Blarney Productions challenged society at 2018 Edmonton Fringe

Scorch and Tragedy: A Tragedy are two of the many productions which went up at the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival in August of 2018. They were both produced by Blarney Productions, which is known for producing unconventional and daring dramas.

Tragedy: A Tragedy, which is a parody of the news, explores where people look for authority when authority is absent. The play is set in a news event where the characters are reporting what they do know and what they don’t know as a catastrophe unfolds. With this play, playwright Will Eno intended to show how language breaks down in popular rhetoric. Suzie Martin, the director of Tragedy: A Tragedy, says this is a story she had been wanting to tell for a while.

“With all the world events, it felt more and more relevant because of this growing anxiety we have culturally due to the unknowability of it all,” Martin says. ”Everyone feels alone, causing them to call out to others through electronic means.”

Scorch, on the other hand, is a play about a gender-curious teen who is trying to find their place in the world. The play is based on the true story of Justine McNally, a biologically female teen in the UK, who presented themselves as a boy online and started a relationship with a girl. McNally was eventually found out and charged with sexual assault and abuse. Stacey Gregg’s searing script presents a wide-reaching story of first love and first heartbreak for a lost and confused young person. At the same time, Charkow adds, it speaks in particular to an underrepresented community.

“We all look for our place in the world, and unfortunately the lives of these teenagers were ruined,” Charkow says. “That’s what this play sheds a light on.”

According to Charkow, one of the challenges she faced putting up a controversial production like Scorch was her identity as a cisgender woman. Although she is an ally, directing this play enabled her to learn engage more with the LGBTQ+ community.

“When I came across Scorch, I was really struck by the story. I love political theatre and wanted to find a female playwright,” Charkow says. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the getting the conversation going and connecting with your audience.”

Similarly, Martin also faced some challenges directing Tragedy: A Tragedy. According to Martin, part of making sure your production has accurate representation is casting the right people. In putting her whole production together, she wanted to create an environment where everyone felt comfortable. She also wanted to add more diversity to her production, changing one of her male characters to female.

At the end of the day, the goal for both directors was to challenge their audience and stimulate conversation. Although neither of play was meant to divide audiences, Charkow suggests she wanted to connect to a younger audience through her show and wanted her piece to be timely and relevant.

“The goal is to keep moving forward,” Charkow says.