You might think the extinction of dinosaurs would have nothing to do with the loneliness of the middle-aged queer community and climate change, and until now, you were probably right. However, the final offering of Q the Locals series for 2023 begs to differ, and you can see how these issues relate in Triceratop at The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre on 24-25 November.

The last of his kind, alone in a bunker and running out of time, our storyteller uses his impressive collection of costumes he has been crafting in solitude to tell his tale in case someone in the future stumbles upon it.

“It his last, greatest best show – it is the show of his dreams that he’s kind of been doing in his own little loungeroom for three years – he plays music, does some lip-syncs, tells some stories, some are of sadness and loneliness, some are triumphs and missed loves. There is the story of what happened as the asteroid hurtled towards and how dinosaur civilisation was hoping to save it,” says Adam Deusien, Triceratop creator and performer.

Reimaging what dinosaur civilisation might have looked like, Mr Deusien landed on something similar to ours; he wanted to show a previous civilisation warning a future one of the dangers of inaction. Like many, the creator loved dinosaurs as a child and has continued to be interested in them. As creative, he is drawn to the epic and goofy, something that dinosaurs perfectly capture. 

“We definitely think of them as these big monstrous ancient creatures, but they are also kind of giant lizards. Maybe they were chickens, maybe they were feathery and birdlike, they’ve also got the potential for camp as well,” smiles Mr Deusien.

Rather than discuss facts about the current climate crisis, Triceratop walks you through the descent of the dinosaurs with humour, fun and a bit of sexiness. Having relocated to Newcastle where the instruments of climate change are constantly on his doorstop, Mr Deusien says it blows his mind that people still grapple with the idea that the impacts might not be that serious.

“I think that people are afraid, people don’t think that they can do anything that makes much of a difference,” he says. “I hope that this work becomes a little call, whatever action you’re inspired to take is better than being afraid and doing nothing.”

Having previously helmed works that were about being isolated or lonely, he continued the theme with this work for The Q. He says the production is a synthesis of middle-aged queer loneliness and the apathy that can be present there, and society’s apathy about the impending climate disaster.

“This felt like an opportunity to have a climate change conversation, given that the dinosaurs are extinct, and combine that with my own stories about queerness. And what I think a lot of gay people sometimes experience about that loneliness can sometimes lead to kind of apathy, or when we get sad or depressed and immobilisation that leads to inaction.”

While the topic may be tough, it is delivered with a fun, playful and inviting approach and engaging audiences with some over-the-top scenes. Ensuring there is fun at every step of the process, the title Triceratop is also a play on words, Mr Deusien explaining it captures the vision of the stereotypical muscular, beautiful, idealised, Western gay man.

“You hold up this vision of who you imagine is or the partner that you deserve, and no one can live up to that expectation that so many of us fall trap to. It is a little bit of a joke around finding the perfect top, in lies a bit of a gay joke – and then Triceratop is right there,” he smiles.

According to Mr Deusien, queer and camp storytelling holds the capacity to talk about tragedy and difficult topics with resilience and fun. He recognises that for some audiences, heavy dramas best address the situation, while for others it is with a light-hearted touch. Not wanting to pull away from any punches with his works, he also wants to deliver them in a way that has layers of fun and entertainment.

“On the surface level you can have a great night but underneath that there are big issues, big conversations, larger themes, there’s more complex concepts that you can still sink your teeth into that might enable conversation.”

Hoping the audience has a fantastically silly time, Mr Deusien also hopes that the work inspires them a little bit in their day-to-day life to feel more empowered in the choices they make. 

“Inside of all that silliness and that fun, I hope there’s a sense of empowerment to make change in their own life, if not other people’s.”

Triceratop at The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, 24-25 November; theq.net.au