THE BOAT
What are your own roots?
I was born in Oshawa, Ontario to one parent from the United
States and the other from England.
How long have you been
involved in theater, and in what capacity?
I’ve had the good fortune of creating theatre for over fifteen
years both nationally and internationally. I adore all theatre, and have
worked with new plays, musicals, theatre for young audience, dance and many
other forms as a director, playwright, movement coach, dramaturg and teacher.
How did you get involved
with this particular production?
In my position as artistic director of Theatre New Brunswick,
one of the most exciting and enriching parts of my work is that I can help give
playwright’s voices and scripts a stage. In the 2015-2016 season, we (at
TNB) commissioned a new work by Ryan Griffith, and at that time we made a
three-year commitment to producing his plays. At that time, I read everything
he had ever written and spoke with him at length about all of the projects he
hoped to write in the future. From that group of ideas (which was
huge), The Boat stood out as an incredible project to share
with our audiences in New Brunswick: the writing of Alistair MacLeod
through the lens of a Fredericton playwright. Ryan originally wrote this
adaptation as a project when he was a playwriting student at the National
Theatre School of Canada, and it was written for a very large number of
actors. Ryan and I worked together to find a way to tell the story with
four actors, making the production not only affordable and possible to tour,
but also making the dramaturgy and the writing inventive, theatrical, and fused
with a kind of economical or minimalist muscularity. We asked if Ryan would
give us the privilege of premiering the work, and he said yes. So, in a
way, I got involved because Ryan trusted us with his words.
What are the challenges
and rewards involved?
One of the greatest challenges was finding the right way to
tell the story. As a director, I am always inspired and haunted by the
words of one of my mentors, “Why is it theatre?” She told me a story can
be told a million ways (poem, song, film) and so if it is on stage, artists
need to ask themselves why the medium of theatre is the perfect fit.
Together with the designers, the actors, our production staff at the theatre
and our stage manager, I believe that we have collaboratively created a staging
that illuminates and reveals the story that Alistair MacLeod and Ryan Griffith
have written. It uses distance and the idea of being pulled or pushed to
leave or stay as a way of inspiring movement and spatial relationships on the
stage. This meant a huge leap of faith from everyone involved. The
reward was both a hugely fulfilling process and a beautiful production.
What can audiences expect
during the run?
It’s a memory play, so it exists in the past and present
simultaneously. here aren’t even really scene demarcations…the play flows
like a long form poem, or like a thought, from one moment to the
next…seamlessly. And so, I think audiences can expect to be in the past and
the present simultaneously: as they watch the production of the play, and
also as their mind remembers stories and experiences from their own past. What
they can also expect are four extraordinary performances from an ensemble of
actors who are offering themselves with passion and vulnerability.
What are your thoughts on
the state of theater in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada?
That’s a big question. I’ll speak to the New Brunswick
part of it as it is closest to my experience - and also potentially less
familiar to readers from Nova Scotia. As Theatre New Brunswick, we’re
trying to find increasing ways to realize the potential of our name:
Theatre New Brunswick. This has taken three forms. The
first is developing and producing more works by New Brunswick writers.
This season we produced Ghost Light by Saint John-born Shawn
Wright, The Boat, and The Damsel in Distress Who Saved
Herself by Fredericton’s Kira Smith. We also welcomed Ryan in a
residency, and Wolastoq First Nation artist Natalie Sappier, both of whom are
writing new works for us. The second is touring to more locations in New
Brunswick as the company did for the first thirty years of its
operations. This season we are touring to a maximum of five communities in
New Brunswick with our shows that premiere at The Open Space Theatre (and to
Halifax). Next season we will bring that number to seven
communities. We look to keep building in the years ahead. And
finally, we are offering a great deal of professional development workshops for
actors and theatre artists. In July, we will welcome Ellen Lauren of New
York City’s SITI Company to offer Suzuki Method of Actor Training and
Viewpoints. All of this is to support the vibrant arts ecology that exists in
the Province. Between Atlantic Ballet Theatre, Symphony New Brunswick,
Connection Dance Works, Next Folding Theatre Company, Saint John Theatre
Company, Solo Chicken Theatre, and our Francophone colleagues at Theatre populaire
d’Acadie, Theatre L’Escaouette, and Satelitte Theatre, there is a strong and
growing community provincially. Still, it can be difficult for artists to
remain in New Brunswick because of a lack of consistent work. Much like
the theme of The Boat it is a constant conversation here about
whether to stay or to leave.
What's next on your
creative agenda?
Theatre New Brunswick will announce our next season on May 4th,
so that is a big one! In April, we are working with Symphony New
Brunswick on a project that will play in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint
John. In the Fall, I’ll be returning to
The Stratford Festival as a guest instructor with their Birmingham Conservatory
for a sixth year in addition to my projects here at TNB, and a play I co-wrote
for young people titled Old Man
and the River will be produced again by Theatre
Direct as part of Persephone Theatre's 2017-2018 season.
The Boat
March 21 – April 9
Neptune Theatre, Halifax
