Daffy: Interview with Nicole Mfoafo-M'Carthy
Q: Please introduce yourself to our readers and how you are involved with Daffydil.
My name is Nicole, I’m a 2T4 from PB. I hail from Calgary. And I am one of the writers for Daffy.
I love writing, particularly poetry and short stories. I play guitar and have a bit of a musical history, so the idea of writing a musical was a cool challenge that I wanted to get involved with because it combines both storytelling and also song writing. Specifically, I think the opportunity and the challenge to write something and bring it to life for Daffy was really interesting because Daffy has a rich history of students creating what they want and putting it together.
Q: What has been the most memorable part of being in Daffy so far?
I think that the translation of ideas in your head to paper, and then to a set and then, eventually, to a whole play makes the entire process quite memorable. But specifically, the generation of music when my co-writer Amna and I, along with the producers and director, sit together and discuss songwriting has been incredibly memorable. The idea that we can understand each other’s perspectives through musical tastes and how this can connect us has been a really interesting part of the process. And of course, our life stories just naturally come up during these conversations as we’re writing songs.
Q: What does Daffy mean to you?
Daffy is the essence of coming as you are. The idea is, come in the fullness of your experiences, in the fullness of your musical tastes, in the fullness of your writing ability. And if there are areas that you are weak, someone will fill it in for you. You support each other in different ways. Daffy is a family; we engage with each other and support each other and give each other the leniency that we deserve. Additionally, we’re mindful that we're all medical students and life still going on. Therefore, I think that for me, Daffy - the Daffy family and Daffy in general - exemplifies the idea of coming as you are in your full honesty and your full grace and knowing that people are going to love it, and that they're going to help you through it as well.
Q: Where do you see Daffy in the future?
Daffy has done amazing so far so I wouldn't be surprised if it continues to gain a more Canada-wide reputation. Coming from Calgary, I never knew about this tradition here in Toronto, but I could see more schools either hearing about it and wanting to get involved or Daffy becoming a pillar for other schools to look to and model after. And I think that having the show online last year highlights the importance or the capacity to have an online viewing, which I don’t believe was done previously, because now, we have really expanded our audience to everybody.
