Who Speaks For Those Who Can't? MATARA at Workshop West Playwrights Theatre

This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing Matara, a new work by Conni Massing, at Workshop West Playwrights Theatre. A zoo elephant Matara, or Nellie, is at the centre of the story. Cared for by Karen (Elinor Holt), Matara is not in the best of health and a group of protesters camp outside the gates, demanding she be sent to an elephant reserve far away. The protesters are held at bay by night security guard Marcel (Minister Faust), and newly hired communications expert Romney (Patricia Zentilli) recognizes the value of an elephant in selling the zoo.

The three characters are complicated and connect differently to the zoo and to Matara. The play really highlights the complexity of the issue, that what is the best decision is not necessarily black and white, and the limitations on the three characters to communicate and be heard further obstruct finding the right course of action. No one seems to hear what the others are saying because the narrative they need to hear is not being said. Romney needs Nellie to 'perform' in order to raise money for the zoo and care for all the animals; Karen needs to protect Matara in order that she can get well again; Marcel needs someone to listen to his concerns about the rising river. All three are unable to hear what the others are saying.

I loved the relationship between Karen and Matara. I believe that those who care for animals (zoo-keepers, vetrinarians, etc...) want what is best for them and this show certainly portrayed that. Holt's performance is honest and passionate. Karen is the only one who truly passes the test of King Solomon - she is willing to give up the elephant if that is the best thing for it. In contrast, Romney has little connection to the actual animals that reside in the zoo. She is, however, trying to do her job in order to help provide for them. She just doesn't seem to have much compassion to go along with her drive. I wish there was a way to make this character more likable. Having worked in a marketing department for a theatre company I know there are often times when the need to sell the show conflicts with the artistic agenda and there can be unanticipated friction. Marcel is caught in the middle between the two women. Faust is very congenial as Marcel, a careful sounding board who chose the job for it's offer of seclusion, but who instead finds himself rarely alone.

Along with the three human performers is a beautifully created Matara. The simplicity of creating the elephant through simple pieces and movements of ears and trunk work beautifully and you can really believe there is an elephant in the room.

Wherever you stand on zoos, I think this show offers a lot to think about, particularly about issues that are complex and multi-layered. Too often in today's world, we look at a situation and declare a side without truly listening to all the details. We choose to ignore the other side if it conflicts with what we want and in doing so, we likely miss key details that make each situation unique. A conversation needs to be part listening, and listening has to include actually hearing.

Matara runs to December 9th at the Backstage Theatre.
Click here for tickets.

Who Knew Romance was So Funny? The Invention of Romance by Conni Massing...

Last night I took in a World Premiere of a Brand New Alberta Play by Conni Massing.  The Invention of Romance is the latest production in Workshop West Playwright's Theatre 2013/14 Season.  It opened last night to a sold out house and runs until April 13th. I had a wonderful time watching this piece.  I had read a bit about it before and knew that it was inspired by real events in Massing's life.  Her mother had rekindled a romance with a former sweetheart after 60 years.  But this is not just about a romance between two seniors, this is a play for everyone.  It's about finding the romance in our lives at any age, and while we might think it is easier for the young to find love, our world and our expectations often complicate things so much that we miss what might be right in front of us.

Valerie Ann Pearson and Lora Brovold in The Invention of Romance

But this isn't a sappy, sweet love story.  We laugh at heroine Kate's missteps (Lora Brovold) and imaginations as she engages in dating and dreaming to help her curate her museum display on the Invention of Romance.  Living in the world of today, trying to be rational and practical, but seduced by the sensibility of rom-coms and Jane Austen's (or is it Colin Firth's) Mr. Darcy, Kate is everywoman making every mistake in her search for love. I think we laugh so much at Kate because we recognize ourselves in her.  Her second-guesses and over-planning feel very familiar.  We laugh with mother Luisa (Valerie Ann Pearson) as she is an absolute delight.  We all know this woman and we love her.  She is all-knowing and not hampered by the expectations of the world, and what a wonderful romance she has! Pearson herself is so incredibly real onstage - Why haven't I seen her before? We laugh the most, perhaps, at Mat Busby, who has the fun job of playing a multitude of roles - from a variety of internet-dates, to Kate's fantasy man, to the very real James, her co-worker.

This is a piece that I think speaks to a lot of people, and in some ways is a nice change from some of the darker pieces that I have seen lately.  Although I like that we can use theatre to look at the darker corners of the world, I'm glad that we can also have a play like this that focuses on joy in our world - it's important to tell all the stories.

I Made This! Or Rather, I am Making This!

The past 8-9 weeks I have been involved in APN's Edmonton Playwright's Circle working on a piece called Little Monsters.  The Circle experience has been great. Led by facilitator Conni Massing and filled with 8 playwrights of various stages in their writing career, we supported each other and helped everyone to write the best play they could. The most important thing for me is that it gave me deadlines and those are so much easier to write towards than a blank future.  Accountability is so important for a writer.  It would be wonderful to think that we could motivate ourselves, but for me, it is the deadline.  Anyhow, I started this piece at Playworks Ink in November during a workshop with Daniel MacIvor.  Prior to the workshop I did not even know it was a play.  I was about halfway done a first draft by mid-December, but I stalled until I joined the circle.  I stuck it in my life in a time I thought was pretty free (that was thrown off by Gibson being in Titanic) but I made it work - hammering out a rough first draft that I was very happy with and a second draft that I was even more happy with.  It still has a way to go, but in the 9 weeks of the circle I have done so much more writing than I have in the last 2-3 years. 

Anyhow, TONIGHT the Circle is sharing excerpts from our plays with the public for FREE! We got to select the excerpt and work with professional actors and a director today and tonight they will be presented.  It is at 7:30 p.m. in the EC Board Room at the Transalta Bus Barns. One of the actors asked me if I had slept last night in anticipation and to be honest, I slept very well.  When I saw the list of actors that would be reading my script (Nadien Chu, Annette Loiselle and Mat Busby) I was really relaxed about it.  They are all very good and actually well suited to the roles they read. Having Tracy Carroll shepherd them as Director didn't hurt either. I love my Circle Playwrights, but it is a different thing to hear your words read by real actors who try different things and go for it. Tonight will be extra exciting to hear it read with an audience in the house. I hope you can come!