Would you sail a boat around the world? Would you do it by yourself? Even the hardiest adventurer would think twice but that didn’t stop amateur British sailor Donald Crowhurst from doing just that. After setting out on the high seas in 1969 Crowhurst disappeared leaving behind an empty boat and a series of journals hinting at his final fate.
As imagined by Ghost River Theatre’s David Van Belle and Eric Rose The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst reconstructs the sailor’s true tale of adventure and folly using a mix of live theatre and elaborate projected visuals.
When Rose and Van Belle last spoke to Fast Forward in September 2014 for the cover story of the annual Arts Guide they were working on the show’s first act in preparation for its debut as part of Alberta Theatre Projects’ series of new Canadian plays. “We were still in the process of creating the aesthetic parameters of the show” says Van Belle. The show opening February 27 was four years in development. “Not everyone has that kind of patience or resources” Rose adds.
For this play the visuals are created live onstage. Van Belle says they don’t hide the “means of production” bringing audiences in on the show’s creative process. “We strive to find that tension between the image and live theatre integrating them to create a third medium” he says.
“The technology we needed to do this didn’t exist a few years ago” says Rose. The software used for the show’s visuals Touch Designer was necessary in creating the projected images. “You have to write the coding for what you want to do. It’s not for the novice.”
Though some theatre pros criticize the use of projected imagery saying it mimics film and replaces traditional scenic backdrops Van Belle and Rose disagree saying it heightens the theatrical experience. “I think projection has become part of our theatrical language” says Van Belle. “We’re trying to speak the full language of the theatre. We’re not trying to be like TV — if it feels that way something’s wrong. Projection is a newer language and it takes a while to learn how to speak that language. As the tech grows the vocabulary does too.”
Working with ATP for the première of The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst has been a new and different experience for the Ghost River duo who are used to working on a smaller and more intimate scale. “It’s an ongoing dialogue of how we best play to each organization’s strengths” says Van Belle. He says the company has the resources necessary to pull off the show’s technical feats. “They’ve been really adventurous working with us adapting to the way we work.”
Rose says the show is the largest production Ghost River has done thus far and that he and Van Belle have plans to eventually take it on tour. “In no way do I feel like it’s finished and done” he says. “It shows some of the most innovative storytelling we’ve ever attempted.” The pair wrapped up a tour of another show The Highest Step in the World last October. “That show took three years to create and every time we take it on tour we sit down and go through it again. It still has life and we’ll have the same thing here too” says Rose.
Van Belle says he’s still busy working on The Last Voyage and has avoided reflecting on the number of years and amount of effort he’s already put into it. “So much time energy thought and resources — it adds to the stakes of the thing” he says.
“It’s risky and it should always be risky. If it’s not you’re not discovering anything and your audience isn’t either.”
THE LAST VOYAGE OF DONALD CROWHURST runs until March 14 at the Martha Cohen Theatre.
