Theatre Review: Walterdale’s “The Triangle Factory Fire Project”
Searing drama about 1909 fire in New York factory echoes in present day
walterdaletheatre.comWhat: The Triangle Factory Fire Project
When: Oct 10-20, 2018
Where: Walterdale Playhouse
Who: Walterdale Theatre Associates
Tickets: Adult $20, Senior $18, available at the door
While I definitely understand where a lot of companies are coming from, the phrase “ethical consumption” seems like nothing more than a millennial buzzword in most mainstream media contexts.
In director Barbara Mah’s and Walterdale Theatre Associates’s production of Chris Piehler and Scott Alan Evans’ The Triangle Factory Fire Project, we see what that means in a very real context.
Although it opens in New York City in 1909, the play tackles issues of consumerism, greed, and socioeconomic inequality that still permeate North American society in 2018. A running theme is the valuation of profit over human life, which is reinforced continually through the contrast between the company higher-ups and the working poor.
The Triangle Factory Fire Project follows the build-up to and aftermath of a devastating fire that killed 146 workers in Manhattan’s Triangle Waist Factory on March 25, 1911. (And no, the irony that I watched a play about a fire inside of a former fire hall is not lost on me.)
The first act chronicles strikes and protests for fair wages and improved working conditions which the factory’s workforce — largely consisting of young immigrant women — led, highlighting the factory’s shoddy fire escapes, locked doors, and lack of windows, which eventually precipitate the fire itself.
Act Two opens with a trial following the disastrous fire which closed Act One. The Triangle Factory’s owners — who Kent Sutherland and Eric Rice portray in all their snide and greedy glory — must justify the working environment. I honestly wanted nothing more but to punch Max Blanck (Sutherland) in the face by the end, which I think is a real testament to his incredible range of snotty facial expressions.
Other standout performances include Stephanie Swensrude, playing a young worker who exudes sass and brings a touch of laughter to an otherwise rather bleak production, and Matt Beairsto, playing a defense attorney who would not be out of place in the world of The Wolf of Wall Street.
The production beautifully utilizes simple stage design in the Walterdale’s relatively small space. The actors are constantly in motion, depicting the desperate frenzy of the trapped and dying workers. Screams, falling bodies, and flashing lights add further layers of confusion and terror for the audience. Though chaotic, these transition scenes are well choreographed and effective in heightening the immediacy of the production. It’s almost mesmerizing.
The Triangle Factory Fire Project follows a clear path as it investigates the morality of mass production and the responsibility of those in charge when the unthinkable happens.
In the Walterdale team’s capable hands, the play forces its audience to think about the failings of the past to move forward, framing “ethical consumption” as something more concrete than a marketing strategy.
