GVPTA: Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance

~ Jack Paterson

Inspired by the by the diverse artists, aesthetics and forms of theatre production I have discovered over four seasons traveling and working across the Canadian landscape from Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and back to Vancouver I recently went back to school.

With a personal focus on world and international theatre practices, this new journey has lead to London and the Directing MFA at Joanne Litlewood’s East 15.  There is a fantastic element that the city of London and the school share and it is that of diversity.  In class we are working with artists from Iran, Greece, Brazil, Hong Kong, South Korea and the list goes on.  In the theatre it is almost a constant PuSH Festival, with Shakespeare’s Globe hosting Shakespeare productions from Georgia and South Africa to The Barbican presenting an range of International artists.

In the spirit of “if you see a good show then tell people about it”, and in a world where theatre is returning to the horse and cart except this time it’s an airplane, I’m telling you about it…

MIES JULIE

Written and Directed by Yael Farber

Based on Miss Julie by August Strindberg

Music and Sound Design by Daniel and Matthew Pencer­­

Set and Lighting Design by Patrick Curtis

Featuring Hilda Cronje, Bongile Mantsai, Thoko Ntshinga, and Tandiwe Nofirst Lungisa

Assembly and Riverside Studios present the Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town in association with the South African State Theatre

Playing at Riverside Studios, London

Every now and then you see a show that reminds you of not only how powerful theatre can be but what it can be. For me, these include Marry Zimmerman’s Metamorphosis (Looking Glass Theatre, NYC), Amarillo by Teatro Linea de Sombra (Mexico @ PuSH Festival) and Yellow Moon (Theatre de la Manufacture, Montreal) and now Mies Julie.

This is a visceral updating of Strindberg’s Miss Julie, adapted to contemporary struggles of South Africa. The play starts with the question of ownership of land and through that addressing the deep emotional issues that affect the country such as class, gender, race and colonial history.  Set in a smoldering kitchen of a remote estate 18 years after the end of apartheid, a deadly attraction spirals out of control between John, a favorite black farm laborer, and Julie, his “master’s” daughter.

Over a single night, as the farm laborers celebrate Freedom Day outside, John and Julie are locked struggle for power, sexuality, and land inside.  Described in the synopsis as haunting, violent, intimate and heartbreaking, the play is all of these things -it is also sexy.  The two main characters are locked in a dance of desire and passion using all they can to hurt, wound and destroy each other.  Desperate to leave the land they were raised on together and start anew and desperate to individually hold on to what is theirs by right.  When they mate on the kitchen table, it is like wild animals.

What made the show so effective is the combination of emotional and political risk in both the acting and the writing.  The adaptation, using Strindberg’s play as a loose spine, could have been treated as kitchen sink naturalism, (indeed the director’s script could be approached this way) but instead it was a multi-disciplinary approach embracing the theatrical potential of ritual.  Framed by an ancestor stalking the stage, dance, symbolism, metaphor and imagery with all make strong impacts as both characters viewpoints are brought with equally compelling weight.

The contrast between live natural tribal instruments and throat singing and the technical created music (also done live from the stage on a laptop) heightened the experience.  The use of opposites was consistent through the piece; a naturalistic text with a heightened set (a table, a stool, a stove and tree breaking through the floor); the actors’ performances were raw, risky and unclean then contained with very specific movement and dance elements.  All these conflict’s reflecting the main conflict of the theme and the conflicts of South Africa.  The main strength was how well all the elements came together – used when necessary and not when not.

Although the show wasn’t absolutely perfects as it could have lost about 5 to 10 minutes as the passions became a bit repetitive towards the end, it was about as close as you can get and one hell of a ride.

Jack Paterson is a Vancouver director, actor, dramaturge and now translator.  He is currently doing an MFA in Theatre Direction at East 15 Acting School (London), translating Nous voir nous by Guillaume Corbeil and co-producing with France Perras BoucheWHACKED!’s Ta Gueule Staged Reading Series at Vancouver’s rEvolver Arts Festival May 18th and 19th.

www.JackPatersonTheatre.com