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Name of Reviewer:  Ryan M. Sero

Reviewer’s Credentials: B.A., Theatre Arts and English, Redeemer University College;

Artistic Director - Make Art Theatre; Playwright (member of Theatre Aquarius' Playwrights' Unit); Actor

Name of Reviewed Applicant: Prof. Raymond Louter

Title of Production Reviewed:  Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Viewed in: Fall Semester 2016

Location: Redeemer University College, Black Box Theatre

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Statement of any conflict of interest: I created a power point file which was used for background projection for Haroun and the Sea of Stories.  My comments, therefore, should be considered in that light.  That said, I do not believe that personal bias has affected my assessment, as you shall see, particularly pertaining to the slides themselves.

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Reviewers are asked to submit a written assessment that addresses the following questions:

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1 Is the intended outcome of the production clearly stated in the applicant’s proposal? Are the Production Participants and relevant conditions adequately described?
   Does the peer review proposal state how this production is valuable to its context on campus, locally, regionally, nationally, internationally, academically, and/or         artistically? Does the pedagogical/artistic/research activity involved add to existing knowledge at the local, regional, national, or international levels?

 

2. In your view, does the production satisfy the values stated in 1? In other words, does this production meet, exceed, or fall short of these stated outcomes?

 

3. If this is a research-oriented production, does the work add to what is already in the published literature? If so, what does it add? Please cite relevant references to       support your comments on originality. Is the research question adequately described and addressed? Are the methods/processes adequately described? Does the         proposed research raise questions about the work?

 

4. What is the importance of this work to the students involved? And what is the importance of the work to the following (comment on any that may be applicable):          educators, practitioners, researchers, policymakers)?

 

5. Aesthetics (if applicable):

• What aspects of the viewing/assessment experience caught your attention? (consider experiences both inside and outside of the performance space)

• What about the play mattered? What was important?

• How did the performers, playwright, designers, director engage you as an audience member? How did they fail to engage you?

 

6. Additional Comments:

 

Written Assessment:

 

I saw Haroun and the Sea of Stories with a friend, Sean Emberley, who is a fellow theatre artist local to Hamilton.  Where pertinent, I will refer to comments he made to me after having seen the show.

 

I felt that the show was an excellent production with a solid cast, ably telling a story in an effective and appropriate manner.

 

The cast worked well together as a group, generally.  David Slater in particular delivered an excellent performance.  However, some of the cast members did seem to lack confidence in the material, or perhaps their lines.  Subsequently, some moments were rushed over.  While this deficit was not omnipresent (nor did every performer do so), it was palpable at times, particularly in the more "literary" sections of the play (where the text was emphasising the prose).

 

When the cast enjoyed the words, savouring the moments, the play was most effective.  When they rushed over things (due, perhaps to a memorisation difficulty, for example), some gags or "moments" were lost.  I'm not sure if this was nerves, line work, or just a little greenness in some of the cast.

 

Please note, again: it didn't happen all the time, nor did every actor do it.  But it did happen and must be mentioned.

 

The blend of traditional storytelling with western theatrical norms was well-done.  The show capitalised on use of different approaches to storytelling (movement, performance, vocalisation), and different media (sound and visual effects) always with an aim to best buoy up the text.

 

The emphasis on the text itself shone through and was well-bonded with the subject matter.  The book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, is (in part) Rushdie's exploration of stories and storytelling - the idea that stories are linked and interwoven like a great, shifting sea.  Rushdie's book is, essentially, about an oral-tradition storyteller, but applies to all stories told.  Its themes dig into storytelling.  That Redeemer University College's production of Haroun used a storytelling-focused story to focus its students on the ways and methods of telling stories was clever, effective, and activated the depths of Rushdie's work.

 

Especially nice was the cast's ability to create little moments, like rainfall, live in front of the audience.  This was accomplished through on-stage aural ingenuity, use of the body and the voice to create live sound, and was used throughout the show to make (the aforementioned) rainfall, or the terrible engines in a steamship scene.  These atmospheric touches were excellent, although I found myself wanting more of it.  Some opportunities to create further soundscapes were lost.  There might have, for instance, been crowd ambience, bus noises, nighttime garden noises, ship creeks, and so forth.  That this device was employed sparingly seemed inconsistent.

 

Similarly, I felt that the slide-projected backgrounds were often quite nice, and mostly appropriate, but had one or two which did not quite suit the scene.  I felt like this element might have been used a touch more effectively.

 

It is necessary as a student of theatre to undertake these challenges.  Indeed, there is no other practical way to educate for the theatre than to participate in it.  In this production, the students received highly-valuable training on emphasising the voice and the words of a written text.

 

It is interesting to note that in today's theatre culture, oftentimes, movement-based productions are emphasised and valued.  Grants are set aside for "movement pieces".  Haroun and the Sea of Stories gave the students and creators of the piece the opportunity to focus on their voices and the words of the text.

 

Additionally, Haroun and the Sea of Stories set out to focus, not just on voice, but on text.  Given the story's themes of telling stories, being audible, speaking up, and respecting the shifting nature of stories, I found these emphases to be very appropriate to the subject matter.

What few props and costumes that were used were used surgically.  They stood out because of their sparseness and were very effective.  The hats, the fish boards, and that marvellous disconnector were wonderful and engaging.

The shadow fighting was beautiful.  That whole character was brought to life delightfully, with the sign language, the costume, the double actor, etc.  It left me wishing that Rushdie had included the character more.

The effort to include the audience through movement and vocalisation was a fitting touch to the storytelling/theatre blend.  Too often theatre shows break the fourth wall because they can.  Haroun did so because it should.

Some earlier vocal participation for the audience might have helped.  The only time we were expected to participate vocally was right at the end with the audience chant.  By then we were too comfortable not saying anything, and I don't think anybody really felt like yelling.  If we were participating the whole time, it would have folded in better.  Because we were relaxed in our "audience world", it also felt a little aggressive when the actors are yelling at us with the aim of coaxing us to yell with them.

Overall, I did very much enjoy the show and could appreciate the work that the students and the instructor had put forward in bringing the work to life.  This kind of investigation of works with a focus on word and text is not always in vogue.  Anecdotally, most conversations I have with my peers in the theatre world revolve around new work in terms of its movement or extra-textual qualities.  Oftentimes I, disappointingly, see casts ignoring or eschewing text in favour of their own feeling, interpretation, or developments.

 

Haroun and the Sea of Stories granted taught these students the value of respect for the words and grounded them in bringing the story forth for its sake, not for the sake of the performer.  From that perspective, I believe that the show was a success, both theatrically and as a teaching tool.