If you enjoy going to theatre where you get to participate in the show, you will love The Oresteia, the latest theatre performance from the Fountain School of Performing Arts which opens this week.
That’s because the audience decides the outcome of the show.
Don’t worry: the performers are prepared for all possible outcomes, and participation is voluntary so the audience is also free to sit and watch it all unfold. But the third-year acting students working on the collaborative show with Halifax’s Zuppa Theatre are ready to put an interactive spin on Greek tragedy.
Zachary Comeau, Kayla Gunn, Stepheny Hunter, Laurie Fleet and Samantha Thompson.
The collaboration is based on Ted Hughes adaption of the original story written by Aeschylus, often considered to be the father of Greek Tragedy. Zuppa Theatre co-artistic director Alex McLean abridged the script and alongside Susan Leblanc and Ben Stone (also co-artistic directors at Zuppa) included in the script a courtroom scene written by third-year acting students Michael Kamras, Michelle Legere and Stepheny Hunterall, all three of whom also appear in the cast.
Kamras, who also acts as Apollo (left with Nathan Simmons), said it is “nerve wracking to see this idea of ours to come alive on stage in this traditional epic.” The scene written by the students takes the audience participation to a new level and is sure to thrill audience members, especially any who enjoy courtroom dramas.
As the story weaves through murder, revenge, affairs and family troubles, we meet Orestes, played by Nathan D. Simmons. The 20-year-old East Preston native is thrilled to be working with the folks from Zuppa Theatre Company, greatly due to how collaborative and bold this show has become.
“They [the Zuppa directors] told us to let our own lives and experiences influence how we choose to portray our characters,” he says. His performance invites the audience to experience the action with him and is key to provoking the audiences thought on a central theme: the cycle of violence.
Rachael Gay as Cilissa.
“Excited but nervous” was a common theme among performers but it seemed to have no impact on their dedicated performances. Standout Kya Mosey, who plays the Queen Clytemnestra, said she’s thrilled to show off their work to a broader audience. “We’re working with a great theatre company to put on a professional production. It’s an exciting step in our careers to get to this point after all this training.”
A 20-year-old Toronto native, Mosey (left) delivers a dynamic performance that may have audience members torn between loving and hating her character. In her captivating performance as the Queen, she takes the audience on a journey, starting with her as a strong, regal wife, passionately greeting her husband as he returns from war. The performance turns thought-provoking as Mosey’s character is thrown into the middle of the show’s big question: what is justice?
As the story comes to its climax, the audience is treated to the performance of Shediac native Michelle Legere. The 26 year old emanates a strong yet calm, motherly voice of reason in her fierce portrayal of Athena, god of justice.
Among a talented cast, other standouts include Kayla Gunn who plays Cassandra and other assorted roles. “What I liked was how collaborative the show was” says Gunn, “because we worked together on it we became closer as an ensemble.”
This collaborative, thought provoking and modern adaptation of a classic Greek tragedy is not to be missed. The Oresteia runs from February 9 through to the 13th, with evening performances daily and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets are available from the Dalhousie Arts Centre box office.