The power to provoke

Taking theatre to the community and getting people talking – those are the objectives of a thought-provoking play coming this week to the university and a downtown location.

Death and the Maiden is co-sponsored by International Development Studies and Broken Leg Act Theatre. The play’s director Aubrey Fricker is an alumnus, neighbour of the university and a member of the Dalhousie University Community Committee.

Dr. Fricker wants to bring the play to audiences because it addresses “meaty” issues that are a natural for a university audience, accustomed to discussing political events and their repercussions.

If you go... Death and the Maiden begins its run on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at the Blue Moon Club, 2099B Gottingen Street. It moves to Dalhousie's Great Hall, University Club, on Thursday, Jan. 17. The play starts at 7 p.m. and the analysis and discussion — led by Lindsay DuBois of Sociology and Social Anthropology, and Maria Jose Gimenez of the Spanish Department —follows at 9:15 p.m. The play moves back to the Blue Moon Club for Friday, Jan. 18 and Saturday, Jan. 19. Tickets are $14 general admission and $7 for students. For more information, call 429-5977.

Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden focuses on its central character, Paulina. A social activist, she is tortured during the overthrow of democracy in Chile, when the military dictatorship of Augusta Pinochet takes power in the 1970s. On the restoration of democracy, Paulina’s husband is given a lift home by a man Paulina recognizes as her torturer. What does Paulina do?

That question is the moral crux of the play and Dr. Fricker sees it as an opportunity to build in an equally thorny question for those who attend the performances. What are our responsibilities as Canadians for political decisions that are made far way? Recent examples are Romeo Dallaire’s failed attempt to get the United Nations to help stop the genocide in Rwanda and the experience of Syrian-born Canadian Maher Arar, who was detained by U.S. officials, interrogated about links to al-Qaeda and sent to Syria where he was tortured and beaten.

Dr. Fricker has enlisted the help of Dalhousie professors to give an analysis of the play and to lead a discussion by the audience about these issues. There also will be displays on charts and videos on current events, related to Canadian experience and involvement.

Dr. Fricker says the format is designed to push back boundaries so people can see issues in a new light. He hopes everyone will leave the event “with their outlook changed permanently
in some way.”