and so is the character.”
Lazarus performed the play in front of sold-out crowds at Summerworks, and says it drew people of all ages and backgrounds.
“We had every type of audience member you can imagine. Young and old, conservative to more liberal and everyone likes it. It’s very timely. It speaks to this moment we’re in right now, where there’s a lot of fear in the world about what is going to happen. We’re told all these bad things are happening, and we’re also in an age of enlightenment, so how do you balance those two?
“If you’re easily offended by a swear word, then you shouldn’t come. But if you like satire, you should come. [The play] is a biting satire of the world we live in now.”

The Art of Building a Bunker runs until Nov. 2 at the Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., 416-504-9971, www.factorytheatre.ca.