NAC English Theatre Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Capital Critics' Circle / Le cercle des critiques de la capitale

Seeds: A taught docudrama deals effectively with a most complex topic

By Laurie Fyffe | March 10, 2014

Liisa Repo-Martell and Eric Peterson, in Seeds.
Photo: Guntar Kravis

In the world of documentary theatre Seeds may reign supreme as one of the most complex topics ever incubated for the stage. The story is one well suited for the headlines-as-dialogue, taunt teaching moments, and characters-as-points of view form of theatrical presentation docudrama uses to construct its world. The little guy – and they don’t get much smaller than the individual farmer – is suddenly and it would appear unjustly targeted by a multi-national corporation because their genetically modified seeds have capriciously settled on his land producing a crop resistant to the weed blasting properties of Round Up herbicide. That’s the simple plot.

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La Perte de l’innocence (Innocence lost): L’histoire de Steven Truscott

By Alvina Ruprecht | March 1, 2013

Photo: Barb Gray. Trevor Barrette (Steven Turcott), Pippa Leslie (Lynn Harper) . (The critic attended the preview)

C’est l’histoire tragique de Steven Truscott, en 1959, à Clinton , une petite ville du sud -ouest de l’Ontario. Le jeune homme de quatorze ans avait été condamné à la peine capitale pour le meurtre brutal d’ une amie de douze ans, Lynne Harper et cette parodie de justice avait laissé une blessure profonde sur toute la région. La Cour d’appel de l’Ontario a fini par acquitter Truscott en 2007. Aujourd’hui, âgé de 66 ans, obligée de vivre une partie de sa vie sous un nom d’emprunt, il n’e cesse de clamer son innocence.

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Agokwe : the staging makes the show!

By Alvina Ruprecht | January 7, 2011

Agokwe is written and performed by Waawaaté Fobister who very clearly benefitted from the superlative Buddies in Bad Times production values because the staging is what really makes this show.

Visually it is very strong. Behind this performance lies an excellent team composed of Andy Moro’s striking graphics and projected designs, Erika Iserhoff’s beautiful costumes – especially the raven who stole the show- Lyon Smith’s otherworld sound design and Kimberly Purtell’s magic lighting. Last but certainly not least is the contribution of director and dramaturg Ed Roy who worked on the text and orchestrated the gestures, the movements and the way that Fobister’s story telling unfolds on stage.

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