Christina VarvisA Dream Play
Timms Centre, University of Alberta
Directed by: David Kennedy
Written by: August Strindberg
Starring: BFA Class of 2015
Wednesday, March 25 – Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m.
$11 for students
The final show from the University of Alberta’s graduating BFA class is shining a light on the complexities of human life, from personal connections to spirituality.
A Dream Play follows Agnes, the daughter of a god, as she explores the earth in an attempt to understand humanity. She tries to experience the many facets of real human life to find out why humanity is so discontent.
“She’s like a voyeur with the best intentions, sort of like a tourist on earth,” explains Natalie Davidson, one of five actresses playing Agnes in the play. “She comes down and wants to try to make everything better but she doesn’t have the full understanding of what the struggle is to be human, to be alive.”
The choice to have five actresses play the main character lends some unexpected creative licence to the production. Each represents just a sliver of the whole of Agnes’ character, says Davison.
“We (the actresses who play Agnes) are trying to preserve the different individual voices which are the different facets of Agnes,” Davison explains. “Being the daughter of a god, she is everything at once.”
University of Alberta Drama professor, David Kennedy, directs this piece and brings more than 20 years of directorial experience to the Timms stage. The play itself is more than 100 years old, originally penned by the famous playwright August Strindberg. Though the play is old, Kennedy says it is still relevant today since it explores timeless concepts, from the complexities of human relationships to the meaning of life and spirituality.
“I think it’s still relevant because the things that these characters are dealing with and the things Strindberg’s investigating are in a way, not topical at all,” says Kennedy. “From generation to generation … we all pursue some measure of joy but we also, to one degree or another, experiment (with) some sadness.”
An additional surprise to the audience of this play will no doubt come from the unusual use of space at the Timms Centre. Instead of having the audience in the usual seating, they will be sitting in the backstage. This immersive set up allows the audience and actors to be on level plane with one another.
The dreamy quality of this piece of theatre is a staple. It mixes moments of realism with surreal settings and situations to make Agnes’ experiences both otherworldly and relatable at once.
“We’re sharing this dream with you and you can come on the journey with us,” says Davidson. “You, the audience member, are representative of the dreamer.”
A Dream Play sounds like a complex piece of theatre, but the play simply aims to provide a truthful gaze at humanity that does not ignore its struggles.
“It’s not saying existence isn’t extraordinary, beautiful and profound,” Kennedy says. “It’s acknowledging the fact that despite it being all those things. Life can be an incredibly powerful and painful experience for people.”
