1000 Islands Theatre: Asking for It – a multi perspective play invites audience to linger over the questions it raises….
Following the production of The Boy in the Moon, put on by the 1000 Islands Playhouse in August, Ellie Moon’s docudrama Asking For It is the second production at this theatre to broach a more difficult topic. This effort by TIP to branch out thematically in its choice of productions should be applauded, given its status as a magnet for tourists to the Gananoque and 1000 Islands region. Exposing theatre-goers to plays which deal with serious topics and issues helps restore the teaching function back to the art form – theatre, after all, is ideally meant to both delight and instruct. And the subject matter of Asking For It, directed by Carly Chamberlain for this production, is one which could not be more relevant: how sexual consent and assault are understood in today’s society. Conceived of in the wake of the scandal involving former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, Moon’s piece largely takes the form of interviews conducted with both friends and strangers about consent and their own perspectives on the matter. …