HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-09-20, Page 22It all makes sense now, kind of.
When I interviewed two members
of this year’s Young Company, they
stayed tight-lipped about their
project,Wireless, which ran at the
Garage Theatre from Sept. 11 to
Sept. 15, and now I know why; it’s
impossible to explain.
I came away from that interview
with a great sense of the girls,
Ellerey Lorentz and Aislinn
Bremner, but no idea what they were
doing in there.
Last week the curtain was pulled
back at the Garage Theatre and I got
to see the inner workings of Wireless
and I’m not sure that I’m much more
enlightened. It was a lot of
information coming at you, but it
was supposed to be that way.
Wireless was thought-provoking in
a way that few plays are. It was like
an activity book in school, that asks
a lot of questions, brings up a lot of
points and information, but won’t
give you the answer.
The play was at times confusing,
but again, this was intentional.
Mirroring the technological
revolution to the present, it threw a
lot of technology and
communication at you all at once,
surprisingly enough, with a
predominantly unplugged show.
However, the cast didn’t just focus
on technology, they took aim at
many issues of the day. It was like a
day in the life: reading the
newspaper, checking your e-mail,
chatting on the phone, watching
television, but all the while stopping
along the way to ask why.
The Young Company dealt with
the anonymity of the internet, on-
line dating, electric guitars, global
warming, the war in Iraq, poverty,
government finance, wanting to
stand out and wanting to blend in,
leaders and followers, people who
make a difference and people who
read about making a difference.
Calling Wireless a play is a stretch.
It was definitely a demonstration, a
performance. The program stated
that, “Over 100 young people
contributed to the research of the
show you are about to experience.”
It was definitely an experience.
There was no real star to the play,
the whole cast played equal parts,
each having a scene where they took
centre stage.
Wireless began with the 16-
member cast standing and speaking
at the same time. Eventually their
speech was staggered and you could
hear what they are saying. It turned
out to be the first line of their scene.
As the play went on, opening lines
started to ring a bell with you and by
the end, the play seemed to come
full-circle, ending just as chaotically
as it started, in a mess of noise, with
the whole cast forming a wall
closing in on the audience.
The companion program to
Wireless proved an asset, as the
introduction, written by director
Andrea Donaldson and dramaturge
Gil Garratt helped one to understand
the direction of the play.
“With Wireless, we’ve explored
the difficulty of being heard and
understood in a time of extreme
communication,” it reads.
“We’ve debated whether
technology connects us or
disconnects us. We’ve considered
the impact of consumer culture and
the over-saturation of image and
information on our lives.”
These are difficult questions to
answer and tough thoughts to
portray in one, linear production.
The approach Donaldson and
company took to the task at hand
married up perfectly, because right
now, for these questions, there are no
solid answers.
The Young Company spent four
weeks preparing for the play. The
physicality of the performance wasdemanding. Actors often fell to thefloor with a deep thump when theyneeded to, ran, played musicalinstruments, and joined together to
make a Hummer, numbers on the
ground, and a hammock.
Standout performances included
the introduction by Amelia
MacIsaac who drew the audience in
immediately with an unfocused,
honest, easily distracted rant,
complete with the required umms,
pauses and what was I talking
about?’s.
Bremner played the soft-spoken
internet chatterer who finds strength
and meaning through blogs, message
boards and community sites like
MSN messenger, Facebook and
MySpace.
She portrayed this profile perfectly
and it is easily related to, as these
people are not hard to come by these
days.
That being said, however, there
were no weak links. The whole cast
delivered with precision, even when
having the misfortune of performing
on Thursday night as the Blyth Fire
Department tested their alarm.
The alarm sounded shortly after
7:30 p.m. and the cast was instructed
to freeze until the alarm concluded
and pick up where they left off.
A few giggled while stuck in spy
poses, wielding air-weapons, but the
real laughs came from the audience,
while the actors stayed professional
and in-character proving great
discipline.
Lorentz found herself to be the one
whose speech was interrupted, but
played off the nearly one minute
delay, drawing even more laughs
from the crowd. Acting is tough, but dealing withunforeseen circumstances like a firealarm in the middle of the showtakes improvisational skills and
professionalism. A moment like that
makes you forget you’re watching
teenagers and reminds you that
you’re watching the professionals of
tomorrow.
PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2007.Theatre review‘Wireless’ all makes sense now, ‘sort of’
In good company
This year’s Young Company, the brains and talent behind Wireless, are pictured here with the
director, manager and dramaturge who all helped to make the play happen. Also pictured is
their guest of honour on opening night on Sept. 11, Mabel Wheeler, who has been a huge
supporter of the Young Company for years. Back, from left: director Andrea Donaldson,
manager Emily Johnston, Charlie Anderson, Veronica Tyndall, Ellerey Lorentz, Mabel Wheeler,
Heather Thompson, Sarrah Sholdice, dramaturge Gil Garratt, Dan Moran and Curtis TeBrinke.
Front, from left: Johannes Knap, Liese Bornath, Marissa Scott, Aislinn Bremner, Amelia
MacIsaac, Brett Brownlee, Haley Hunt, Becca Beardsley and Lisa Miller. (Vicky Bremner photo)
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