Neil Fleming developed an affection for garden gnomes at a young age. While he knows some consider them tacky, he believes they have “a little bit of charm,” and so keeps the garden he shares with his wife and daughter a gnome-free zone out of sympathy for the ceramics’ plight.
Fleming is best known as a Calgary playwright, author of Anomaly and John Doe/Jack Rabbit, and founder of the Tin Foil Cup Creative. But while Fleming’s previous work has been absurd comedy, he decided to use this year’s Calgary Fringe Festival to further his political views: namely, those of garden gnome liberation.
Fleming first heard of the gnomes’ plight in a small newspaper blurb featuring the Garden Gnome Liberation Front (GGLF), a society whose mandate is to free all gnomes held in captivity and release them into the wild.
“I can’t remember what the fine print was, but (the ringleader) actually got jail time,” says Fleming, still aghast at the injustice of it all. “There was a big garden show in Paris, and he busted in and stole 150 gnomes or something, and spelled out ‘free the gnomes’ in the square with them. He was charged with mischief and whatever else. There was another one, they stole a dozen (gnomes) or so, and they all committed suicide. They were hanging from belts underneath a bridge. They had left a suicide note about them being enslaved. Sort of like, ‘goodbye cruel human world.’”
After reading about these gnome atrocities, Fleming decided he could no longer watch from the sidelines as garden owners enslaved innocent gnomes the world over. While Fleming claims no alliance with the GGLF (more than likely for fear of official reprimand), he does admit that the organization’s antics provided the impetus for his play that will, hopefully, raise awareness about gnome captivity. Fleming is handing his script over to his wife, fellow gnome supporter and Mount Royal voice and speech teacher Jane MacFarlane, who will direct three Mount Royal College graduates in his foray into the gnome political arena. Fleming, however, has become an expert in counter-intelligence, perhaps in an effort to keep himself from the media spotlight. Fringe shows almost always have an ulterior theme or agenda, and it’s obvious that Fleming’s play is a socio-economic commentary on widespread gnome enslavement by wealthy gardeners. When pressed, however, Fleming recants, and claims everything — from the script to the cast — is all a ruse.
“I love being silly, I love making people laugh,” he hastily insists. “Leading into working on (the script), I was watching Mel Brooks and Monty Python — just silly for the sake of being silly. I’m not trying to say anything. I’m just trying to say: aren’t gnomes kind of a weird thing. The piece itself will probably evolve in rehearsal, and I’ve told Jane, and she’ll pass on to the cast as well: bring on the silly.”
