THEATRE TERRIFIC

DoGs
By Susana Uchatius

Dates 1 & 2 June 2007 @ 20.00 Venue Shadbolt Centre for the Arts

Reviewer Ed Farolan

In her notes, director Uchatius quotes Arthur Miller who said: "I think it's a mistake to look for hope outside one's self." And then she goes on to say that this was her inspiration to write the play.

In collaboration with the cast, the 50-minute play is written without any purposeful direction. Or perhaps,to attempt to answer a whimsical, philosophical questioni: What do I believe in?

Co-director Stephen Drover, despite the purposefully chaotic production, found unity in the mise-en-scene by saying that "throughout the process, as a group, we have ... our beliefs challenged and questioned ... different spiritual positions meld into a united purpose."

The play reminds me of Beckett's Waiting for Godot where the actors play games to drown their boredom while they wait for Godot. There are funny dialogues, absurdist scenes, characters like Dog, who woofs all over the stage and, in moments of lucidity, philosophizes about the meaning of life.

Professional actors Sean Allan and Jan Derbyshire mix with actors with disabilities, including a seasoned dancer (Manuel Schulte), and rapper Greg Labine ... a conglomeration of different characters with their own unique personalities making this show entertaining and varied.

One might label the play wierd, strange, confusing, but the adjectives that best describe it are unique, innovative, and refreshing. And that's what makes Theatre Terrific different from other theatre groups in the Lower Mainland.

© 2007 Ed Farolan