Theatre of the Beat has been up to something different lately! Since getting back from the Montreal Fringe, Gadfly has been barely on our minds, as we’ve been working on another historical drama in collaboration with a KW playwright named Kathleen Cleland Moyer and Backyard Theatre Productions. The play, Nowhere, Ontario takes place in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener) during WWI and tells the story of a young man named Jay (played by TOTB’s own Johnny Wideman) who struggles with pressure to join the military. It also follows many other characters as they deal with the effects of the war, including the anti-German sentiment that causes city officials to change the name from Berlin to Kitchener. One really unique aspect of this show is that it will be performed in Kathleen’s backyard shed-turned-100 seat-theatre… which is of interesting significance as the story’s characters may have inhabited these very same backyards around Kitchener’s Victoria Park back in 1915.
Becca, Ben and myself (Kimberlee) play Vaudeville clowns that satirize the political climate of the day with over-the-top goofy accents, dancing and facial expressions. (If you’re interested, I believe there are some more pictures on our TOTB facebook account that give a bit of an indication of silliness of these antics! ) Needless to say, were having a lot of fun playing characters that are quite different from what we’re used to!
Working on Nowhere, Ontario has been “community theatre” at its best! It’s not just theatre created by a community, but a beautiful community vibe that has been created by theatre! We often share giant meals together as cast and crew, it seems like half the neighbourhood regularly spends the evening together in Kathleen’s backyard and home! It has been wonderful to get to know everyone involved – from neighbourhood kids acting for the first time to the volunteers who have been working like crazy on the set and costumes to our rockin’ band to our talented fellow cast members, it has truly been a blessing to share in this intergenerational, community-building, conversation-starting, peace-inspiring theatre experience!
The show has brought us all together in a beautiful way. And now, starting on this Wednesday, July 25th, Nowhere, Ontario is about to bring a lot more people together, as our 4 day run (July 25th-28th) is completely sold out! We’ll let you know how it goes, and be sure to post some more pictures!
– Kim
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