My Visit to the Tarragon Theatre

The Production of Forests – Tarragon Theatre

I had the pleasure to visit the Terragon for the first time last week in a while.   It was a special treat.  The production that I was fortunate to experience was called Forests by Wajdi Mouawad and translated by Linda Gaboriau. I was really impressed with the small venue and the acting ability. I have always associated larger companies with better quality of actors/actresses. I was obviously not correct in this viewpoint, and happy with my new theatre experience. The Tarragon theatre space is intimate and this adds to the appeal. The main space seats about 200 patrons and they have an extra space that seats 100. Another patron of the theatre mentioned “The performances I’ve attended have always been full or near full, probably because the tickets are one of the best deals in town and because they put on such interesting work.” I will definitely consider attending another performance at the Tarragon to explore it further.

“When you’ve got a big hole in your heart, nothing is enough.” Forests.

The actual Forests production was quite a trip. I felt like I was taken on a long and complicated journey. Sometimes it left me wondering where on earth I was going. At the end I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the over all journey and the psychology behind it. The story begins with a character named Aimée when she learns that she has an unusual brain tumour. She decides to risk her life to have her child for profound reasons. Then only to die when her daughter Loup- played by Vivien Endicott-Douglas- is a teenager. Enraged and grief-stricken, Loup reluctantly begins a quest to discover the origin of her mother’s mysterious illness. This quest is an interesting windy road. It was a little disturbing at times. In a story that spans six generations and two continents, the writer Wajdi Mouawad, demonstrates that the bonds of family are not merely biological and cannot be contained. It’s not a light story, so those who are not willing to take a deep inner voyage beware. If you like a story with deep meaning that you can explore, this might just be for you. It is a story that dives into the Art of Remembering – Or Not. And, as I mentioned before the acting talent will definitely guide you with their excellent skills through the story.

The Art of Remembering – Or Not

Forests dives into the idea of memory and how it can connect us to the past – or chain us to it.  Denis Villeneuve, Director, Incendies (Scorched) Nominee, Oscar for Best Foreign Film writes……..”A real adult is someone that has – how can I say – you are a real adult when you can get free from the anger that doesn’t belong to you.   In order to do that, you have to put your ego aside and confront your own identity and – it’s a process that I think everyone is going through in a way.  If you don’t, you have a reaction that belongs to childhood all your life.”  Forests theatre  production explores the idea of postmemory phenomenon.  This is where descendants of survivors of massive traumatic events connect deeply to previous generation’s memories.  These people feel experiences that they have transmitted to those were not actually there to live.  Reliving events that happened to ancestors from previous generations.  This is a controversial idea but the Forests story definitely  experiments with it.

Love of the Tarragon Theatre

This little theatre on the outskirts of the Annex is a hidden treasure worth exploring. I was surprised to find out that for forty years Tarragon has been creating, developing and producing new plays. I could see why the best Canadian talent are drawn to this company for employment in hopes to be part of the process of telling stories. The building itself is quite the ” ramshackle affair”. It has been described as a building “charming approaching dilapidated”.    It’s a little crowded but that comes with territory of good quality theatre.   It’s true though, if you play it, they will come. Some have also mentioned a little annoyance with the crowd control in the small lobby, and with line-ups for the two theatres, and the box office sharing space.  I guess things can get confusing. But all of that is nothing to the quality of the work presented.   Again, let me reiterate: the tickets are cheap, especially considering the quality of theatre you can experience locally.  “Culture is being built, brick by brick, here, with every passing season.” Michael Healey, playwright-in-residence.

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The Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Toronto’s Distillery District Arts Community

Last week in the Distillery we had  the return of winter even though we had the arrival of  the spring like weather conditions.   Officially as of March 20, 2011 spring had arrived. However, the weather conditions were not in agreement.  Unfortunately, it was a little quiet for business owners in the Distillery last  Thursday so I walked down Mill Street and took a turn towards the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The snow flurries were definitely blowing in my direction. I pushed on against the western directed wind flurries determined to find a story. My friend quickly ran up ahead to bolster himself from the unexpected cold wind on his ears.

I chuckled to myself while thinking he was not prepared for this venture.  He definitely should have worn a hat.  Fortunately, I could endure more of the flurries. I took my time walking the streets of the Distillery District appreciating our harsh Canadian winter weather and reveled in it’s unbelievable beauty.

Atrium Cafe/Bar at the Young Centre

Despite the cold weather  I experienced a warm friendly environment when I entered the Young Centre for the Performing Arts doors. It was  worth the efforts of bundling up and going outdoor to find. There were other adventurous people inside enjoying the warm fare of the new cafe situated in the building. I noticed the gorgeous and well lit Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Atrium has a full time cafe/bar that offers delicious food and beverages. I enjoy finding new spaces that hold lots of character and charm. I could feel the creative vibe as I entered the atrium. This is a location I will definitely store in my memory bank for future meeting places. I visualized meeting a friend or colleague here. The appeal of the space also invites a visit with a sketch book, camera, journal or laptop to enjoy a drink while sitting with character and charm.  A good place to get the creative juices flowing.

George Brown College and Soulpepper Theatre Make a Home

The Young Centre staff also gave me plenty of information on the programming and theatres.  I had only ventured into the atrium and did not have tickets to see any performances. I envisioned a lot more exciting artistic inspiration in this venue. The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is the home of George Brown College and Soulpepper Theatre Company. It is obvious that Toronto’s art community is alive in this historical heritage building.  Soulpepper has a year around classical repertory as well as George Brown College’s Theatre School and other leading artists and arts organizations across all performance disciplines. In the fall of 2008, the Young Centre launched an exciting programming involving four major streams of activity. Festivals, presentations, incubation and outreach are a part of this slate of programming. There are twelve Resident Artists who lead the programming in music, theatre, dance and spoken word with all the collaborative possibilities in between. The space offers flexible venues with it’s different stage configurations. They consist of the proscenium, thrust and arena staging. A performance artist dream.   I admire this major investment in the future of this Toronto community and hope others do as well.

paper SERIES presented by the Cahoots Theatre Company

I was impressed with the amount of performances taken place at the Young Centre. It seems like there is always an artistic  performance to  experience here. The theatre loving staff pointed out to me that The Cahoots Theatre Company in association with The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is currently presenting paper Series by David Yee March 18 until April 9, 2011. It is directed by Nina Lee Aquino. The paper Series is a collection of six short plays that explore how society uses paper to create, amuse, define, and communicate. It sounds very exciting and profound. It is comprised of stories involving: fortune cookies, an origami crane, counterfeiters, orphans with paper cut-out dolls, and a Dear John letter. All very intriguing subjects worth venturing out in the unexpected spring Canadian weather to witness and enjoy. I might have to find a way to buy tickets.