PREVIEW
Origin of the Species
Northern Light Theatre
Oct. 12 to Oct. 27
ATB Financial Arts Barns
10330 – 84 Ave.
Tickets: start at $20. Call 780-471-1586 or online at www.northernlighttheatre.com.
It wasn’t long ago that Anne Marie Szucs was Walterdale Theatre’s artistic director. Today the well-respected theatre director is immersed in Northern Light Theatre’s (NLT) season opener, Origin of the Species, as right-arm to artistic director Trevor Schmidt.
Admired by colleagues, Schmidt has worked at NLT for the past 23 years, the last 16 as artistic director. Throughout his tenure, his mandate has been to produce and develop controversial scripts.
“As a director he’s a rarity in that he is open to collaboration, but he has such a strong artistic vision, not only for the season, but for the company. He’s pretty inspiring,” said Szucs.
Origin of the Species challenges Charles Darwin’s evolutionary findings and re-imagines them from a female point of view. The feminist two-hander runs Oct. 11 to 27 at the ATB Financial Arts Barns.
“It’s a play on Darwin’s tome of evolution. The playwright is a British feminist and for her this is one way to explore the ideas of evolution that in this play go a different route from the accepted version,” Szucs said.
Playwright Byrony Lavery questions evolutionary assumptions through the play’s two characters. Molly is a proper British archeologist who discovers the body of a four-million-year-old woman in Africa’s Olduvai Gorge.
Tea drinking Molly smuggles her back to England and names her Victoria, after her grandmother. As they work towards understanding each other, Molly tries to teach the illiterate Victoria what it means to be a woman in the modern world. However, Victoria has a thing or two to pass on as well.
“The script is part comedy and part commentary on the voice of women. There’s a bit of twist in what we believe. It’s definitely magic realism.”
Lavery cleverly wrote the script with multiple layers.
“It starts out as a comedy and then you get a punch in the gut, and it’s where the vulnerability, sorrow and resonance comes through.”
Szucs describes the more mature Holly Turner playing Molly, as a true professional.
“She comes to rehearsal prepared with questions and ideas. She talks about evolution and her character is constantly evolving. She has a sense of humour and is unafraid to take a risk.”
Kristen Johnson as Victoria, is in her first NLT show and taking the plunge wearing a special mouthpiece for her teeth, a scraggly wig and distinctive makeup.
“She’s hilarious in her role. It takes a physical humour to go from an ancient to a modern woman and Kristin has the chops. I hope this is her break-out role.”
Schmidt, who is Origin’s show designer as well as artistic director, tends to draw raves for his two-pronged vision.
“When Trevor starts a project, he sees it first and starts collecting different pieces for the set. It’s very clear to him what this world is. Then the characters come in and populate it and it comes alive.”
Szucs encourages everyone to come for the comedy.
“You will laugh, but also come to explore new ideas. Northern Light Theatre’s mission is to create provocative theatre. Come to laugh, but also come to think.”
