The Citizen, 2019-09-05, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019. PAGE 19.
‘Rocko and Nakota’ delivers powerful message
There is something about a one-
person show in the Blyth Festival’s
Phillips Studio that simply feels
more intimate than most other
dramatic experiences and last week’s
Rocko and Nakota was one such
performance.
As someone who attended more
than my fair share of concerts in
Toronto in my younger years, I had
the privilege of visiting Massey Hall
a number of times. Renowned for its
natural acoustics, a trademark of
Massey Hall shows for many artists
was to perform a song completely
unplugged. Just a man or a woman
and his or her guitar in a room full of
people being very, very quiet.
It’s intimate and it’s special to be a
part of, but mostly it’s a real
testament to the artist’s talent. No
amplification, over-the-top
instruments or gimmicks are needed.
It’s just someone singing in front of
you and it’s beautiful.
It’s those kinds of experiences for
which the Phillips Studio is best
suited. Whether it was Falling: A
Wake , Gary Kirkham’s play from
years ago, Ronnie Burkett’s world-
renowned puppet show, last year’s
These Are The Songs I Sing When
I’m Sad or the annual Young
Company production, the Phillips
Studio offers audiences a rare
chance to get up close and very
personal with actors, artists and
playwrights telling their stories.
This experience takes on a new
life when it’s a one-person show
that’s on stage. It’s really just one
person in front of an audience
pouring out his or her experiences,
laid bare in front of a bunch of
strangers.
Josh Languedoc’s performance of
his own Rocko and Nakota was one
of those performances. In the Blyth
Festival’s Phillips Studio for just five
performances, the show brought a
completely unique story and point of
view to the Blyth Festival.
A veteran of a number of Fringe
Festivals all across the country, the
show centres around a 12-year-old
Nakota, who suffers from an anxiety
disorder, during a hospital stay due
to numerous fainting episodes.
Nakota is visited by his estranged
grandfather, Rocko, after years of
not seeing him.
As the two get reacquainted,
Languedoc plays all of the roles,
Rocko, Nakota, and any number of
people, beings and animals that pop
up in stories along the way.
Nakota’s story is framed by a
school presentation to his classmates
on heroes. He nervously addresses
the class, holding his duo-tang at
first, but then ditching it in favour of
speaking from the heart about his
grandfather.
He speaks about being away from
school for a while and his time in the
hospital, but then tells the story of
his grandfather, who is a hero, but
not the conventional sort.
Languedoc turns in a very physical
performance, portraying numerous
characters and putting his whole
body into that work. He’s all over
the stage during the show and he
really doesn’t stop until the lights go
down.
His skills proved to be great in the
one-man show format. Languedoc
clearly distinguishes between
characters, so there’s no confusion
along the way as to who he’s
portraying when. His skill set seems
to truly be best utilized in the one-
man show venue.
Rocko finds Nakota in a difficult
time in his life when he visits him in
the hospital. Nakota feels alone at
every turn. Whether it’s at school, at
home as his parents spend some time
apart, or in the hospital where he
receives few visitors.
Rocko helps Nakota to find
himself and to find peace through
Rocko’s stories of his past.
The show was truly enjoyable and
an intimate window into the soul of
an important young artist.
The significance of having
Languedoc, an Anishinaabe artist, at
the Blyth Festival can also not be
understated. The Anishinaabe are
one of the three Indigenous groups
thanked in a land acknowledgment
before every Festival show in recent
years and it’s clearly meaningful to
Artistic Director Gil Garratt to
welcome an Anishinaabe artist like
Languedoc to the Blyth Festival.
For more information on the
Festival, visit blythfestival.com.
The Sounds
of Harmony
For tickets call Grace 519-392-6429, 519-335-6342
Tickets available at Libro in Wingham from Karen
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THE BELMORE COMMUNITY CHOIR
WITH THE SEAFORTH HARMONY KINGS
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019
AT WINGHAM TOWN HALL
SHOW TIME 2:00 PM
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Entertainment Leisure&
Bringing the fringe to Blyth
Josh Languedoc, a veteran of many Canadian Fringe Festivals, brought his one-man show,
Rocko and Nakota, to the Blyth Festival’s Phillips Studio last week for a five-show run. The play
told the story of a young boy in the hospital who is visited by his estranged grandfather.
(Courtesy photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
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