Daniel Beitchman’s BOY vs. FLY makes a buzz at the Toronto Fringe KidsFest

Good news, everybody… BOY vs. FLY is back! 

The sweet, funny all-ages play by Daniel Beitchman, based on his picture book Boy Versus Fly: A Dean Bean Adventure, is making a welcome return to the Toronto Fringe’s Kidsfest July 6 – 17. The story follows young Dean Bean and his best friend Johnny C., both of whom want nothing more than to make the school hockey team. Everything is going according to plan – until Dean gets distracted trying to catch a pesky fly. The fly, however, has other plans, and his refusal to be caught brings out Dean’s impulsive nature and lands him in trouble at school. BOY vs. FLY is filled with physical comedy, humour, music, improv and lots of heart. The play is a fast-paced 35 minutes and offers laugh-out-loud moments for kids and adults, along with an important underlying message about the consequences of choices and owning up to one’s mistakes. 

Beitchman spoke with SesayArts Magazine about the basis of the story, its development into a play, and performing in his own play for the first time in the upcoming Toronto Fringe production.

SM: Let’s start with you. What prompted you to pursue a career in writing and in theatre? 

DB: I have been writing and involved in theatre for many years. What is new is that I am on the creative side. I had a corporate job, and part of my responsibilities was writing policy & procedure documents. And in theatre, I worked in front-of-house roles. After being restructured out of that corporate job in 2015, I had no idea what was next, but I wanted to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone and decided to take improv classes at Second City. Improv has been a key element in my development in writing and performing. 

My first time performing in a live improv show, I got some laughs, and I was 100% hooked and haven’t stopped doing improv. Being involved with the improv and comedy community introduced me to writers and creators, and I was inspired to do more, and that was the seed of BOY vs. FLY. This past April, I graduated from the Writing and Producing for Television program at Humber College. Watch for BOY vs. FLY coming to a small or large screen.

SM: Speak to us about the genesis of Boy vs. Fly. Where did the idea for the picturebook come from, and at what point did you start to think about adapting the story for the stage? 

DB: BOY vs. FLY started as a comedy sketch about catching a fly. I was working on that idea when I learned about self-publishing [books]. I knew I was going to write and publish a book, which became BOY versus FLY. I finished the book, published it, and released it globally. 

I was looking for the next step with the book, and I won a spot in the Fringe Kidsfest lotto for Fringe in 2019. So the next day, I started to adapt the book into the script for BOY vs. FLY. 

SM: I saw BOY vs. FLY at the Fringe a couple years ago, and it was funny, sweet and well-acted. Tell us about this new production with a new cast. Have there been any changes, storywise or in terms of the staging from the version that audiences saw last time? 

DB: Thank you for the kind words about your experience seeing the play. That is exactly the experience we are planning to deliver this year too. My parents were sweet and funny, and part of why I wrote the book was to share my family experience. Sweet and good-natured is key to this story. Our director, Kerry Griffin and Stage Manager Heather Lacey have returned from 2019, but the cast is entirely new for this production. The actors are all improvisers and comedians, featuring, Dani Alon as Dean Bean, Zohaib Khan as The Fly, Lauren Sittler as Ms. Anne/Mom, Adrian Kieda as Johnny C., and me (Daniel Beitchman) as Principal Spoon/Dad. 

We have a live musical accompaniment with Dewi Minden as musical director. There are no significant changes to the play, but a few tweaks to help clarify the story and give The Fly more stage time. All of the fun is there, including four live songs, with one improvised based on suggestions from the audience. 

SM: Who should come and see the show, and what can audiences expect to experience? 

DB: BOY vs. FLY is a gentle comedy about a young boy who gets caught up with a pesky fly and gets himself into trouble. It’s a pretty relatable story, and we have lots of fun planned. Since we are part of KidsFest, it’s a kids’ show for kids 4-12, but this show has appeal for the generations. It’s family entertainment for everyone, it gets silly and energetic, and it also has a lot of heart. We want everyone to have as much fun watching as we are acting it. 

SM: What would you like us to know about the cast bringing BOY vs. FLY to life? 

DB: Inspired by the show from 2019, it’s similar to what we did in 2019, yet different. I am so hyper-close to every aspect of the show that sometimes it’s hard for me to see the big picture. I can see that everyone in the cast and creative team is engaged and contributing, and we are having fun. There were lots of laughs, and we had a great time throughout rehearsals. We are all working hard, and it is inspiring to collaborate and see how the play is coming together. It’s a fun play, and we think you will be happy you came to see it.  

SM: One significant casting news is that you yourself play two roles, Dad and Principal Spoon in the play! How did this come about? When you were writing the story and the stage adaptation, did you envision yourself playing these roles, or is that something that evolved more recently? 

DB: Yes, it is an exciting development that I am now acting in the play. Yes, I envisioned myself playing the part one day. However, my focus was on writing and producing, and I was not ready to take on a third role. But after the actor we cast to play the Dad and Principal Spoon had to withdraw, I spoke to our director Kerry about my playing the part, and he agreed, so here we are. It’s a lot of fun. Of the three roles I have in this production, I am enjoying the acting the best. It also gives me an interesting perspective as a writer.  

SM: What is next for BOY vs. FLY?

DB: That is a great question. It’s exhilarating to have people believe in something you created, and it makes me want to continue to develop Dean Bean and BOY vs. FLY, and find a wider audience. 

Reserve tickets to BOY vs. FLY here.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine 2022