Start Swimming: a good look at Resistance and authoritarianism
Beginning with a gaggle of teenagers blown onstage by a powerful wind, Third Wall Academy’s (TWA) Fringe production of James Fritz’s Start Swimming (directed by James Richardson) . Kristina W att is the Artistic Director of TWA, and was the Creative Assistant who worked on the play. 100 Watt Productions is the co-partner of TWA, along with Third Wall and this show instantly commands the viewer’s attention. The teenagers, all wearing blue jumpsuits, are evidently confused as to why they’re here. The first thing they are able to ask is what they’re doing there-this question, as it is soon shown, is determined by an unseen force which judges their answers as right or wrong through a dinger and buzzer. The focus of this game is the small plot of grass in the middle of the stage, which becomes the site of questioning and resistance for the bewildered young people gathered there. This game, as it turns out, is also one which touches on political and class struggles, as the questions turns towards such subjects as the police, poor living conditions, and the endless search for employment. In spite of the pain inflicted on the teenagers for saying the wrong answers, they never give up in their quest to defy the unknown authority.
This production of Start Swimming successfully adds to the intrigue of the script through the superb acting and facial expressions by the young cast (all members of the 2017-18 TWA ensemble) and atmospheric lighting and sound. The illumination of waves on the stage’s back curtain, in particular, is a clever nod to the title. Throughout its 45 minutes, the production is able to keep the viewer thoroughly engaged and invested in the fates of the characters onstage. The very fact that the authority is never revealed and that the reason for the teenagers being there is never revealed makes the social allegory all the more compelling. Start Swimming is truly a thought-provoking and powerful performance!
Start Swimming continues at the Arts Court Library in Arts Court at the Ottawa Fringe Festival until June 24. For tickets and show times, see http://ottawafringe.com/shows/start-swimming/