Save the Princess is a choose your own adventure style play, where the audience have agency over the choices of the lead character, Princess Plum, through a clever app that works similarly to online quizzes or polls. The choices of the audience then dictate which world the actors will find themselves in. The actors are adept at jumping into the surprise scenes, and the composition of the piece is clever. The performances, direction, and overall production, however, fail to sizzle. They are passable, but nothing remarkable — it could have been shorter, less shouty, and tighter in terms of timing and pace to properly evoke the urgency that video games create. There was an interesting point of view on the absence of female voices in the video game universes, and the inherent misogyny in these spaces which was smart; I would have like to see the play twist the knife on this just a little more and lean in, rather than entertaining us with just a sprinkle of provocative thought.
interactive theatre
Binaural Dinner Date @ University of Greenwich
How do we get to know a person? How do we fall in love?
These are the central questions to the Binaural Dinner Date, a one-to-one guided audio performance mixed with live action. Audience members are paired up as if on a blind date, and guided through a series of activities to fall in love with one another; or are they? The journey itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but the technical prowess of the design and execution of the performance more than make up for this. Each individual has headphones, tables are on different cycles to interact with one another and with the Waiter, and these overlap so that at times all tables are silently watching a tertiary story with the waiter’s love.
In many ways, the success of this performance is just as reliant on your partner as it is on the production — which means it can fall down quickly. That said it is a technical marvel and worth experiencing if you have the chance.
What Happens To You, Happens To Me by Susanna Fournier - Canadian Stage
This is a free audio experience you can listen to here, until August 1, 2020.
This fresh new isolation-inspired audio play from Susanna Fournier is an exploration of connection, of storytelling, of collaboration. We hear one voice (the delightful Kristen Thomson) inviting us to listen and connect with her. I listened to the audio-only version (there is also a version with video images if you prefer), and spent the approximately 16 minutes thinking through questions of time and hope, and more importantly, what comes next.
The piece asks audiences to engage with it, although the parameters of this are unclear. Many questions are asked, divided into chapters, but really it is the final question that is pressing and holds urgency.
Definitely worth checking out before it is gone.
I, Malvolio by Tim Crouch (Brighton Festival 2015 - via Vimeo)
In furtherance of his status as one of the nicest humans you’ll meet, the amazing Tim Crouch has made the video archive of his performance of I, Malvolio at Brighton Festival in 2015 available without a password. You can watch it here.
Unlike most of my blogs which focus on documenting what happened, what I thought about it, etc, this will be a little different. I’ve just closed a second run of my own production of Tim’s brilliant play a few weeks ago, and have been immersed intellectually in this script for over a year. Despite that, I’ve never actually seen Tim perform the show. I’ve read about it, talked to him about it, heard him lecture on it, read reviews of it, you name it. I’ve read it countless times, torn it apart, interpreted, discussed, scenario-ized, and ultimately put it on its feet in two different venues and cities.
Watching Tim’s performance of the play was a bit surreal. First and foremost (and i knew this from seeing him perform other of his work), his performance is simultaneously highly theatrical, and completely anti-performative. He speaks and moves with complete simplicity, allowing the nature of the audience-performer relationship, the absurdity of watching people do things, lead the comedy. More importantly, though, it was fascinating to me to hear the moments of inflection, the break up of thoughts and moments in his performance versus ours. The simultaneous similarity and difference of the two was uncanny. I’ve never before experienced something like that - where two groups had clearly done the work in isolation and then come up with such similar and yet wholly different understandings of the text. This is truly a testament to Tim’s writing, the clarity with which he puts the thoughts on the page for us to pick up. Even moments of improvisation (which there are MANY) resulted in similar interactions, at times almost verbatim to things Justin said in the moment in response to an audience member’s reaction.
It is as if the character of Malvolio is so clearly described through the words, rhythm, and actions of the play, that if you do your work, there is no other choice for how to understand the intentions of the moment.
I strongly recommend watching this while it is available, especially for those who saw my production in either Toronto or Winnipeg. This production was performed for teens on a school trip.
And I emerge, once again (and perhaps even more than ever before) grateful to Tim for letting Justin and I play with his words.
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.
Photo by Evan Welchner
Preview - In Waking Life @ Toronto Fringe
Looking forward to catching the work of Ottawa-based Lauren Welchner and Monica Bradford-Lea during this fringe, although my schedule prevents me from getting there early in the festival.
Their intriguing production is a partially improvised comedy, following two psychic sisters as they welcome you into their business and their lives. The show premiered in 2016 and has travelled a few Fringes so far, but this is their Toronto debut.
Really loving all the interactive work going on this year at Toronto Fringe!!
You can catch them tonight (Jul 6) and throughout the festival - full details and ticket info here.