Katharsis by Yvette Nolan @ Prairie Theatre Exchange (limited recording)

I viewed this via Prairie Theatre Exchange on Vimeo, during their limited free availability of the piece on demand.

Yvette Nolan has written a love letter to the theatre. It is gentle and kind, acknowledging the uncanny situation we find ourselves in — desperate for connection and stories, but unable to serve them in our preferred in-person manner. A time when theatre is more necessary than ever, and yet impossible in its old form.

The use of the enormous and empty PTE mainstage space is delightful. Tracey Nepinak guides us with comfort and reassurance, reminding us that we’ve been paused before, but will come back. She is charming and engaging (as always), and I honestly couldn’t imagine a better actor for this role.

A delightful treat of a piece in response to these pandemic times.

Alice and the World We Live In by Alex Haber @ FemFest 2020

Due to COVID, Sarasvati are offering many of their productions digitally via live stream as well as with limited in-person seating. I viewed this live-streamed - there is one more performance Sept 26.

This was initially planned as a full production, indoors in a theatre, however when COVID meant that was not possible, Sarasvati reworked the concept for the show to be a staged reading outdoors, using simple lighting, sound, and representative design. The actors wore mics, which allowed of course for the live stream audio pickup, but also for the integration of sound design and effects on the live voices.

Elena Anciro and Ray Strachan had the challenging task of portraying intense love and loss, while not coming close together — speaking to one another from the tops of three picnic tables set apart from one another. Their connection is believable and meaningful, despite the physical distance — their early meeting scenes charming, and the flashbacks to arguments convincing.

The script hops around in time, which at first is challenging to follow - there is a crisis, there is a meet-cute (which repeats and re-shapes nicely) and there is the current moment. These intersperse through the script, hopping in time, which in a reading scenario is difficult. At times it felt the script would have benefited from more clarity on this front; the most effective scenes were the ones where they stayed in place for longer, and where the blend into a new time was a subtle continuation of the conversation rather than a cinematic hard cut. This may have also benefited the overall pace of the script, which began to feel less nuanced around the middle section.

Production-wise, it was nice to see the use of a mix of camera angles for the live stream. A limitation, of course, was that the harsh lighting for an outdoor production made it difficult to see the actors faces at times. Similarly, early introductions of sound effects on actors were a challenge to discern whether this was a poor connection, or an intentional design aspect. All in all, this raised questions for me (in a good way) about how to stage work for in-person and filmed streaming simultaneously, and appropriately leverage the mediums.

ShakespeareFest from afar

This has been a first for me; leaving a show behind to run in a city, without me.

Not to say I typically attend every performance of a show I’ve directed. Typically I’ll attend a couple times, but otherwise let them run. But somehow leaving the city, switching my brain to a new show while that team are still invested and living in the first, is. . . difficult. You are one foot in each world.

I’m so grateful to the work of my amazing team who are supporting I, Malvolio in Winnipeg. Justin’s amazing work continues to be supported and facilitated by our amazing stage manager, Leah Borchert, and two outstanding associate producers, Reba Terlson and Lizzie Knowles. Audiences are so wonderful and generous - it is heartwarming to see texts or messages from friends who are seeing it, sharing their thoughts. It is powerful work, unlike a lot of theatre experiences I’ve even had myself, so it is somewhat terrifying and feels like a bit of hubris to try to bring it to others.

There are performances remaining February 2, 3 and 5, 6, 7. Tickets are still available. This is the last show I’ll have in Winnipeg for awhile, for sure. The last one was in 2017, and before that 2015 (when I lived there…)…so at this pace it could be 2023 before I bring another. I love bringing work to my hometown, the quirky, wonderful, supporting arts community that enabled and encouraged my nonsensical experiments. That made me feel like i could challenge attending RADA, and that I could bring unique work to Toronto. I hope you all can catch one of the last performances. If you’ve already seen it, thank you. Tell a friend.

Tickets are $15, or $12 if you are a student, unemployed, artist, senior — or if you also see our host company and producing partner The Keep Theatre’s Twelfth Night (conveniently scheduled at 7:30pm nightly, so you can come straight upstairs and see our I, Malolio!). Reserve by emailing tickets@impeltheatre.com

Also, check out a zillion other bits of Shakespeare this week - I personally adored Othello, (O)Phelia, and have heard amazing things about Queen Lear is Dead. Also it HURTS that I can’t see either Hamlet that is happening.

Justin Otto as Malvolio in I, Malvolio by Tim Crouch.
Photo by Leah Borchert, audience quote from Hannah Foulger.

(O)Phelia - Saucy Gal Productions @ RMTC ShakespeareFest

Leigh-Anne Kehler seems to step up to the task each year of the Master Playwright Festival, writing a thoughtful and well researched response to the playwright’s work. This year, she seems to have topped herself again, writing a 45 minute play expanding on the experiences of the two women in Hamlet - Ophelia, and Gertrude.

There are countless interpretations of Hamlet, and although some re-think the relationship of Hamlet to the women (or at their worst, conflate the two women into one), it is rare to see the relationship between these two women explored. Enter Kehler’s (O)Phelia, which is written brilliantly in verse, and provides insight into what may have transpired between the women that allowed Gertrude to have knowledge of Ophelia’s death, while also helping us to understand the motivations of these two women, whose choices may otherwise be easy to judge. The piece is performed thoughtfully and intelligently by Kehler and Melissa Langdon, whose Ophelia is fiery yet sensitive.

I strongly recommend checking out this new work. It deserves a bigger audience, and future productions.

Romeo + Juliet @ RMTC ShakespeareFest - Pocket Frock Productions

I was thrilled to kick off my ShakespeareFest adventure with a local adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, from Winnipeg collective Pocket Frock. The adaptation is described as a “hot take” on the story, it felt like an R&J for the instagram generation.

Smart edits trimmed the production down to a tight 90 minutes; the audience are lit along with the actors for the majority of the time, as the company use the small studio space to great effect. Locations are malleable, and time expands and contracts with the young lovers. Some cleverly selected and then adapted pop songs further serve to create this feeling (and are performed beautifully by the multi-talented cast).

Many casting decisions are smart here, notably Jane Burpee, whose Friar Lawrence becomes a caring grandmother type, as well as Hera Nalam who delightfully inhabits young Romeo, perfectly capturing the tempestuous and highly emotional teen. By eliminating the majority of adult characters, this production served to underscore that these are just kids, who make impetuous and seemingly irrational decisions that have huge consequences.

There were some moments that could have been even more clearly created, in particular Romeo’s first meeting of Juliet, and the ongoing beef between Tybalt and Mercutio, however on the whole this was a smart adaptation and clever production.

Sex and Sexability Cabaret - Sick & Twisted Theatre

I had the joy of happening to be visiting Winnipeg when Sick + Twisted were hosting their most recent cabaret installment, something I’ve sadly missed in previous iterations. The evening combines short works of a variety of styles, from stand up to mime to musical theatre, all organized around a theme. This time, it was Sex & Sexability, highlighting stories about interactions with, discoveries of, and challenges with sexuality.

Standouts for me were Adam Schwartz with his wonderfully dry humoured standup about dating with autism, and the hilarious Ophira Calof with her songs about love (including it happening for her EMT and Nurse, over her head - Literally). Calof was an absolute delight, one of those performers who you know from their first moment on stage will be astounding — and she did not disappoint. I also really enjoyed Andrea von WIchert’s monologue which came toward the end of the evening, focusing on the challenges of maintaining a relationship when one has mental illness and little interest in sex. The selection of pieces, and smooth transitions between scenes, along with seeing actors crop up in one another’s pieces, really helped provide a cohesive feel to the cabaret as well, a quality this style of event can lack.

Sick + Twisted are dedicated to showcasing the work of performers and writers with disabilities, and to creating spaces that are safe and welcoming for performers and audience members alike. In this instance, it included ASL interpretation for every scene, as well as audio description. Offering these sorts of supports is unfortunately rare in Canada, so it was refreshing and exciting to see them offered.

I definitely recommend checking out the next Sick + Twisted cabaret - and hopefully a show, too!

4.48 psychosis by Sarah Kane - Trailer

Beautiful trailer filmed and edited by Alana McNeill, with audio by John Norman. Featuring Elizabeth Whitbread. 

Catch us at Toronto Fringe July 5-15 and Winnipeg Fringe July 19-30.

thoughts. my new Everest

Every director has plays that sit on their bucket list, and for a lot of them, that's all that will ever come of them. Your bucket list plays are filled with scrapes of ideas and images for what you would do, but they are never fully realized. But then, the times comes where you get an AD to agree to giving you the chance. Then you get the rights. And then your stomach flips....now I have to do it. 

I've had that series of experiences this spring, when one of my long-time bucket list plays, 4.48 Psychosis by the enigmatic and irreconcilable genius, Sarah Kane, came my way. From my very first read of the play, I was captivated. On the surface, the play makes next to no sense; it feels like a long form collage poem of beautifully dark statements that challenge your sense of remaining light in the world, interspersed with scenes. Or are they scenes? There are no indications of the number of performers, the number of voices, the ages or genders. Just words. And thoughts. And somehow, it is hopeful. 

So, I embark upon my new Everest. I have an amazing team lined up. I'm directing for Theatre By The River, with the wonderful support of our company members and AD. I have the honour of working with the shining and adventurous young talent, Liz Whitbred on stage. And I get to return to audio collaboration with my partner in life and art, John Norman, who will help Liz and I transform her singular presence in space and time using sound. 

I'm unbelievably excited to direct what I hope will be my most radical experiment yet. Part play production, part sound installation, part poem. You can trust it will be something different, and I hope you'll come on the journey with us, both here on my blog (where you can expect updates, rants, and of course shameless self-promotion) and when we perform it in The Toronto Fringe Festival and Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival this July. 

Until then...

news. Our Sister Duchess to read at the Carol Shields Festival of New Works

I am very excited to announce that my adaptation of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, called Our Sister Duchess, will have its first public reading at the Carol Shields Festival of New Works in Winnipeg May 14th. 

“Adapted from Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, this new piece is a feminist re-focus of the play on the injustice of the her persecution. Our Sister Duchess is a victim of obsession and misogynistic rage manifest within her family in a world contemporary to ours, consumed by technology, image, and reputation. ”

The reading is presented by Theatre By The River, and will be directed by Heidi Malazdrewicz.  Casting announcements, along with the schedule for the festival will follow shortly. Watch my blog, or www.theatrebytheriver.com for more information. For details on the Carol Shields Festival which will also feature readings of new work by Ginny Collins and Kevin Klassen, please visit http://www.pte.mb.ca/about/shields_festival.htm