Artist Jeri Coppola and director Ash K. Tata were having fun as they made hats for the Caryl Churchill play Far Away that will be read at ICCA on Friday evening. They are assisting Akalaitis with the play.
-by Beverley Phillips
On Friday evening, July 24th, a play written by perhaps the world’s greatest living playwright
takes to the stage for a reading at the Inverness County Centre for the Arts in Inverness.
Far Away by Caryl Churchill is the story of a dystopian society in which violence is rampant. “It is so relevant,” said JoAnne Akalaitis, the play’s director. “It’s a short play, less than an hour. The language is terse, very simple, kind of mysterious. And it starts with a girl who is 12 years old with her aunt. And we find out, aggressively through the play, that the world that she lives in has turned into a vile, very violent world, in which nature itself has turned on the occupants of it – which, is not that far away from what’s happening now.”
Churchill is an award-winning, prolific playwright and has long tackled such challenging relevant topics, writing about colonialism, foreign policy, feminism, capitalism, and getting older. “Her mind and talent are everywhere,” said Akalaitis. “She has been on the front lines since the 70s. I admire her as a cultural and political force, and the level of poetry, so deep and moving. It only increases my awe.”
“For those not familiar with her work,” added Akalaitis, “she is perhaps the greatest living playwright. She has a tremendous theatrical imagination, and profound skills with language and characters. And she’s funny; she’s quirky, deep feeling, and profoundly intelligent.”
Akalaitis has been thinking about putting this show on for a while, and is looking forward to presenting it at ICCA. “The audiences here lean in and really listen,” she said. “They really pay attention and appreciate the effort the actors are putting into it.”
The play will not be presented as one typically sees a play, but rather read by actors sitting on a stage with scripts. The actors are local residents and include Tessie Doyle, Cindy O’Neill, Peter MacIsaac, and Beth Ryan. And though it is a reading, and not a full-out theatrical performance, the actors will be doing more than just reading lines. They are working hard in rehearsal to capture who their characters are, the language, and the meaning of the play.
Akalaitis is joined by Ash K. Tata as co-director, and Jeri Coppola as the show’s designer.
The performance is one-night-only at 8 p.m on Friday, July 24th, at the Inverness County Centre for the Arts at 16080 Highway 19, Inverness. Admission is by donation (recommended $10). The doors open at 7:30 p.m., and there will be a small reception afterwards.