“In Development”

My main take-away from Night Six was just how valuable Year of the Arts funding and Festivals such as this one are for developing new theatrical works. 

In her introduction to About Time: A Journey of Self-Discover & Change, playwright Vanessa Cardoso Whelan acknowledged that other projects had pulled her away from this play, but that this was her impetus to restart this project. About Time is an exploration of women’s mental health, told through the stories of two women. Vanessa indicated that the circumstances and experiences of the characters were first-person accounts told to her by women experiencing mental health issues and on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.

Joana Cupatia read the role of Viva and others, and Melissa Williams read Ella and others. It was interesting to see the two actors portraying the important figures in each other’s lives. I’m not sure that is the intention for the final play, but it’s worth exploring. I like the idea of Viva and Ella in the security of a therapy session being drawn “outside the circle,” so to speak, by the experiences that shape their mental health journey.

This is tough stuff to hear sometimes, but I commend Vanessa for focusing a light on this important topic.

After the intermission, we were treated to Coming Full Circle, written and performed by Sophie Angnatok. Sophie is an instantly recognizable Inuk throat singer and drum dancer from Nain, Nunatsiavut. She’s also a compelling storyteller. Working with director Louise Moyes (and Kim White, Docudance), Sophie is channelling her grandmother and other women in sharing the Inuit culture through song, story and dance.

Coming Full Circle is also in development, and tonight’s performance was like being given a sneak peek into the creative process. I would encourage the team to capitalize fully on Sophie’s self-proclaimed ability to go off on tangents; I think there’s something very natural, charming and welcoming in her delivery style. No doubt, most of the audience members will be, like me, interested in learning more about the herstory of this culture. 

A wise Indigenous woman told me once, when I asked what I could do to better educate myself about the Indigenous experience, to “listen with new ears.” It’s an interesting balance I’m sure to present the culture of a people in a way that audiences can fully appreciate it, while recognizing the fact that to experience the culture, audiences also need to learn a new way of listening.

I loved the inclusion of photos and videos through multimedia projection, but perhaps having some of them on stage as printed images might help Sophie take control of the narrative, winding her way through the tales as the mood hits? Just a thought. I know the great minds and talents collaborating on this piece will find the right path.

I’m glad that Sophie invited partner Ashley Dicker to join her for a drum dance (“I Am Happy”) and a selection of throat singing. It’s an enchanting art which I tried all the way home to accomplish, failing miserably. Maybe that’s because I was by myself, and this is definitely a duo sport… yah. no.

But that’s the thing about the stories and songs and games in this play – you want to play, too! I think that Coming Full Circle has the makings of a very important piece for this province. Keep your eyes peeled for this one.

I’m really looking forward to Night Seven, a reading of Sharon King-Campbell’s Factory Girls. The play explores the lives and motives of ten women who answer the call to work in a munitions factory in Toronto in 1916. Stellar cast. 

See you at the First Light Centre for Performance and Creativity at 7 p.m.!