Festival features readings readings dinners readings and talks
The two-time Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Judith Thompson is coming to Calgary. That’s the headline of the sixth annual PlayWorks Ink a three-day extravaganza of workshops play readings social events and panel discussions for playwrights theatre artists and the interested public.
One of the most well-known names in Canadian theatre Thompson is travelling west to deliver the keynote address titled Burning the Rules. It’s a nice fit with this year’s overall theme: “rules of engagement.” It’s about “engaging the audience looking at what’s going on in theatre that’s really exciting digging into what really grips people” says Lora Brovold programmer at Theatre Alberta one of the organizations behind PlayWorks (the other is the Alberta Playwrights’ Network).
While the workshops are primarily for performance professionals the panel discussions Thompson’s keynote address and the new play readings are open to everyone. “There’s been a real brouhaha in this last election about the importance of the arts. For audience members to be involved in that dialogue is really important” adds Brovold.
The interactive panel discussion takes place on the final day of PlayWorks and poses the question: How can theatre-makers draw an audience and engage them with what’s happening in the world? Thompson will participate on the panel alongside One Yellow Rabbit artistic director Blake Brooker and playwright Hannah Moscovitch. Downstage artistic producer Simon Mallett will moderate.
Thompson will deliver her keynote address Saturday evening. She will also read from her latest play Palace of the End at the opening reception and gala Friday evening. “We have a great theatre culture of developing new works” says Thompson. “We didn’t have any new work until late in the 20th century. The whole idea of nationhood of discovering our identity through art led to a lot of new edgy theatre in the ’70s” she says. “I think it’s the best in the world. It’s right up there in the top three.”
PlayWorks Ink provides a forum for new writers to present their work at its play readings. This year’s event will include the 2008 Alberta Playwriting Competition winner — R. Jonathan Chapman’s The Wall . It tells the story of the last man killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall Chris Gueffroy. “He isn’t a hero trying to fight against communism. He’s just kind of ordinary. It’s like there’s something good going on but it’s just behind this fence and you can’t go there. That’s easy to relate to” says Chapman.
Guard Ingo Heinrich shot Gueffroy while he was trying to cross over into West Germany the evening of February 5 1989. The victim’s mother Karen is the central character of the play. “The mother represents the East German people. She starts out wanting justice but as the play progresses more than justice she just wants to find out the truth about what happened” says Chapman. The mother ends up talking to the guard who killed her son and they go back to the Wall to re-live the events the night he was shot.
“Anytime you do a historical play you’re not writing because you’re a historian. You want to talk about something that’s universal or because it’s happening in a different setting right now” explains Chapman.
The 2008 Alberta Playwriting Competition’s Discovery Prize winner will also have a showcase reading at PlayWorks — Michele Vance Hehir’s My Name Is . The play began life as a monologue for CBC’s Alberta Anthology project. Hehir developed it into a full-length play. My Name Is tells the story of a young teen Joey who drowns himself in the Burrard Inlet and the lasting impact this tragedy has on his family.
Gordon Pengilly’s play Harm’s Way also involves teens and tragedy. It looks into the causes and reasons behind the death of two teens and how their families and certain members of the community are implicated. “The play itself is a story of anticipation and accountability working towards a very sad ending” says Pengilly.
Pengilly is well-placed to write plays involving youth. He worked with troubled teens at an alternative high school and recently worked with students at Lord Beaverbrook High School to write a play on teen suicide.
His advice to people starting out on the playwright’s path? “If you don’t love it don’t do it. But if you do love theatre do come to PlayWorks Ink and learn the rules of engagement.”
