Request Programme at NLT - Figuring out the story behind the action...

I love those shows where you have to lean in more as an audience member. Request Programme is one of those shows. Because the single actor on stage has no dialogue and instead performs units of action while listening to a radio show, it is up to the audience to interpret their actions and their responses to the show they’re listening to. There are no definite answers to this interpretation, and in fact the possible interpretations are equal to the number of audience members. I know from discussions on the ride home with my husband that we both took away different things and the conversation was interesting because we could speculate on what the other had perceived. And again we could not be definitive. It’s all observation.

Vanessa Sabourin - supplied

The featured radio show, Request Programme, is a fantastic collection of songs by local female artists. I was so pleased to hear some of my favourites and for the two artists I had not previously known. I really enjoyed their songs as well. It is amazing to think that all those wonderful artists live and create in our community. I’m of the age where I want to buy their CD, in fact, I would love it if you could purchase the soundtrack to this play. It’s clear that those pieces were curated specifically for the production of this show in our community. I think they did a fabulous job.

So what’s this play about? Well because there’s the ambiguity in understanding the motivations of the character on stage it’s not 100% clear - but it is inherently personal. It’s definitely a reflection on loneliness in our modern society. It seems to be pre-cell phone pre-computer so there’s even a lack of reaching out digitally, which amplifies the isolation of the character on stage. As I mentioned earlier, there are units of action performed by the actor, and my understanding from a conversation with director Trevor Schmidt is that each of the actors (there’s a different one every night of the production - I saw Vanessa Sabourin) has leeway in how they perform those units of action. There are some tasks that are specifically dictated.  I don’t know which ones and there’s one in particular that I don’t want to talk about because I don’t want to have spoilers. How each actor responds to the different songs is individual choice which gives way to multiple interpretations of the story behind the action. It makes it intriguing to think about coming back and seeing how having an actor of a different age or ethnicity or even attack might affect your interpretation as an audience member. I’m hoping to do so but I’m not exactly sure when and I think I want to pick an artist that might be different from the one I saw on opening night. I’m not exactly sure how I’ll be able to pick that one.

It's a compelling piece of theatre. Well worth checking out, maybe even more than once. 

Request Programme is presented by Northern Light Theatre at Studio Theatre Inside Fringe Theatre Adventures. The show runs until May 16th. Tickets are $22-$37 and there are Pay-What-You-Can and 2-for-1 performances. You can purchase your tickets here.