Arun Lakra’s Heist brings pure entertainment to the forefront as a smart caper with cross-generational appeal. In advance of the Playhouse production, Lakra revealed details about the creation of the play as well as balancing life as a playwright with his primary occupation as an ophthalmologist.

What appeals to you the most about heist films? What are the attributes that make that brand of storytelling so captivating?

From a personal perspective, I very much appreciate entertainment, whether it’s plays or movies or TV shows, where my whole family can enjoy it together. I have two young adult kids and two elderly parents, and as you can imagine, it’s always challenging to find something to watch which is appealing to everyone. Prior to writing Heist, I was struck by the fact that caper movies such as Ocean’s Eleven were something we all enjoyed. As I’ve spent more time in the Heist world, I’ve tried to better understand what it is about heists in general that make these stories so captivating. What I’ve come to believe is that in most crime stories, we’re not really cheering for the bad guys. In a heist, we are. Which is part of the fun. And the second piece is that in a heist, a lot of the fun is the planning. There is a strategy and set up and often a series of challenges that must be overcome. Intellectual, physical. It’s kind of like an escape room where we, the audience, are on the adventure with the characters. As if we are part of the team.

Jessica Fishenfeld (Angie) in Heist. Photo by Mikki Schaffner

Was Heist a major departure for you as a playwright? Or simply another layer to the kinds of stories you enjoy telling?

Traditionally, I tend to gravitate to plays that are deep, powerful, transformative, and make us think about life and its big questions. This is NOT that! So, in that sense, the subject matter is quite different to what I’m used to writing. But strangely, as I started to write Heist, I realized I was using many of the same muscles I had developed in my other work, the more cerebral “serious” stuff. I love complex, intricately woven stories, and suddenly I found myself reveling in the fun of the twists and turns and the mental gymnastics required. When putting together a play such as this, it’s critical to stay ahead of the audience, but also to not cheat. The plot needs to be airtight and be able to withstand the scrutiny of repeat viewings.

What are some of the major themes in Heist you wanted to explore?

As with any heist, there is the extrinsic reward. Money, jewels. But Heist is about more than greed. It’s about revenge, loyalty, betrayal, trust. And, strangely, family.

How did you become a playwright?

When I attended medical school at the University of Toronto, I had no idea that there was some sort of latent creative side buried inside of me. I stumbled into writing when, for reasons I still don’t understand, I decided to write a short story one night when I was on call. I submitted this to the Faculty of Medicine short story competition and inexplicably, I won. I later realized mine was probably the only entry! Regardless, I was encouraged, and I soon discovered that writing helped to sort of balance out the hardcore science side of my brain. I continued to cultivate the creative side through my internship at the University of Hawaii (another great decision!) and my ophthalmology residency in Toronto. For the last 20+ years, I have divided my work life between the practice of medicine and the art of writing. These days, I spend a lot of time inhabiting and thinking about the intersection of arts and science. I like to think that writing has made me a better doctor (empathy, humanity, creativity), and medicine has made me a better writer (logic, structure, methodology). And that the combination has, hopefully, made me a better human.

 Cast of Heist. Photo by Mikki Schaffner

What advice would you give to others who are balancing a professional career with creative pursuits? How can they find inspiration and motivation to pursue their passions outside of work?

The dual career, the doctor-writer hyphenate, or the “subplot” as I like to call it, has its share of challenges and rewards. Through the years, I have come to realize that there are many of us who share a similar desire to explore different, often divergent, paths. While I did not deliberately set out to do so, I have stumbled onto this double life that has somehow worked for me. A few years ago, I gave a TedX talk on this subject, SUBPLOTTING: Rethinking the Way We Follow Our Passions. If anyone is interested, there is a link to it on my website, arunlakra.com.

What do you hope audiences take away from Heist?

The most gratifying thing about Heist is that it seems to be attracting a new cohort of folks in addition to traditional theatregoers. In particular, young people — students, young folks in their 20s and 30s. We see multi-generational families coming to enjoy the show together. Date nights. Raucous student performances. One of the most exciting things that has been said about Heist is that it’s kind of a “gateway drug” to the theatre. And if plays like Heist can bring a new generation into the theatre, I think that would be fantastic