Kate Nundal anxiously awaits the Trinity Western University鈥檚 latest theatrical presentation to open next Tuesday.
The third-year theatre major longs to meet the woman, whose story she is bringing to life on the stage in a 鈥渄evised theatre鈥� piece called disPLACE: Refugee Stories in Their Own Words.
Nundal is one of five TWU students and one theatre director who have taken real personal interviews with Canadian refugees and 鈥� working collaboratively 鈥� woven them into a powerful and poignant original theatre production debuting Nov. 22.
鈥淚 have not personally met the young woman whose story I am telling, though I feel as though I know her, having listened to her tell her story in an interview many times. But, I am excited to meet her when the show opens,鈥� said Nundal, who has 鈥� at times during the process 鈥� personally connected with her character鈥檚 story.
The show presents the true stories of people who courageously shared their experiences, said director Angela Konrad.
disPLACE shares stories from Mennonite immigrants who fled Europe after the Second World War to recently arrived Syrian refugees.
One family, fleeing guerrilla forces in Colombia, concealed themselves among the furniture in a moving truck.
A refugee from Iraq arrived in Delta as a teenager, braving the social dynamics of high school with very little English and her head shaven from surgery.
鈥淚 consider myself very fortunate to have the privilege of hearing these stories,鈥� and being challenged to convey one of them on stage.
鈥淗er [character鈥檚] story has spoken in many ways to me at this time,鈥� 19-year-old Nundal said.
鈥淎t the beginning of the semester, I nearly lost my father, and her story of grief, of being young and dealing with a family experiencing suffering echoed very powerfully with me and in many ways is helping me personally to deal with the struggles I鈥檝e been facing over the semester,鈥� she explained.
These and other personal experiences, captured word-for-word in the dialogue, take on even more poignancy with the original music woven through the production.
鈥淚 was stunned by the stories we heard,鈥� said Nundal, who also plays violin and viola in the show.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen stuff like this on TV, but knowing that someone right here in my community actually witnessed a moment like that 鈥� hearing it from her own lips 鈥� that鈥檚 something else altogether. Creating disPLACE has changed me more than any other theatre experience I鈥檝e had.鈥�
disPLACE, which is not a faith-based production, features five actors who transform themselves into multiple characters over the course of the show: Nundal, Uliana Akulenko, Emmett Hanly, Jane Oliphant, and Keenan Marchand.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Marchand (in photo above, right) is a fourth year TWU student pursuing his bachelor in fine arts in acting.
The 21-year-old student from 91原创 has previously directed theatre and written before.
But he describes this process, where they listened to interviews with refugees then worked collaboratively create this play, as life altering.
鈥淚t has been humbling, fun, as well as terrifying,鈥� said Marchand.
鈥淭his process has been quite a journey, and not always an easy one. As a cast we have bonded over laughter, tears, and heartbreak,鈥� he added.
鈥淎ll the stories we heard made a great impact on all of us, and I think we were all just blown away by the bravery and humanity these people showed so brilliantly.鈥�
The production runs Nov. 22 to Dec. 3, Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Each performance is followed by a talkback, moderated by a specialist in refugee issues.
Tickets can be booked online at www.twu.ca/theatre or by calling 604-513-2188.
鈥淭his is a powerful, unique production I would encourage everyone to see,鈥� Nundal said.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
New company emerging
Konrad, chair of theatre at TWU鈥檚 School of the Arts, Media + Culture, conceived disPLACE to be presented in the SAMC season as a launch piece for her newly formed company, Dark Glass Theatre.
The school鈥檚 leadership readily agreed to partner on the production.
Humanitas Anabaptist-Mennonite Centre, which has ties to TWU, is the umbrella organization for Dark Glass Theatre and will continue to support the company鈥檚 future productions, Konrad explained.
The mandate of Dark Glass Theatre is to tell stories that enable us to see, face-to-face, people we might not otherwise meet, Konrad said.
鈥淐ompelling, personal stories can have a profound impact 鈥� decreasing judgement, increasing compassion, and fostering empathy. I believe it鈥檚 essential for TWU students to work on projects like this,鈥� she added.
Konrad and the rest of the creative team will host an informal, educational event for high school students on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The night includes dinner, admission, and a post-show talkback for $10. To register, email visit@twu.ca.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Elaborating on the process
The process is quite unusual, Konrad said.
鈥淵es. It鈥檚 collaborative 鈥� all of the actors and director create it over the course of the rehearsal process, rather than writing a script first. So technically, there are six authors (five actors, one director) but it鈥檚 conventionally called 鈥榙evised theatre鈥� as the piece is devised rather than written,鈥� she explained.
Each actor transforms into multiple characters, weaving together an 鈥渦nforgettable journey鈥� using verbatim testimony and original music, Konrad said.
鈥淲hile I have written and co-written a small number of plays before, I have never worked on something quite like this,鈥� Nundal said of the undertaking.
Admittedly, she said, she auditioned at the end of the last semester without 鈥渁ny real idea of what the show was or what it was planned to be,鈥� she shared.
鈥淭he collaborative effort that has been integral to the devising of this show has been, in way, almost magical in its cohesion. I expected that it would be difficult and slow at times, and certainly no creative process is without its ups and downs, but at no time was that due to any conflict between various members of the creative team,鈥� she said.
The fact that they are all working towards the same vision of the show has been so rewarding, as have the 鈥渄eep friendships鈥� formed in what she described as an open and empowering atmosphere.
鈥淭his process has been so personally formative and so incredible,鈥� she said, echoing the sentiment of Marchand.
鈥淭his has been my first real experience of collaboration in regards to creating a script. It has been a strange process, but it helped me grow as a writer and simply in awareness of the world,鈥� he said, explaining that he wrote and directed a play in high school and another for a 24-hour theatre event at TWU.
鈥淐ollaboration also helps educate you about not holding too tightly to the things you write,鈥� Marchand added.
鈥淚 would love to do this again, but perhaps that is just my bias because I was able to work with such a like-minded, fun, supportive and passionate cast and crew,鈥� he said, describing it as a theatre family.
鈥淚 have gained so much from this effort,鈥� Nundal added. 鈥淚 learned to work so completely with others that every rehearsal feels like a gift given and many received. I鈥檝e learned to sing, play, write, act, and share in a special kind of harmony with this group of people, and I鈥檝e formed several deep, meaningful friendships as a result.鈥�
