Hobson's Choice: Grief, laughter and mysticism in independent theatres this September

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With offerings from Rosebud, Downstage, Sun-Ergos, Verb and Handsome Alice, September’s independent theatre scene is particularly rich and varied.

Until Oct. 26, Rosebud Theatre is presenting Michel Tremblay’s autobiographical comedy For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again. Written in 1998, it is an ode to Tremblay’s eccentric mother who nurtured his love of the arts, all the while plying him with her stories and dreams that would find their way into his works. Ten years earlier, Tremblay’s Les Belles-Soeurs premiered at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre, heralding the arrival of one of the most treasured and esteemed French Canadian playwrights.

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Tremblay said Pleasure has been embraced and loved all over the world because the woman at the centre of the story is instantly recognizable, no matter what language she is speaking. This two-character play traces the relationship of Nana and her son, from when he was barely a teenager, to a man in his 20s who began writing plays based on her wildly inventive ramblings and behaviour.

Nana and the narrator are played by Karen Johnson-Diamond and her son by Griffin Cork – both are award-winning Calgary actors, and neither would deny that, in this case, art imitates life.

The Pleasure of Seeing Her Again runs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. with added performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Dinner theatre and play-only packages are available.

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER RETURNS

An award-winning playwright and performer, Makambe K. Simamba is returning to Calgary with her powerful solo show Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers which garnered Dora Awards for both performance and writing when it premiered in Toronto in 2019. It tells the story of a slain teenager named Slimm who must navigate the afterlife as a murdered Black man, which is such a frequent occurrence, that there is a special celestial guidebook, according to Makambe’s monologue.

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Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers is being presented in Calgary by Handsome Alice and Verb Theatre in One Yellow Rabbit’s Big Secret Theatre until Sept. 28.

This is a homecoming for Simamba, who premiered her earlier plays, A Chitenge Story, in 2018 for Handsome Alice, and Makambe Speaks at Ghost River in 2023. She also performed in GIANT for Ghost River, Winners and Losers for Chromatic Theatre, Bea for Sage and inVISIBLE for Handsome Alice.

CHANNELLING GRIEF INTO ART

In January, Calgary dancer and choreographer Dana Luebke lost his longtime artistic and life partner Bob Greenwood. Back in 1977, they created Sun-Ergos, a company of theatre and dance that has toured internationally for the past 40 years. Because he has always expressed himself through dance and movement, Luebke has explored his grief through a series of pieces he calls Dancing in the Ashes, which he created with his choreographer sister Erin Thompson.

Luebke says the series of solo dances “looks at the gifts that grieving the loss of someone you love can bring. I believe when we express our sorrow and loss, and bear witness to the sorrow of others, we allow our hearts to begin to heal.”

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This is the first time the siblings have collaborated in almost 45 years. One of the pieces showcases Walking Backwards by Calgary composer Colleen Athparia.

Dancing in the Ashes premieres in cSPACE King Edward on Sept. 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on Sept. 15 at 2:30 p.m.

A SHOWCASE FOR AZTEC CULTURE

From Sept. 19-29, Downstage Theatre is presenting the world premiere of The Strategy of War, created and performed by Mera Reyes and directed by Javier Vilalta, in the Arts Commons’ Motel Theatre.

In 1999, over three months in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with martial artists, Mexican oral tradition leaders, and archeo-astronomers, Reyes resurrected Aztec myths, translated them, and primed them for theatrical presentation. She continued to work on these myths for a decade until she felt they were ready and took them to director Vilalta who helped her stage them.

Reyes says Vilalta has given the myths a magical theatrical treatment and has used original music by Arturo Alejandro Balanza.

She explains that The Strategy of War will introduce audiences to the Aztec culture, which she says is similar to that of ancient Rome because both organized their social structure, religion and economy around war, where to die in battle was life’s greatest honour.

Because the Motel Theatre is an intimate venue, seating for this production is limited, and reserving seats is highly recommended.

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